Just How Many People Seek Health Information Through Social Media Sites?

This article, written by Donna Fuscaldo, came as no surprise to me when I read it. According to a Ticker survey of 22,877 Americans, “96% of respondents said they used Facebook to gather information about health care while 28% used YouTube and 22% used Twitter.” So if 96% of the respondents are utilizing Facebook when searching for health information, can the health care industry continue to sit around and wait to join the social media craze? I guess the bigger question is even though people are using social media sites to seek this information, how many of them trust the information they receive?

What I found to be most interesting is the fact that households who earned $75,000 or more were more likely to us social media sites when seeking health information in comparison to smaller income households. Additional research into the demographics social media site users is needed. The health care industry is constantly researching diseases associated with certain ages, gender, race, and income. Research into targeting certain messages to specific audiences and groups based on demographics could prove useful in health education, information sharing, and prevention.

Overall, this article is just flat out interesting. It is a good read so take a look at it and let me know your thoughts!