Survey the Status of Online Health Campaigns in Social Networks

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Media Management, Faculty of Humanities and Arts, Media Management, Damavand Branch, Islamic Azad University, Damavand, Iran.

2 Assistant Prof., Department of Media Management, Faculty of Humanities and Arts, Damavand Branch, Islamic Azad University, Damavand, Iran.

Abstract

Objective
One of the important tools of informing and raising awareness to improve the health of people in the society is the use of mass media, especially social networks, with their high impact on the audience, but since these media generally provide a large amount of information through many official sources and publish unofficially, their information is always faced with positive and negative consequences. Therefore, the current research was conducted with the aim of pathologizing the current state of online social network campaigns in the field of health and identifying solutions for their more effective activity. Social and modern media, due to the dissemination of a large amount of information and multiple sources, in many cases may confuse people and their users, instead of health education. based on research findings and research  people in the society may experience health anxiety, conducted inside and outside the country. Regarding the activity and influence of social networks and online campaigns in the field of health, the planners of developed societies try to improve the health of the people of their society as an important factor in development. One of the ways to improve people's health is use “social media”. Especially social media nowadays have a high influence on the audience since they have health education. At the same time, due to the abundance of information that they produce and publish through many official and unofficial sources, these media have faced positive and negative consequences for health planners and audiences, so the present research is about the status of social networks and the positive impact of its negative effect is on the health of people.
Research Methodology
This research is an applied research, and the method of conducting it is a survey with two quantitative and qualitative approaches, which examines the cause and effect relationship or the influence of the independent variable on the dependent variable. The independent variable in this research is the activity of online social media campaigns and the dependent variable is health promotion in society. In the current research, in order to achieve a more complete and comprehensive analysis in the field of health, the capacities available in both quantitative and qualitative research methods have been continuously and consecutively used. Therefore, the design of the research is based on the plan based on the combined method. This research is a combination of qualitative, descriptive and inferential which includes a set of methods that are used to organize, summarize, describe and interpret the data collected from the statistical sample by collecting the research data obtained from the views. In the form of in-depth surveys and a questionnaire tool from the statistical population and determining the points of commonality and difference and combining it with the existing theories in this field, communication solutions and providing a successful model for the activity of online campaigns in the field of health are presented. In this research, using the qualitative method and in-depth interviews with 17 experts in the field of media and health, it has investigated the type of information on health issues in social networks in Iran.
Findings
The general results of the research showed: factors such as the lack of attractiveness required in the graphic design, lack of benefit from substantiated and scientific information, lack of interactive approach and inclusion of the audience and their participation, lack of creativity and attractiveness, lack of persuasion of the audience, scientific weakness, promotion of traditional medicine, lack of effect one of the most important weaknesses of active online campaigns in social networks in the field of health in the country is partiality and lack of prioritization of prevention instead of health. In a general summary of the data obtained from the research, the general results of the research can be presented as follows:

All the experts considered the existence of online campaigns in the field of health to be essential, in the general evaluation of the experts of the online campaigns in the field of health, their inability to convince the audience and unsuccessful performance were the most frequent, and other factors such as the lack of necessary impact, being, lack of innovation, lack of learning, other things have been stated.
Experts have considered the most important weaknesses and shortcomings of online campaigns in the field of health to be the lack of understanding of the audience and their participation, lack of creativity and attractiveness, lack of persuasion of the audience, scientific weakness, promotion of traditional medicine, lack of effectiveness and lack of health priority.
Experts rated the quality and quantity of online campaigns in the field of health as low, the efficiency as moderate and inappropriate, the ability and attractiveness as extremely inappropriate and moderate, the impact on the health behavior of the audience as moderate, the production and dissemination of the attractive message as extremely inappropriate and moderate, the scientific credibility as moderately appropriate and moderate, the trust of the audience. They have evaluated the use of new technology as inappropriate and average, the graphic design as appropriate and inappropriate, the educational approach as appropriate and the interactive approach as inappropriate and appropriate.
Experts have considered the expected status of online campaigns in the field of health to include interactive and audience-oriented, education-oriented, introducing campaigns, correct information and attractiveness, and they have also considered the gap between the desired and existing status of online campaigns in the field of health to be too large.
Experts have considered the appropriate road map for online health campaigns to be more activities of activists, trust building, health promotion approach, campaign support, distance from commercial doctors, focus on schools, formation of specialized media organizations.

Discussion & Conclusion
Managers and policy makers in the field of media and health, relying on the results of this research, can organize and develop online health campaigns in social networks in the country and carry out continuous evaluations regarding the quantitative and qualitative improvement of the content and form of these campaigns and the effectiveness of these campaigns. Increase the campaigns on the audience .In the experts' general evaluation of online campaigns in the field of health, their inability to convince the audience and unsuccessful performance have been the most common, and other factors such as lack of necessary impact, being new, lack of innovation, lack of learning and other factors have been mentioned. In the other way, experts consider the most important weaknesses and shortcomings of online campaigns in the field of health to be lack of understanding of the audience and their participation, lack of creativity and attractiveness, lack of persuasion of the audience, scientific weakness, promotion of traditional medicine, lack of effectiveness and lack of prioritization of health. Also specialists have assessed the state of producing and spreading attractive messages of online campaigns in the field of health as inappropriate and average. Specialists have considered the characteristics of the ideal model for online campaigns in the field of health to be the priority of prevention over treatment, rich content, correct and accurate information, high impact (public discourse), creativity and innovation, and goal setting and research

Keywords


 
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