Chapter 13 - Beyond liking: Inspiring user-generated content for health promotion

Abstract

Social media provide an innovative platform for health promotion, yet research suggests these platforms are not leveraged effectively. Instead, campaigns struggle to actively engage with participants beyond simple interactions. Inspiring user-generated content (UGC), wherein individuals create and post their own content, is a strategy that has potential to improve health promotion, especially among young people who are heavy users of social media. However, inspiring UGC is difficult. This chapter presents a comparative case study analysis of three campaigns that were highly successful in leveraging social media, and UGC in particular, in support of health-related goals. Through this analysis, four similarities were identified across all three campaigns. These similarities include the facilitation of online community, the cultivation of positive affect, the support of celebrity influencers, and the opportunity for creative self-expression. While these campaigns also received criticism, they each were, nonetheless, effective at making an impact on social media and achieving campaign goals. Through these case study analyses and a review of current research, a holistic assessment of the theory and practice of social media for health promotion is presented. Moreover, future directions for both the research and practice of health promotion on social media are identified.