Theory-Driven Social Media for Health

Background: 

To this point in the digital age, it seems the benefits to using social media are endless, including hyper-personal messaging; low-cost, high-reach implementation; and networks of interactive tools and influential communities (APA, 2004; Brendrye 2008). While few health inquiries originate on social media, consumers are still adopting online health behaviors of a social nature, including finding others with similar health concerns (16%), seeking health care service reviews (30%), and watching and reading about someone else’s health experiences (26%) (Fox, 2013). Of state and local health departments, 56% have a Facebook account and 180 have a Twitter account, looking to tap into these consumer social trends. But wielding these tools simply because of popularity and without foundation in communication theory runs the risk of wasting resources and losing influence over voluntary health behavior change (Currie, 2012; Cugelman, Thelwall, & Dawes, 2011). 

When applied properly, public health communicators can enhance social media efforts using theory by:

• Increasing a viewer’s perception of susceptibility to a health condition by using niche micronetworks
• Motivating a reader to adopt behavior change by displaying benefits through personal health stories in various media formats
• Altering a user’s attitude and perception of a certain behavior by leveraging the influence of social communities and peer-to-peer health 
• Increasing general awareness of health issues by pushing messages through multiple, integrated platforms

However, all of these opportunities are not necessarily housed within a one-size-fits-all social platform, and all of these benefits should not be leveraged for every public health problem. As more data becomes available on the differing beliefs, attitudes, and environmental and social influences of the various audiences using social media, it is clear that mass-produced public health solutions can no longer be the standard. Instead, health communicators must meet these social expectations with tailored interventions bolstered by communication theory for the strongest behavior change outcome.

Program background:  This session will share case studies and a competitive analysis from within tobacco communications to highlight current initiatives adopting health communication theory, and additional opportunities that exist within “social” for theory- and evidence-based application.

Evaluation Methods and Results:  Participants in this session will learn:

• Which communication theories are best applied with which social platforms;
• The social elements that are most beneficial to intervention types;
• Beneficial tools that groups can use to design interventions around theory;
• How traditional communication theories can evaluate today’s social tools; and
• How to generate evergreen content for use regardless of emerging social platforms.

Conclusions:  With the continued advancements in on-demand technology, changing social online consumer health behaviors, and the growing adoption of social media initiatives by public health organizations, it is pivotal that professionals effectively apply health communication theory when designing behavior change campaigns for social media.

Implications for research and/or practice:  The panelist and attendees will discuss what steps should be taken to augment traditional communication theories for stronger application with today’s technologies; how practitioners can design social media interventions using theory; and opportunities to integrate theory within other digital tools.