Abstract

Going Viral: The 3 Rs of Social Media Messaging during Public Health Emergencies.

Highlights

  • The rise of social media has transformed the way individuals share and consume information

  • We propose a novel framework using a 3 Rs principle—Review, Recognize, and Respond—to help public health practitioners design tailored messages that prevent disease and promote health before, during, and after a public health emergency

  • Effective social media messaging can be developed if those messages are based on the principle of the 3 Rs. We propose this novel framework that public health practitioners can use to prepare for the public health crisis, so that that the right social media messages—not the disease—go viral

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Summary

Public Health Risk Communication in a Digital Age

The rise of social media has transformed the way individuals share and consume information. Two-thirds of Americans receive at least some of their news from social media channels such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, and Snapchat.[1] During an emergency, public health practitioners need to understand how to effectively use social media to rapidly disseminate information, so that the public health message goes viral,* instead of the disease. Effective communication is critically important in disaster response as well.[14,15] When Hurricane Florence lashed the Carolina coast in 2018, hashtags like #hurricaneflorence and #florence2018 garnered much attention and were trending upward on social media, but many tweets originated from unverified accounts or did not align with official public health guidance.[16] As a result, public health messages became muddled in a slew of conflicting ideas and opinions.

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