Social Media Use in Emergency Response to Natural Disasters: A Systematic Review With a Public Health Perspective

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 139-149 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kamalich Muniz-Rodriguez ◽  
Sylvia K. Ofori ◽  
Lauren C. Bayliss ◽  
Jessica S. Schwind ◽  
Kadiatou Diallo ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTSocial media research during natural disasters has been presented as a tool to guide response and relief efforts in the disciplines of geography and computer sciences. This systematic review highlights the public health implications of social media use in the response phase of the emergency, assessing (1) how social media can improve the dissemination of emergency warning and response information during and after a natural disaster, and (2) how social media can help identify physical, medical, functional, and emotional needs after a natural disaster. We surveyed the literature using 3 databases and included 44 research articles. We found that analyses of social media data were performed using a wide range of spatiotemporal scales. Social media platforms were identified as broadcasting tools presenting an opportunity for public health agencies to share emergency warnings. Social media was used as a tool to identify areas in need of relief operations or medical assistance by using self-reported location, with map development as a common method to visualize data. In retrospective analyses, social media analysis showed promise as an opportunity to reduce the time of response and to identify the individuals’ location. Further research for misinformation and rumor control using social media is needed.

2016 ◽  
Vol 83 (1) ◽  
pp. 729-760 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn C. Finch ◽  
Kassandra R. Snook ◽  
Carmen H. Duke ◽  
King-Wa Fu ◽  
Zion Tsz Ho Tse ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Abinet Arega Sadore ◽  
Demelash Woldeyohannes Handiso ◽  
Tekle Ejajo Wontamo ◽  
Dejene Ermias Mekango ◽  
Sisay Moges

Abstract Background: Infection with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has become a severe public health issue worldwide. A broad amount of information related to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic was disseminated by social media in Ethiopia. To date, there is limited evidence on the influence of social media use for covid-19 related information on covid-19 preventive practice. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the influence of social media use on the practice of COVID-19 preventive measures in Ethiopia. Methods: This study employed an anonymous internet-based online cross-sectional survey using Google forms to collects the data from the respondents from 15 May to 17 June 2020 in Ethiopia. Multivariable logistic regression was used to assess the relationship between social media usage as a predictor and COVID-19 preventive practice, after adjusting for socio-demographic and risk perception of COVID-19 variables. The data were analysed using SPSS version 21. Results: A total of 372 respondents have participated in the study. From 372, 208(55.9%) respondents in this study were male. Study participants who had good utilization of social media to get COVID-19 related information were 9.5 times engaged in COVID-19 preventive practices compared to study participants who had poor utilization of social media to get covid-19 related information (AOR= 9.59, 95% CI = 5.70 - 16.13). Also, study participants who had a high-risk perception of COVID-19 were 2.6 times engaged in COVID-19 practices compared to study participants who had a low-risk perception of covid-19 (AOR = 2.63, 95% CI = 1.58 - 4.38). Study participants who were students at the time of this study were four times more likely to show adequate COVID-19 preventive practice score compared to those who had another occupational status (AOR= 4.07, 95% CI= 1.66 - 9.98) Conclusions: Our results show that the usage of social media networks can have a positive effect on the practice of preventive measures and public safety against COVID-19; high-risk perception contributed to preventive activities against COVID-19. Social networking platforms can be used by public health agencies as an important method to raise public health understanding by disseminating concise messages to targeted audiences.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
César G Escobar-Viera ◽  
Darren L Whitfield ◽  
Charles B Wessel ◽  
Ariel Shensa ◽  
Jaime E Sidani ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND Over 90% of adults in the United States have at least one social media account, and lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) persons are more socially active on social media than heterosexuals. Rates of depression among LGB persons are between 1.5- and 2-fold higher than those among their heterosexual counterparts. Social media allows users to connect, interact, and express ideas, emotions, feelings, and thoughts. Thus, social media use might represent both a protective and a risk factor for depression among LGB persons. Studying the nature of the relationship between social media use and depression among LGB individuals is a necessary step to inform public health interventions for this population. OBJECTIVE The objective of this systematic review was to synthesize and critique the evidence on social media use and depression among LGB populations. METHODS We conducted a literature search for quantitative and qualitative studies published between January 2003 and June 2017 using 3 electronic databases. Articles were included if they were peer-reviewed, were in English, assessed social media use either quantitatively or qualitatively, measured depression, and focused on LGB populations. A minimum of two authors independently extracted data from each study using an a priori developed abstraction form. We assessed appropriate reporting of studies using the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology and the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research for quantitative and qualitative studies, respectively. RESULTS We included 11 articles in the review; 9 studies were quantitative and cross-sectional and 2 were qualitative. Appropriate reporting of results varied greatly. Across quantitative studies, we found heterogeneity in how social media use was defined and measured. Cyberbullying was the most studied social media experience and was associated with depression and suicidality. Qualitative studies found that while social media provides a space to disclose minority experiences and share ways to cope and get support, constant surveillance of one’s social media profile can become a stressor, potentially leading to depression. In most studies, sexual minority participants were identified inconsistently. CONCLUSIONS This review supports the need for research on the role of social media use on depression outcomes among LBG persons. Using social media may be both a protective and a risk factor for depression among LGB individuals. Support gained via social media may buffer the impact of geographic isolation and loneliness. Negative experiences such as cyberbullying and other patterns of use may be associated with depression. Future research would benefit from more consistent definitions of both social media use and study populations. Moreover, use of larger samples and accounting for patterns of use and individuals’ experiences on social media may help better understand the factors that impact LGB mental health disparities.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victor Suarez-Lledo ◽  
Javier Alvarez-Galvez

BACKGROUND The propagation of health misinformation through social media has become a major public health concern over the last two decades. Although today there is broad agreement among researchers, health professionals, and policy makers on the need to control and combat health misinformation, the magnitude of this problem is still unknown. Consequently, before adopting the necessary measures for the adequate control of health misinformation in social media, it is fundamental to discover both the most prevalent health topics and the social media platforms from which these topics are initially framed and subsequently disseminated. OBJECTIVE This systematic review aims to identify the main health misinformation topics and their prevalence on different social media platforms, focusing on methodological quality and the diverse solutions that are being implemented to address this public health concern. METHODS This systematic review was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines (PRISMA). We searched PubMed, MEDLINE, Scopus and the Web of Science for articles published in English before March 2019 with a particular focus on studying health misinformation in social media. We defined health misinformation as a health-related claim based on anecdotal evidence, false, or misleading due to the lack of existing scientific knowledge. The criteria for inclusion were: 1) articles that focused on health misinformation in social media, including those in which the authors discussed the consequences or purposes of health misinformation; and 2) studies that described empirical findings regarding the measurement of health misinformation in these platforms. RESULTS A total of 69 studies were identified as eligible, covering a wide range of health topics and social media platforms. The topics were articulated around six principal categories: vaccines (32%), drugs or smoking (22%), non-communicable disease (19%), pandemics (10%), eating disorders (9%), and medical treatments (7%). Studies were mainly based on five methodological approaches: Social Network Analysis (28%), Evaluating Content (26%), Evaluating Quality (24%), Content/Text analysis (16%) and Sentiment Analysis (6%). Health misinformation proved to be the most more prevalent in studies related to smoking products and drugs such as opioids or marijuana. Posts with misinformation reached 87% in some studies focused in smoking products. Health misinformation about vaccines was also very common (43%), but studies reported different levels of misinformation depending on the different vaccines, with the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine being the most affected. Secondly, health misinformation related to diets or pro eating disorders (pro-ED) arguments were moderate in comparison to the aforementioned topics (36%). Studies focused on diseases (i.e. non-communicable diseases and pandemics) also reported moderate misinformation rates (40%), especially in the case of cancer. Finally, the lowest levels of health misinformation were related to medical treatments (30%). CONCLUSIONS Prevalence of health misinformation was most common on Twitter and on issues related to smoking products and drugs. However, misinformation is also high on major public health issues such as vaccines and diseases. Our study offers a comprehensive characterization of the dominant health misinformation topics and a comprehensive description of their prevalence in different social media platforms, which can guide future studies and help in the development of evidence-based digital policy actions plans. CLINICALTRIAL


2020 ◽  
Vol 17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenny Mendoza-Herrera ◽  
Isabel Valero-Morales ◽  
Maria E. Ocampo-Granados ◽  
Hortensia Reyes-Morales ◽  
Fernanda Arce-Amaré ◽  
...  

F1000Research ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
pp. 1048
Author(s):  
Yusuf Yilmaz ◽  
Brandon Ruan ◽  
Priya Thomas ◽  
Victoria Tran ◽  
Teresa M. Chan

Background: Social media is changing the modern academic landscape; this study sought to explore how organizational structures support or inhibit the harnessing of social media use in academic contexts and knowledge translation. Methods: A qualitative study was conducted using framework analysis based on the Bolman and Deal’s Four-Frame Model—structural, human resources, political and symbolic. The research team used the snowball sampling technique to recruit participants following the completion of each participant’s semi-structured interview. A member check was completed to ensure rigour. Results: 16 social media educators and experts from several countries participated in the study. Study findings showed that within the Structural Frame, institution types were reported to have with diverse hierarchical structures, ranging from strict to malleable: hospital-based (strict), education institutional-based and online only groups (malleable). The Human Resources Frame revealed that most participants’ social media organizations operated on unpaid volunteer staff. The training of these staff was primarily via role-modeling and mentorship. Regarding the Political Frame, social media helped participants accumulate scholarly currency and influence within their field of practice. Symbolic Frame showed a wide range of traditional to non-traditional organizational supports, which interacted with both intrinsic to extrinsic motivation. Conclusions: Bolman and Deal’s Four-Frame Model framework may serve as an effective guideline for academic leaders who wish to strategically implement or enhance social media use into their organizations. The key insights that we have gained from our participants are how new emerging forms of scholarly pursuits can be more effectively enabled or hindered by the attributes of the organization within which these are occurring.


Author(s):  
Claudia Marino ◽  
Natale Canale ◽  
Fiordalisa Melodia ◽  
Marcantonio M. Spada ◽  
Alessio Vieno

Abstract Purpose of Review Over the last decade, problematic smartphone use (PSU) and problematic social media use (PSMU) have emerged as new potential problematic behaviours. Several studies have suggested that smartphones are predominantly used for social purposes (i.e., using messaging apps and social networking sites). The aim of the current article is to provide a systematic review of the extant literature that has explicitly analysed the association between PSU and PSMU in order to examine study characteristics in terms of samples analysed and effect sizes of the associations reported. This systematic review is based on the ongoing debate about whether the smartphone can be considered as the medium of one or more problematic activities, including PSMU. Recent Findings Existing evidence suggests that the effect sizes of the associations between PSU and PSMU are medium to large and large across the 13 studies included, with the largest correlations observed between PSU and problematic WhatsApp use or general PSMU. Overall, reviewed results suggest a partial overlap between the two problematic behaviours. Summary PSU and PSMU are overlapped mostly because the smartphone is a common medium to use social media, especially concerning instant messaging apps like WhatsApp. Moreover, PSU should be preferentially studied with a focus on specific types of apps used rather than a more holistic phenomenon.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacqueline Nesi ◽  
Taylor A. Burke ◽  
Alexandra Bettis ◽  
Anastacia Kudinova ◽  
Elizabeth C. Thompson ◽  
...  

Despite considerable public and scholarly debate about the role of social media in self-injurious thoughts and behaviors (SITBs), no comprehensive, quantitative synthesis of this literature has previously been undertaken. The current systematic review and meta-analysis examines associations between social media use and SITBs, including suicidal ideation, suicide plans, suicide attempts, and nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI). A range of social media behaviors and experiences were identified, including cybervictimization and perpetration, exposure to and generation of SITB-related content, problematic or addictive use, sexting, social media importance, and frequency of use. A systematic search of PsycINFO, Medline, CINAHL, and the references of prior reviews yielded 61 eligible studies. Results largely suggested medium effect sizes for associations between the social media constructs and SITBs examined. The majority of studies identified focused on cybervictimization, and results suggested stronger positive associations between cybervictimization and suicidal ideation and attempts for adolescents compared to adults. No evidence emerged for associations between frequency of social media use and SITBs; however, studies on this topic were limited. Overall, findings highlight the utility of examining specific social media behaviors and experiences, and point to the need for more research in this area.


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