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Can Social Media Have A Positive Impact On Global Healthcare?

There really isn’t an area where social media hasn’t had an impact. People use social media to share opinions, seek information, and share stories about their experiences. Healthcare hasn’t been excluded from this in any way. In fact, 60% of doctors see social media as an avenue for delivering better healthcare to patients. Of course, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t concerns. For instance, the ways that people choose to use Facebook can lead to negative outcomes.

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 Is Social Media Good for Society?

Proponents of social networking sites say that the online communities promote increased interaction with friends and family; offer teachers, librarians, and students valuable access to educational support and materials; facilitate social and political change; and disseminate useful information rapidly...

 Use of Social Media in Health Care—Opportunities, Challenges, and Ethical Considerations

The use of social media has become nearly ubiquitous. Social media applications are widely available, free or of low cost, and not limited by geographic or temporal boundaries. Nearly 70% of adults in the United States use at least one social media platform. The most frequent consumers of social media are those between 18 and 29 years of age, but the number of older consumers has continued to increase over the years, especially between 30- and 49-year-olds.

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Millennials And Healthy Living: It's About Online Content, Not Doctors' Visits

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Good News Beats Bad on Social Networks

BAD NEWS SELLS. If it bleeds, it leads. No news is good news, and good news is no news. Those are the classic rules for the evening broadcasts and the morning papers, based partly on data (ratings and circulation) and partly on the gut instincts of producers and editors. Wars, earthquakes, plagues, floods, fires, sick children, murdered spouses – the more suffering and mayhem, the more coverage. But now that information is being spread and monitored in different ways, researchers are discovering new rules.

How Parents Harnessed the Power of Social Media to Challenge EpiPen Prices

“I think Mylan just pushed it too far,” said Robyn O’Brien of Boulder, Colo., a well-known parent activist and writer with a strong social media following. “It hit a price point for this year for back to school where parents absolutely revolted.”

How Social Media Is Changing The Way We Approach Death

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How Social Media Is Transforming Medical Care In The Developing World

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How to Assess Internet Cures Without Falling for Dangerous Pseudoscience

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Leveraging Social Media to Maximize Reach: Health Equity

Introduced in the mid-2000’s, social media has exploded in popularity and now about 7 out of 10 Americans use at least one social media site, such as Facebook or Twitter.1 In the world of public health, social media is now considered an important way to reach target audiences, either to deliver health promotion messages directly to those we serve or to drive viewers to websites and other resources for more information.

Network Effect

The Internet is said to show our common humanity. Through its data, it is said to provide a kind of omniscience, and through its social networks, a deeper sense of connection. For those without access, it holds the promise of a better life. For those of us who use it a lot, its power to affect our lives is clear — but what is the nature of that effect? How does it change our behavior? The way we see others? The way we see ourselves?

Parenting in a Digital World

Nowadays, it’s all but impossible for constantly-connected teens and tweens to avoid screens, media, and digital devices. At seemingly every turn, they’re inundated with notifications from their friends, new content to read or listen to, and new apps and games to play with. Between smartphones, laptops and tablets, and other digital devices, media is everywhere and all too easy for children to access whenever they please.

Pros and Cons of Social Media

Multitasking has become a common theme in our lives. It’s a wonder how we manage it all. We depend on our smartphones for work, school, our personal and social lives. When was the last time you left home without your phone and kept on going? The internet has become a significant part of our daily lives. So too has social media. And it is having an impact on today’s teens.

Social media for public health: Reaping the benefits, mitigating the harms

With more than 4.26 billion social media users worldwide, social media has become a primary source of health information, exchange, and influence. As its use has rapidly expanded, social media has proven to be a "doubled-edged sword," with considerable benefits as well as notable harms. It can be used to encourage preventive behaviors, foster social connectivity for better mental health, enable health officials to deliver timely information, and connect individuals to reliable information. But social media also has contributed to public health crises...

Social Media in Health Care: A Double-edged Weapon

“Social media” is a standard term referring to Internet-based digital platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, and YouTube and has revolutionized the way people access, share information, and interact with each other in every walk of life including the health care.[1,2] Integrating social media into the field of medicine has brought patients and physicians all across the globe an unprecedented opportunity to connect and interact. However, the challenges in this regard are also equally worrisome and alarming.

Social Media in Healthcare has a Powerful and Transformative Force in Healthcare Industry

As the world becomes increasingly interconnected through digital channels, the use of social media in healthcare continues to evolve, offering immense potential for improving healthcare outcomes and fostering greater transparency in the healthcare landscape.

Social Media in Healthcare: A Slippery Slope

Widespread proliferation of social media in the United States and around the world has connected people in new and engaging ways that traditional forms of communication have not. The ability to quickly communicate and share information has shaped how people interact as well as their expectations related to those interactions. Research shows that nearly 70 percent of U.S. adults use social media sites — such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, LinkedIn, and Pinterest — and the typical American uses three of these networking sites.1 Because social media use is more prevalent with younger age groups, it is realistic to assume that its popularity and role in many types of communication will continue to grow.

Social media in healthcare: for better, for worse, in sickness or in health?

There is no denying that social media has certainly changed the way people seek and share health-related information, but despite giving voice to virtually anyone, there is no quality control so far. Such democratic access may be both the strength and the Achilles heel of social media. Studies show misinformation on important public health themes such as smoking, drugs, vaccines and diseases (Suarez-Lledo and Alvarez-Galvez Citation2021). The WHO has taken many steps in order to fight the so-called infodemics, and the cooperation of both the public and private sectors is required if we aim to provide scientific-based information and education on social media outlets. As the information available on these platforms may impact a person’s decision on how to deal with health and disease, making sure such material is reliable is of utmost importance.

Social media in healthcare: Transforming patient engagement, education, and research dissemination

The incorporation of social media platforms into medical education has introduced novel avenues for collaborative learning, knowledge dissemination, and professional networking. Platforms such as X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, WhatsApp, and Snapchat have emerged as instrumental mediums for educators and students to exchange resources, partake in discussions, and remain abreast of contemporary medical advancements.

Social Media Use for Health Purposes: Systematic Review

Social media can be used for various health purposes. Several new usages have emerged since 2013 including advancing health research and practice, social mobilization, and facilitating offline health-related services and events. Research gaps exist regarding advancing strategic use of social media based on audience segmentation, evaluating the impact of social media in health interventions, understanding the impact of health identity development, and addressing privacy concerns.

Social Media’s Positive Impact on the Quality of Healthcare

Healthcare has been a bit slower on the uptake. The industry is just starting to acknowledge the undeniable impact social media can have on the quality of healthcare services. This reluctance could be due to the risks to patients and providers that must be taken into consideration. Confidentiality and privacy of patient information be must be upheld at all times. However, social media can get information out to consumers faster than any other tool. Here is a look at the history of social media and the positive impact it can have on healthcare quality.

The Latest Crop of Instagram Influencers? Medical Students

In between posts about the anatomy lab and long hours, med students are making extra cash endorsing products. Is it ethical?

The Social Media Cure

How people with chronic illnesses use memes, selfies, and emojis to soothe their suffering.

Resources

Association for Healthcare Social Media

AHSM serves as a resource for social media usage by healthcare professionals and advocates for social media as an important public health tool in combating misinformation.