The Paradoxical Relationship Between Health Promotion and the Social Media Industry

2021 ◽  
pp. 152483992110646
Author(s):  
Marco Zenone ◽  
Nora Kenworthy ◽  
Skye Barbic
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Health Promotion ◽  
Conflicts Of Interest ◽  
Poor Mental Health ◽  
Media Industry ◽  
Ethical Guidelines ◽  
Paradoxical Situation ◽  
Targeted Marketing ◽  
Collection Practices

Mounting evidence suggests that problematic adolescent social media use is associated with poor mental health. To respond to increased adolescent mental health concerns, health promoters increasingly rely on social media initiatives to promote their resources, programs, and services. This creates a paradoxical situation where social-media-linked adverse mental health outcomes are addressed using the same tools and platforms that can contribute to the development of such issues. It also highlights several areas of needed critical assessment in health promotion usage of social media platform features and products, such as addictive platform design, targeted marketing tools, data collection practices, impacts on underserved groups, and conflicts of interest. To advance subsequent action on these tensions, we offer three recommendations for health promoters that build upon existing scholarship and initiatives, including adapting ethical guidelines for health promoters using social media, adopting conflicts of interest policies, and promoting interdisciplinary scholarship.

scholarly journals Adolescent Social Media User Types and their Mental Health and Well-being: results from a longitudinal survey of 13–14-year-olds in the United Kingdom

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lizzy Winstone ◽  
Becky Mars ◽  
CMA Haworth ◽  
Jon Heron ◽  
Judi Kidger
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Screen Time ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Latent Class ◽  
Media Use ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Poor Mental Health ◽  
Social Media Use ◽  
Health And Well Being

Background There is mixed evidence as to the effects of different types of social media use on mental health, but previous research has been platform-specific and has focused on an oversimplified distinction between active and passive use. This study aimed to identify different underlying subgroups of adolescent social media user based on their pattern of social media activities and test associations between user type and future mental health. Methods Students from nineteen schools (N=2,456) in south-west England completed an online survey measuring thirteen social media activities and four psychosocial outcomes (past year self-harm, depression, anxiety and poor well-being) at age 13 years (October 2019) and repeated a year later (October 2020; aged 14 years). Latent class analysis using Mplus identified distinct classes of social media user. A bias-adjusted three-step model was used to test associations between class membership at baseline and mental health at follow-up. Analyses were adjusted for gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, disability, social media screen-time and baseline mental health.Results A four-class model of social media user at baseline was selected based on fit statistics and interpretability. User types were labelled High Communicators; Moderate Communicators; Broadcasters; and Minimal users. Broadcasters at age 13 had the poorest mental health outcomes at age 14, with mental health and well-being generally better in the two Communicator groups. Conclusions Findings suggest that adolescents with high levels of content sharing – in addition to socialising and browsing online – are most likely to be experiencing poor mental health a year later. Recommendations regarding social media use should move beyond screen-time to consider different user types, and mental health implications of their engagement with different online activities.

Evaluation of the All Right? Campaign’s Facebook intervention post-disaster in Canterbury, New Zealand

2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 111-122 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristi Calder ◽  
Lucy D’Aeth ◽  
Sue Turner ◽  
Annabel Begg ◽  
Ekant Veer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Health Promotion ◽  
Success Factors ◽  
Mental Health Promotion ◽  
Health Promotion Campaign ◽  
Local Setting ◽  
The Social ◽  
Media Component ◽  
Post Disaster

Summary The All Right? campaign was developed as a mental health promotion campaign following the 2010–2011 Canterbury earthquakes. One aspect of the overall campaign was the utilisation of social media as a means of promoting wellbeing messages. This research evaluates the use of the All Right? Facebook page as a means of promoting wellbeing after a major natural disaster. Quantitative and qualitative methods were used to gather data about the social media component of the All Right? campaign. Findings indicate that the All Right? Facebook page has become a valued source of consistent wellbeing tips and advice -‘the place that I go’. Wellbeing reminders posted on the page were especially valued following earthquake aftershocks. High proportions of respondents to a survey (n = 212) linked from the All Right? Facebook page agreed that the page was helpful (98%), gave people ideas of things that they can do to help themselves (96%), and made people think about their wellbeing (93%). Over four fifths (85%) of respondents had done activities as a result of what they saw on the All Right? Facebook page. Success factors for the Facebook page often mirrored those for the campaign itself, including: local research to inform the use of appropriate language for translating evidence-based wellbeing messages into a local setting; not being marketed as a government message; and effectively combining public health and communications expertise. Success factors specific to the Facebook page included: regular posts with a focus on issues that affect everyone in Canterbury post-disaster; timely posts, especially immediately following aftershocks; a consistent tone for the All Right? Facebook page; and balancing wellbeing facts and tips with other content that was relevant to the Canterbury population. The overall success of the All Right? Facebook page was reliant on being part of a trusted population-wide mental health promotion campaign.

scholarly journals Implementing Mental Health Promotion Initiatives—Process Evaluation of the ABCs of Mental Health in Denmark

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (16) ◽  
pp. 5819
Author(s):  
Carsten Hinrichsen ◽  
Vibeke Jenny Koushede ◽  
Katrine Rich Madsen ◽  
Line Nielsen ◽  
Nanna Gram Ahlmark ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Promotion ◽  
Poor Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Promotion ◽  
Great Promise ◽  
Individual Interviews ◽  
Mental Health Awareness ◽  
Treatment And Prevention ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Impact

Treatment and prevention alone are unlikely to make a significant difference in reducing the burden of poor mental health and mental illness. Therefore, mental health promotion (MHP) initiatives are advocated. In 2014, the ABCs of mental health (ABCs) partnership was established in Denmark; in the partnership, partner organisations, e.g., municipalities and NGOs, use a research-based framework for MHP, the ABC-framework, to develop and implement MHP initiatives. This paper has two aims: (1) to outline the overall characteristics of these MHP initiatives; and (2) to explore local coordinator and stakeholder perceptions of the implementation processes and the impact of the MHP initiatives. Questionnaire surveys, individual interviews and group interviews were conducted during 2017–2020. The MHP initiatives were grouped according to three strategies: building MHP capacity, campaign activities to promote mental health awareness and knowledge and establishing and promoting opportunities to engage in mentally healthy activities. The ABC-framework was positively received and viewed as providing relevant knowledge for working with MHP as well as fostering intersectoral and interprofessional collaborations. However, using a bottom-up approach to develop and implement MHP initiatives can be time-consuming and resource demanding, and it requires a deliberate balancing of local adaptability and concrete guidance when engaging stakeholders and implementers. Overall, using the ABC-framework to develop and implement MHP initiatives holds great promise for advancing and promoting MHP practice.

scholarly journals A quasi-experimental and Guided Social Media Intervention to Improve Mental Health Literacy Level of Urban School Adolescents in Ethiopia: A Detailed Study Protocol

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hailemariam Mamo Hassen ◽  
Manas Ranjan Behera ◽  
Pratap Kumar Jena ◽  
Sudhir Kumar Satpathy
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Health Promotion ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
Mental Health Literacy ◽  
Urban School ◽  
Mental Health Promotion ◽  
Health Literacy Level ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
Literacy Level

Abstract Background: Studies showed Ethiopian adolescents have lower knowledge and awareness about resilient and risk factors and preventive methods of mental health problems that increases mental health promotion and prevention gap. Addressing this gap in school settings using technology assisted mental health promotion platforms could help improve mental health literacy level. Therefore, evaluating effectiveness outcomes of guided social media intervention to improve mental health literacy of school adolescents is convenient issue. Methods: Quantitative and quasi-experimental study will be used among urban school adolescent in Dire Dawa, Ethiopia. Following pretest measure among adolescents who have smart phones or social media access and age > 15 years old, participants will be assigned by regression discontinuity design as good as random and then mental health literacy module will be delivered through face book/telegram group to be created for about four weeks and posttest will be done after lapse of a week. Control group will receive posts on effective academic studying skills. Adapted and tested questionnaire in convenient local languages along with English version will be used. Inferential statistics will be applied with significance level of p<0.05. Informed voluntary consent will be obtained from participants, their parents/guardians and school directors. Ethical approval is already obtained.Discussion: Mental health promotion in school settings most importantly using technology assisted mental health promotion platforms supposed to be cost-effective, accessible, acceptable, adoptable, appropriate, feasible, reliable, scalable and sustainable approach helping tailor mental health literacy focused mental health first aid practices still deficient and new for Ethiopia. The study will test the hypothesis whether social media is effective channel of intervention in improving mental health literacy level of urban school adolescents.

Examining social media and hashtags as digital tools: A descriptive content analysis of #blackboyjoy and #theblackmancan on Instagram (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kofoworola DA Williams ◽  
Sharyn A Dougherty ◽  
Emily G Lattie ◽  
Jeanine PD Guidry ◽  
Kellie E Carlyle
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Support ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Health Promotion ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
Black Men ◽  
Cognitive Theory ◽  
Mental Health Promotion ◽  
Positive Interactions ◽  
Design Elements

BACKGROUND From a public health perspective, social media may be a viable avenue to promote mental health among Black men. As a digital tool, social media is widely accessible and increasingly used to challenge societal standards and misrepresentations of marginalized populations in the media. Social media users utilize hashtags and visual, text-based imagery to challenge misrepresentations, garner social support, and discuss a variety of health issues. OBJECTIVE This study presents a content analysis of hashtags about Black men and examines how visual and text-based social media messages can be used to present lived experiences of a marginalized population, as well as how the public engages with these posts. METHODS Posts containing #theblackmancan and #blackboyjoy hashtags were extracted from Instagram during Spring 2019. All posts were analyzed by two independent coders using a codebook. Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) and formative literature were used to guide analyses of how these posts related to attitudes, beliefs, and values associated with race, gender, and social support. RESULTS Of the 500 posts extracted, most were image-based (73.6%). 54.4% were posted by an individual and 27% by a community organization. 53.8% were posted by individuals from Black populations. 35.4% of posts contained images of only males. Posts depicted images of Black men as fathers (20%) and Black men being celebrated (20.2%) and expressing joy (43.4%). Posts (25.4%) also depicted Black men in relation to gender atypical behavior, such as caring for children. Variables related to education and restrictive affection showed up much less. Similarly, variables associated with SCT, such as self-efficacy (7.8%), collective efficacy (10%) and emotional support (10.2%) were rarely present in posts. Engagement via likes (Mdn = 1671, P<.001), comments (P<.001) and views (P<.001) for posts containing #theblackmancan were significantly higher compared to #blackboyjoy (Mdn = 140). Posts containing elements of celebrating Black men (P<.001) and gender atypical behavior (P<.001) had significantly higher engagement, as well. There were also significantly higher levels of engagement (P=.003) for posts containing informational support. CONCLUSIONS Hashtags #blackboyjoy and #theblackmancan promote positive user-generated visual and text-based content on Instagram and promote positive interactions among Black and diverse communities. Future research should examine the relevance of utilizing these, and other, hashtags in mental health promotion. Interventional efforts should investigate the potential for such imagery to serve as culturally relevant design elements for prevention efforts geared towards mental health promotion and prevention among minority men.

scholarly journals Using Social Media Networks to Engage Men in Conversations on Masculinity and Suicide: Content Analysis of Man Up Facebook Campaign Data

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 205630511988001 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marisa Schlichthorst ◽  
Kylie King ◽  
Lennart Reifels ◽  
Andrea Phelps ◽  
Jane Pirkis
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Health Promotion ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
Interpersonal Communication ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Social Media Networks ◽  
Male Suicide ◽  
Promotion Campaigns

We analyzed comments published on the Man Up Facebook page ( manuptvseries) during the roll-out of the Man Up digital campaign. The aim was to gain insight into how the public perceived the Man Up campaign and the conversation topics that the campaign instigated. We downloaded Facebook threads (posts and comments) from the manuptvseries page using NCapture and performed conventional content analysis on a random set of comments ( n = 2,236) to identify how the campaign was perceived and what were the popular conversations. Overall, the campaign was perceived extremely positively by the Facebook audience showing many comments endorsing the content of the campaign by sharing among their Facebook community. The strongest themes were expressing emotions, help and support, and masculinity/gender roles which related to the higher level theme of expressions of masculinity. Another strong theme was suicide and topics related to suicide. Comments acknowledged the importance of discussing the issues of male suicide and masculinity publicly. Men were less engaged with topics on masculinity and expressing emotions compared with women and recognized stigma around help-seeking for mental health issues. The Man Up Facebook campaign did foster a public discussion on masculinity and suicide. A gendered approach in mental health promotion is needed with stigma still present for men when seeking help for mental health problems. Social media holds considerable potential for the use of health promotion campaigns aiming to increase interpersonal communication on challenging health topics. Yet, these campaigns need to carefully manage the risk of reinforcing stereotypes.

A new dimension in publishing ethics: social media-based ethics-related accusations

2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 354-370
Author(s):  
Jaime A. Teixeira da Silva ◽  
Judit Dobránszki
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Peer Review ◽  
Conflicts Of Interest ◽  
Academic Misconduct ◽  
Publication Ethics ◽  
Ethical Guidelines ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Whistle Blowing ◽  
Use Of Social Media ◽  
Publishing Ethics

Purpose Whistle-blowing, which has become an integral part of the post-publication peer-review movement, is being fortified by social media. Anonymous commenting on blogs as well as Tweets about suspicions of academic misconduct can spread quickly on social media sites like Twitter. The purpose of this paper is to examine two cases to expand the discussion about how complex post-publication peer review is and to contextualize the use of social media within this movement. Design/methodology/approach This paper examines a Twitter-based exchange between an established pseudonymous blogger and science critic, Neuroskeptic, and Elizabeth Wager, the former COPE Chair, within a wider discussion of the use of social media in post-publication peer review. The paper also discusses false claims made on Twitter by another science watchdog, Leonid Schneider. The policies of 15 publishers related to anonymous or pseudonymous whistle-blowing are examined. Findings Four issues in the Neuroskeptic–Wager case were debated: the solicitation by Wager to publish in RIPR; the use of commercial software by Neuroskeptic to make anonymous reports to journals; the links between “publication ethics” leaders and whistle-blowers or pseudonymous identities; the issues of transparency and possible hidden conflicts of interest. Only one publisher (Wiley) out of 15 scientific publishers examined claimed in its official ethical guidelines that anonymous reports should be investigated in the same way as named reports, while three publishers (Inderscience, PLOS and Springer Nature) referred to the COPE guidelines. Originality/value No such Twitter-based case has yet been examined in detail in the publishing ethics literature.

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