Capturing Engagement with Cancer Information on Facebook: The Social Media Content and Context (SoCo) Elicitation Method (Preprint)
UNSTRUCTURED Most of what is known regarding cancer information engagement on social media stems from quantitative methodologies. Public health literature often quantifies engagement by Most of what is known regarding cancer information engagement on social media stems from quantitative methodologies. Public health literature often quantifies engagement by measuring likes, comments and/or shares of posts within cancer organizations’ Facebook Pages. Yet, this content may not represent the cancer information generally available to and consumed by platform users. Furthermore, some individuals may prefer to engage with information without leaving digital traces researchers can quantify. This article discusses the limitations of current approaches to assess cancer information engagement on Facebook and presents the social media content and context (SoCo) elicitation method, a qualitatively-driven mixed methods approach to understanding engagement. Two case studies are presented to highlight important findings elicited through this novel approach. The SoCo elicitation method allows for a better representation of how persons engage with cancer information. This method may be applied to future studies regarding how to best communicate health information on social media.