Beyond Facebook and Twitter: How to Leverage New Digital Technologies for Health Communication

Background:  Digital tactics in communicating about public health continue to be increasingly important. Of all media interactions, 90% are now screen-based with social networking being the number one online activity in the U.S. Of particular interest for health communicators, 72% of internet users search online for health information.  

Program background: With a majority of people turning online (and to their phones) to educate themselves about their health, we as health professionals need to meet them where they are. This includes learning to embrace the latest digital and social media technologies to help meet our public health information goals and expand our social reach. While Facebook and Twitter continue to be the social media heavy hitters (and shouldn’t be abandoned), newer tools and platforms have certainly proven their worth in the health and social good space. Throughout 2015 AIR utilized two of these emerging technologies, Thunderclap and Periscope. In June 2015, AIR supported CDC’s Act Against AIDS campaign in the successful implementation of its #MyHIVTestingDay Thunderclap to encourage target audiences to get tested for HIV on National HIV Testing Day (NHTD). In December 2015, AIR hosted its “Powering the PrEPosition” event aimed at tackling the intersection of public discourse on HIV and PrEP in entertainment and media. In an effort to expand the reach of the program, AIR facilitated the live stream of the entire program through Periscope. In addition to Thunderclap and Periscope, other emerging channels and technologies to consider including in our communication toolboxes are SnapChat (with more than 60% of U.S. 13- to 34-year-old smartphone users), Twitter Moments, and even content curation tools such as Boomerang. 

Evaluation Methods and Results:  The performance of both the NHTD Thunderclap and the Periscope were evaluated using the built in monitoring tools of the platforms. Each platform provides general metrics around overall reach and the number of people engaged. The NHTD Thunderclap reached more than 1.8 million people in one day and the Powering the PrEPosition Periscope reached 49 live viewers. Due to the nature of emerging technologies, their evaluation methods are also emerging and constantly evolving. The AIR team is exploring more comprehensive methods to evaluate these tools; pending abstract acceptance, AIR will provide up-to-the-moment evaluation strategies during its presentation. 

Conclusions:  Relative to traditional media strategies, social media (particularly some of the newer tools discussed here) offers a low cost means of disseminating health communication messages and reaching important target audiences where they are most likely to consume and seek out information. They all show promise in expanding the ways in which we communicate important health messages.  

Implications for research and/or practice:  Through our presentation of lessons learned and best practices among SnapChat, Twitter Moments, Periscope, Thunderclap, Boomerang, and more, public health practitioners will be encouraged to expand their social reach through the utilization of newer tools and technologies. Each platform offers unique advantages to reaching and engaging audiences, and provides innovative options to help meet health promotion goals. Brands like RED are taking the leap (with their SnapChat partnership over World AIDS Day) and public health communicators should too!