August 13, 2024

In the Digital Age, information dissemination is facilitated by and heavily reliant upon social media. In the article ‘Social Media Health Promotion and Audience Engagement: The Roles of Information Dissemination, Organization-Audience Interaction, and Action Confidence Building’ (Health Communication, 2022), Assistant Professor Jiang Shaohai (NUS Communications and New Media (CNM)), Associate Professor Iccha Basnyat (George Mason University, Department of Communication), Ms Janice Tay (NUS CNM), and Ms Annabel Ngien (NUS CNM) discuss how social media platforms can be used to disseminate health-related information, having become a tool used by the Singapore Health Promotion Board (HPB) to do so.

The authors provide a comprehensive analysis of the HPB’s use of Facebook for health promotion. They emphasize that Facebook aids in information dissemination, organisation-audience interaction, and action confidence, all of which promise to enhance audience engagement with HPB’s published content. Using a detailed examination of the Information-Community-Action Framework, the authors reveal that social media platforms like Facebook can significantly contribute to higher levels of engagement, which is crucial in health communication.

The article ultimately underscores the importance of harnessing social media platforms like Facebook as vital channels for health promotion. In addition to bolstering audience engagement, understanding how to wield social media for health communication purposes can engage with audiences on a more personal level. This then amplifies the benefits of informational content and action confidence, which is crucial in ensuring the public is more engaged and informed about healthcare.

Overall, the authors provide valuable insights for health promotion and communication, advocating for the leveraging of social media for this purpose. The article suggests that a balanced approach, which includes disseminating relevant information, fostering a two-way communication channel with the audience, and enhancing audience confidence to take action, can significantly improve engagement and potentially lead to better health outcomes.

Read the article here.