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Social media: frenemy of public health?

Part of: Nutrition and Social Media

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 June 2021

Amy Vassallo Open the ORCID record for Amy Vassallo [Opens in a new window] ,
Alexandra Jones Open the ORCID record for Alexandra Jones [Opens in a new window]  and
Becky Freeman Open the ORCID record for Becky Freeman [Opens in a new window]
Amy Vassallo*
Affiliation:
The George Institute for Global Health, UNSW, Level 5, 1 King Street, Newtown, Sydney, NSW 2042, Australia
Alexandra Jones
Affiliation:
The George Institute for Global Health, UNSW, Level 5, 1 King Street, Newtown, Sydney, NSW 2042, Australia
Becky Freeman
Affiliation:
Prevention Research Collaboration, Sydney School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
*
*Email: avassallo@georgeinstitute.org.au
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Invited Commentary
Information
Public Health Nutrition , Volume 25 , Issue 1 , January 2022 , pp. 61 - 64
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Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BYCreative Common License - NCCreative Common License - SA
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the same Creative Commons licence is included and the original work is properly cited. The written permission of Cambridge University Press must be obtained for commercial re-use.
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© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of The Nutrition Society

The landscape of product advertising has rapidly changed, as companies have moved to social media to reach millions of online global consumers(Reference Bragg, Pageot and Amico1). As Greene et al show in their study, food and beverage brands are leveraging the popularity and targeted audience features of social media to blur the line between entertainment and advertising(Reference Greene, Seet and Barrio2). Platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok offer benefits beyond traditional, static advertising mediums, including popularity across age groups, messages tailored to specific audiences and opportunities for direct engagement with consumers(Reference Vassallo, Kelly and Zhang3). Worryingly, marketing of food and beverages on social media has only increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, including for alcohol(Reference Martino, Brooks and Browne4). Described as a ‘vector through which risky behaviours are enabled and associated diseases transmitted’(Reference Schillinger, Chittamuru and Ramírez5), social media presents enormous challenges for chronic disease prevention efforts. However, many of these same social media attributes also present opportunities for public health practitioners and researchers to build emotive connections and shift the community towards healthier behaviours.

Framing messages on social media

The enemy – using humour and trends to build connections with brands

Greene and colleagues found that the use of personality (such as humour, trendy language, memes and desirable lifestyle traits) on Twitter was a powerful advertising and engagement tool that generated millions of likes and retweets(Reference Greene, Seet and Barrio2). Using sarcasm, humour and memes to comment on current events or play into internet trends, rather than provide information about a product, is a common technique used by brands across several social media platforms, including Instagram(Reference Vassallo, Kelly and Zhang3) and Facebook(Reference Freeman, Kelly and Baur6). Paid or sponsored posts from social media influencers further blur advertising lines as product promotion is a key feature of the relationship between these popular users and their audience. Children and young people are known to be particularly susceptible to these marketing techniques, which may be generated in one country but often reach a global audience. The covert and direct to consumer nature of social media advertising, as well as this cross-border element, makes it particularly difficult to implement effective public health regulations to protect children and young adults from exposure(Reference Jones, Lacy-Nicholls and Baker7).

The friend – social media’s potential to support healthier behaviours

How can public health researchers and practitioners use the research findings of Greene and others to combat the effects of pervasive advertising of products that harm our health? An increasing number of public health organisations are adopting social media as a platform for health promotion campaigns(Reference Kite, Grunseit and Bohn-Goldbaum8). However, organisations need to be more engaging in their approach to social media use(Reference Ramachandran, Kite and Vassallo9), as well as employ comprehensive evaluation methods to better understand their strengths and weaknesses. Personality, including the use of compelling emotions, and a clear call to action have been identified as important components of successful online campaigns(Reference Freeman, Potente and Rock10). Some examples of this in a public health context include asking followers to contact their local politician, or to add their name to a petition advocating for change(Reference Freeman, Potente and Rock10). The personal stories from real people included in the Tips From Former Smokers Campaign were instrumental to its success in helping others quit smoking(11). A recent example of a popular online campaign is the upbeat and humorous video from New Zealand promoting the uptake of the COVID-19 vaccine(Reference Walden12). Membership groups on social media platforms can also provide accessible social and emotional support, such as for those looking to lose weight(Reference Ballantine and Stephenson13). However, due to the lack of publicly available, comprehensive evaluations of digital health campaigns, demonstrated successes are limited(Reference Freeman, Potente and Rock10). Currently, it is most common for easily collectable impact metrics, such as views, shares and comments, to be used as a proxy for effectiveness of social media messages. While this is a demonstration of campaign reach, much less is known about how social media-based campaigns lead to behaviour change, particularly over the longer term. Further investment in campaigns, evaluations and research is needed to determine how public health can use social media to effectively communicate counter messaging and shift towards healthier behaviours(Reference Kite, Grunseit and Bohn-Goldbaum8,Reference Freeman, Potente and Rock10) .

Targeted messaging using social media

The enemy – profiling consumers and targeting advertising

A unique and powerful aspect of social media is the ability to personalise advertisements that are tailored to an individual consumer’s specific interests(Reference Montgomery and Chester14). Engagement optimising algorithms ensure certain messages reach certain consumers based on their demographics, interests and previous online and social media use patterns and behaviours. Social media platforms measure user engagement to finely tune their algorithms, attracting increased engagement with content, increased time spent on their platforms and ultimately greater profits for both the platform and advertiser(Reference Golbeck15). A recent report investigating profiling for commercial advertising purposes found that Facebook is collecting and using young people and adults’ data in this way, and companies can buy access to audiences with relevant interests, including fast food or alcohol(Reference Williams, McIntosh and Farthing16). As an example, around Mother’s Day food and beverage companies integrate gifts or events for mothers with products and promote these posts to social media users based on demographics, location or previous engagement.

The friend – delivering health and research messages to the right audiences

How can social media’s targeted messaging be utilised by public health research and practice? First, it provides opportunities for citizen science approaches to studying these algorithms. While we know targeted advertising is used by social media platforms, the algorithms themselves are undisclosed. Studies recruiting youth to submit the ads they actually see will be a valuable mechanism for both research and public health communities to better understand the nature and extent of tailored advertising of unhealthy products(Reference Kelly, Bosward and Freeman17). With this information we will be better equipped as researchers and practitioners to design effective interventions, such as alternative, healthy messaging, and to inform necessary regulatory changes such as bans on unhealthy advertising and requirements to disclose advertising funding and origins. Second, these same engagement optimising algorithms can be utilised by public health practitioners to ensure health promoting messages reach the right audiences. For example, targeting parent groups to promote healthy lunch box tips. A third opportunity is research participant recruitment, where social media allows researchers to reach a specific audience with anonymity and at a lower cost than traditional methods of advertising. For example, a recent study of rare paediatric diseases recruited a previously unattainable number of subjects in < 1 year, with low associated costs(Reference Schumacher, Stringer and Donohue18). In a study of young cancer survivors, a typically difficult to recruit group for research, social media was found to be an effective national recruitment strategy(Reference Gorman, Roberts and Dominick19). As these new recruitment tactics grow in popularity, researchers and Human Ethics Review Committees need to be appropriately equipped to address the ethical considerations of these methods, including privacy, transparency, potential risks and authorisation(Reference Gelinas, Pierce and Winkler20,Reference Bender, Cyr and Arbuckle21) .

Peer to peer communication

The enemy – the blurred advertising lines of the influencer

Featuring a relatable and trusted consumer testimonial is a known and familiar traditional advertising technique, but social media amplifies this and enables direct peer to peer advertising. Sponsored content from social media influencers offers a new avenue for advertising that is perceived as more authentic and trusted than ads coming directly from the company(Reference Ventura, Cavaliere and Iannò22). A recent study monitoring the extent of children’s exposure to food and beverage marketing online found that almost 60 % of promotions seen were peer endorsed(Reference Kelly, Bosward and Freeman17). Another troubling aspect of peer to peer advertising on social media is its ability to circumvent existing attempts to regulate product advertisements. For example, the WHO International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes states there should be no advertising of products to the general public(23). However, sponsored or gifted posts from social media influencers may not be covered under this Code, and recommendations presented as being from one parent to another may also be perceived as more trustworthy, even when they are sponsored.

The friend – the rise of the ‘doctorfluencer’

How can social media’s ability to directly communicate with key target groups be harnessed by public health? The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the need and desire for reliable and expert scientific information on social media channels. Social media provides opportunity for researchers and public health nutrition experts to engage with audiences directly, and in real time, to explain and promote their work(Reference Scott24). The rise of the ‘doctorfluencer’ is a potential antidote to the misinformation about health that is increasingly prevalent online(Reference Pascoe25). Health professionals, like high-profile ob/gyn Dr Jennifer Gunter (https://twitter.com/DrJenGunter) and medical doctors/nutritionist Dr Hazel Wallace (https://www.instagram.com/thefoodmedic), have taken to social media to ‘take up space in feeds’ and fill them with easy to digest, evidence-based health information and become influencers in the process. Public engagement is increasingly recognised as essential for public health impact, and social media offers a platform for researchers and practitioners to proactively participate, spreading health messages.

Recommendations for public health experts

  1. Embrace social media as a tool to engage the community in both health promotion and research, using lessons from industry including the incorporation of personality and tailored messaging.

  2. Those working with social media should incorporate comprehensive evaluation methods beyond post engagement (e.g. likes or retweets) to determine what elements of social media campaigns lead to increased knowledge and skills and prolonged behaviour change.

  3. As an individual, try social media as a medium to directly communicate your expertise to the public.

The uptake of these lessons is critical for shifting the power of social media from enemy to friend.

Conclusion

Pervasive food and beverage advertising is just one way that social media use is known to negatively influence health outcomes. Better regulation of advertising on social media is essential to combat these impacts. There are also opportunities that could be leveraged by the public health community – including targeted and personality filled public health messaging, research recruitment particularly for neglected populations and increasing the number of credible community facing public health experts. The time has come for public health to step out of the traditional confines of scientific communication, put the latest evidence in action and build community connections through social media to influence better health.

Acknowledgements

Acknowledgements: Not applicable. Financial support: A.J. is supported by a National Health and Medicinal Research Council Investigator Grant APP1196831. A.V. and B.F. have no financial support to declare for this paper. Conflict of interest: None for A.V. and A.J. B.F. is an expert advisor to the Cancer Council Australia and Heart Foundation Australia Tobacco Issues Committee and WHO FCTC secretariat. She has received consulting fees from WHO, Cancer Council NSW, Heart Foundation NSW and personal fees for her time attending the NHMRC, E-cigarette advisory committee. She has received grants administered by the University of Sydney from Australia Department of Health, NSW Department of Health, Cancer Institute NSW and NHMRC Australia. Authorship: A.V. conceived and drafted the article, and A.J. and B.F. provided expert critical review and feedback. Ethics of human subject participation: Not applicable.

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