Can Social Media Prevent the spread of disease?

Can Social Media Prevent the spread of disease?
Exchange student: Marina Kovacic

Background:

So far we have used different methods to try and prevent diseases from spreading around such as hiding our face as we sneeze or caught, washing our hands our getting a flu vaccination. Till today social media have developed into a powerful informative tool. This led to the argument that one way of using these tools is to inform people about the potential threat of different diseases spreading and simultaneously helping to prevent their further reach. The article offers examples of research done at universities and suggests further investigation in schools or public offices.

Objective:

The objective is to enforce the use of social media such as Facebook, which already have a high impact on our life, to a useful cause of preventing the spread of diseases and creating a healthier environment.

Central question:

Can Social Media Prevent the spread of disease?

Research methodology:

This research can be done on any community which has ever been faced with a disease from something small as flu to those serious ones such as Ebola. Social media analysis can offer a more in-depth investigation into how exactly individuals affect each other when it comes to health issues. As suggested earlier a study of a typical primary school could show who diseases spread amongst children. By gathering information on the children’s backgrounds, how they spend their free time, how they are nourished etc. as well as how they communicated through social media would illustrate what mutual effect these factors have on each other.

Data needed to be measured:

-          Age

-          Gender

-          Occupation

-          Lifestyle

-          How often do you visit a doctor

-          How often do you get sick

-          Do you talk to your friend about your illness

Conclusion:

While Social media can not entirely stop diseases from spreading it can definitely have an impact on the pace and strength with which they affect us. Further SNA can more precisely show just how strong this impact can be and how to use social media most effectively.  Some people will be more influential in spreading information or simply more willing to do so about health topics thus those individuals would be more useful in preventing diseases to spread. Also experts such as doctors might show to be more trustworthy in spreading information and should therefore be connected to others as well as possible. 

to article:  http://psychcentral.com/news/2012/11/28/can-social-media-prevent-the-spread-of-disease/48226.html