tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
J Med Internet Res
. 2022 Feb 4.
doi: 10.2196/33680. Online ahead of print.
The impact and applications of social media platforms for public health responses before and during COVID-19
Dinesh Gunasekeran[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Alton Ming Kai Chew[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Eeshwar Chandrasekar[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Priyanka Rajendram[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Vasundhara Kandarpa[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Mallika Rajendram[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Audrey Chia[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Helen Smith[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Choon Kit Leong[SUP] 1 6 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
Background: Social media platforms have numerous potential benefits and drawbacks on public health that have been described in the literature. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has exposed our limited knowledge regarding the potential health impact of these platforms, which have been detrimental to public health responses in many regions.
Objective: This review aims to highlight a brief history of social media in healthcare, as well as report its potential negative and positive public health impact that have been characterised in the literature.
Methods: We searched electronic bibliographic databases in Pubmed, including Medline and Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Xplore, from 10 Dec 2015 to 10 Dec 2020. We screened title and abstracts, and selected relevant reports for review of full-text and reference lists. These were analysed thematically and consolidated into applications of social media platforms for public health.
Results: The positive and negative impact of social media platforms on public health are catalogued based on recent research in this report. These findings are discussed in the context of improving future public health responses and incorporating other emerging digital technology domains such as artificial intelligence (AI). However, there is a need for more research with pragmatic methodology that evaluates the impact of specific digital interventions to inform future health policy.
Conclusions: Recent research has highlighted the potential negative impact of social media platforms on population health, as well as potentially useful applications for public health communication, monitoring and predictions. More research is needed to objectively investigate measures to mitigate against its negative impact while harnessing effective applications for the benefit of public health.
. 2022 Feb 4.
doi: 10.2196/33680. Online ahead of print.
The impact and applications of social media platforms for public health responses before and during COVID-19
Dinesh Gunasekeran[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Alton Ming Kai Chew[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Eeshwar Chandrasekar[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Priyanka Rajendram[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Vasundhara Kandarpa[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Mallika Rajendram[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Audrey Chia[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Helen Smith[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Choon Kit Leong[SUP] 1 6 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 35129456
- DOI: 10.2196/33680
Abstract
Background: Social media platforms have numerous potential benefits and drawbacks on public health that have been described in the literature. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has exposed our limited knowledge regarding the potential health impact of these platforms, which have been detrimental to public health responses in many regions.
Objective: This review aims to highlight a brief history of social media in healthcare, as well as report its potential negative and positive public health impact that have been characterised in the literature.
Methods: We searched electronic bibliographic databases in Pubmed, including Medline and Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Xplore, from 10 Dec 2015 to 10 Dec 2020. We screened title and abstracts, and selected relevant reports for review of full-text and reference lists. These were analysed thematically and consolidated into applications of social media platforms for public health.
Results: The positive and negative impact of social media platforms on public health are catalogued based on recent research in this report. These findings are discussed in the context of improving future public health responses and incorporating other emerging digital technology domains such as artificial intelligence (AI). However, there is a need for more research with pragmatic methodology that evaluates the impact of specific digital interventions to inform future health policy.
Conclusions: Recent research has highlighted the potential negative impact of social media platforms on population health, as well as potentially useful applications for public health communication, monitoring and predictions. More research is needed to objectively investigate measures to mitigate against its negative impact while harnessing effective applications for the benefit of public health.