Social Media: Twitter

Abstract

This entry provides the background of Twitter's popularity and different functions. With Twitter's wide reach to a large number of users, government officials and medical professionals are aware of and have used Twitter in public health crisis management, doctor–patient interaction, and health campaigns. However, misinformation on Twitter poses a threat to public health communication. The current literature on Twitter focuses on content of tweets and specific health issues, and more future research on health communication processes and effectiveness could provide useful suggestions for practitioners to use Twitter as a public health communication platform.