Social media in the health communication fields Research Paper

Social media in the health communication fields - Research Paper Example Information was flowing in one direction only, and even if there were replies they were not instant like in the case of the social media (Park, Rodgers and Stemmle, 2011). The social media has revolutionized the way people generate, disseminate and even appreciate information because of its unique abilities. First, it is device indifferent. As long as a person has internet access one can access the social media through different devices such as mobile phones, desktops, laptops, tablets and smart phones among others. The social media also enables communication in different perspectives, from one-to-one communication to one-to-many. Most importantly, the social media allows for real time communication and different levels of interactivity and engagement. These unique characteristics and capabilities have made the social media a popular media across the globe and across the different sectors of the global economy. The health sector is one of the sectors that have been influenced by the use of social media (OED, 2013). Here, the social media has revolutionized how people get health information and how health information is disseminated by health experts. The social media has proved to be a reliable media that is highly efficient in getting health-related information out. Currently, health messages are already forming a substantial part of messages being conveyed through the many social media platforms. This paper investigates the different ways the social media is being used in the health communication fields to disseminate information. The paper shows the influence this use of social media has on the people’s attitudes and knowledge as far as their health and health services are concerned. A research conducted in 2012 by Cogitamus about the use of social media in the health sector established that nearly 32% of the adults use the social media to communicate