Current Landscape of Social Media and Blogosphere in the Cochlear Implant Community

Abstract

Objectives: Over 200,000 individuals worldwide have received a cochlear implant (CI). Social media websites may provide a paramedical community for CI users, although their utilization patterns have not been thoroughly investigated. Herein, we aim to (1) analyze how CI users exchange information online and (2) quantify and characterize participation in social media. Methods: Social media sources included Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, blogs, and online forums. Each source was assigned 1 of 6 functional categories based on its description. Using standard search engines, such as Google, we used the search terms cochlear implant, auditory implant, forum, and blog to identify relevant blogs and online forums. Website participation was quantified. Results: Over 350 sources were identified, including 122 YouTube videos, 111 blogs and forums, 57 Facebook groups, 32 Facebook pages, and 50 Twitter accounts. The most active online communities were Facebook groups, which totaled 17,971 members. CI users participated in Facebook groups primarily for general information/support (68%). Online forums were the next most active online communities by membership. The largest forum had ~9500 topics with ~127,000 posts. CI users primarily shared personal stories through blogs (92%), Twitter (71%), and YouTube (62%). Conclusions: This is the first known comprehensive review of utilization patterns of social media in the CI community. CI users engage in a wide range of online platforms predominately to provide general information and share personal stories. Analyses of how CI users participate in social media may enable clinicians to identify key concerns of this specialized patient population.