Content area
Full Text
SOCIAL MEDIA HAS BEEN embraced as a tool for public health promotion.1-6 However, effective strategies for harnessing the capabilities of social media remain unclear.7-9 For example, many state and local health departments have adopted Facebook and Twitter accounts, yet public engagement with these accounts varies.10-12 Several Webbased interventions for smoking cessation have been developed, but few tobacco prevention Web sites allow users to share links via social media.13,14 While YouTube videos with health messages have amassed millions of views, such as a popular video targeting softdrink consumption, their long-term impact is difficult to evaluate.15,16 In general, innovative approaches to disseminating health information must be developed to match the behavior and expectations of the public.17
The potential for Web-based public health campaigns is tremendous. Nearly three quarters of Internet users conduct health-related searches each year.18 One third of US adults access health information through social media.19 Web sites can be practical and costeffective platforms for spreading public health information, but traditional Web sites, often static and noninteractive, face challenges. 20 With thousands upon thousands of health-related Web pages, the sheer volume of online content dilutes attention to any single health message.8 This message may also be lost in the noise of misinformation available online.21,22 By enabling the person-to-person spread of information within networks of users, social media has the potential to empower public health information to penetrate the clutter and reach a wide audience.
Social networks, however, can only spread health messages if users actively share content. The inherently serious and private nature of public health information may prevent its circulation.8 No formula exists for launching a viral health message, although a celebrity endorsement, compelling narrative, or entertaining video may help. Traditional promotional strategies, such as word-of-mouth, mass media, and physician referral, may still remain more effective ways to encourage adults to access online health information.19
AN ONLINE CONTEST FOR PUBLIC HEALTH
Many strategies exist for creating public health initiatives suited for social media, but two principles are critical. The first is to create stimulating content that compels users to share it with their online networks. The second is to optimize interactivity through contests, games, message boards, and user-generated content. These two principles were catalysts for the Defibrillator Design Challenge, an online contest and public art...