Facebook as a Platform for Health Information and Communication: A Case Study of a Diabetes Group

Abstract

As one of the largest social networking sites in the world, Facebook holds a great potential for promoting health. In this exploratory study, we analyzed 1352 messages posted to an active Facebook diabetes group to identify the characteristics of the group. The results revealed that the group was international in nature. Users overcame language barriers to communicate with people with similar conditions. Users' interactions were structured around information, emotion, and community building. They exchanged medical and lifestyle information, and highly valued their peers' personal experiences, opinions, and advice. They also demonstrated a positive attitude toward the reality of living with diabetes and generously provided encouragements and affirmations to one another. Great efforts were made to maintain the proper operation of the community by the administrator and a group of core members. As a result, the group was shaped as a social network where peer users share social support, cultivate companionship, and exert social influence. Based on the results, we discussed future directions for research of health communities in a highly connected world.

They Have Needs, They Have Goals: Using Communication Theories to Explain Health-Related Social Media Use and Health Behavior Change

“…Yet none of these studies explained the needs and goals that motivate individuals to use social media for health. In addition, most tended to examine only one specific site (whether Facebook, Twitter or some other site) or only one group on these sites, as in case of Zhang et al [13]. Moreover, even though the study by Vaterlaus et al [12] is relatively similar to the current study, it was conducted among young users only.…”

“…The use of technology is said to influence individuals' health behavior since it is capable of shaping their social norms [13]. Similarly, health-related use of technology may affect health behavior.…”

Comunicación sobre el cáncer en Facebook. Las asociaciones de Argentina, Chile, Colombia y España

“…De hecho, una extensión muy frecuente de esta interacción es la creación de grupos de pacientes, familiares cuidadores, profesionales o varios de estos colectivos simultáneamente (Al Mamun, Ibrahim & Turin, 2015;Frimming, Polsgrove & Bower, 2011;Gajaria, Yeung, Goodale & Charach, 2011;Leis et al 2013;Zhang, He & Sang, 2013).…”

The many faces of diabetes: A critical multimodal analysis of diabetes pages on Facebook

“…Along with people with other chronic health conditions, individuals with diabetes mellitus are regarded as a group that could benefit from the peer support and health education content available on social networking sites (Zhang et al, 2013). The chronic nature of these conditions also means that SNS users may participate online on a long-term basis and hence receive extensive exposure to the representations of diabetes produced by the organisations who have accrued the largest audiences on Facebook.…”