Social Media and Health Information

Although many people use websites such as Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Myspace etc. for entertainment purposes, many are starting to use these sites to provide health information to the masses.  Is this method of health promotion effective or potentially destructive?  Members of the public health and medical communities have mixed feelings about this new medium for information sharing.  


Despite the fact that many government programs focus on promoting health information, many people still seem to struggle to access all of the informational resources out there.  The result is a mass migration towards social media for infrmation, instead of from academic or government sources.  Social media websites like Youtube and Facebook allow users to upload their own videos and interact with other users on the web.  I can see how this might seem appealing to someone questing for health information.  What could be more useful than videos and posts produced by real people, "just like you," with similar health concerns.  These websites allow people with concerns regarding their health to essentially "bond" with other people struggling with the same condition while still preserving their anonymity.  No one enjoys asking embarrassing or incriminating questions questions while at the doctors office and the internet provides people with an easy way to get answers without having to interact directly with anyone. 


The health information online is not only easy to find but it is also incredibly low cost, both to produce and to view.  Anyone with a Youtube account can upload videos, and anyone online can access those videos so long as they know what to type into the search engine.  Websites that allow for users to interact provide yet another incentive to search for health information online because people can ask questions and receive responses form other users rapidly.  Online forums provide users with a safe place to discuss their health concerns with their peers. 

There are many benefits to using social media sites to acquire health information however, many disadvantages have made the public health community uncomfortable with this new trend.  Most internet forums and video sites allow anyone to upload information.  This blind authorship means that there is zero way to guarantee that the information on the web is accurate.  People who exclusively use the internet to self-diagnosis themselves are certainly at risk for being incorrect.  The online health information poses a public health threat when people start to view online information as a replacement for seeking potentially needed medical attention.  Without any regulation, inaccurate information regarding nutrition, diseases or injury treatment plans could result in a worsening health status due to bad advice.

Although social media sites have revolutionized the way we can implement public health campaigns by making health information readily accessible to the masses, a new obstacle now befalls the public health community: not only must they continue to effectively promote health with traditional campaigns and techniques, they must also work to prove their resources more useful and more important than unregulated online sources.