The role of social media during the COVID-19 pandemic: Salvaging its 'power' for positive social behaviour change in Africa.

IF 2.4 Q2 PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH
Health Promotion Perspectives Pub Date : 2022-05-29 eCollection Date: 2022-01-01 DOI:10.34172/hpp.2022.03
Roda Madziva, Brian Nachipo, Godfrey Musuka, Itai Chitungo, Grant Murewanhema, Bright Phiri, Tafadzwa Dzinamarira
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引用次数: 7

Abstract

The ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic remains a significant global public health crisis. The unique evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic has seen social media emerging and growing into an important vehicle for rapid information dissemination. This has in turn given rise to multiple sources of information, leading to what has come to be known as 'infodemic', associated with the plethora of misinformation and conspiracy theories. In this perspective, we explore the growth of the social media industry and the impact it has had during the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. We argue that while the multiple information pieces circulating on social media cause misinformation and panic, this might not necessarily and in all the cases influence sustained behaviours in the target population groups. We offer suggestions on how the power of social media can be harnessed and integrated into social and public health for a better digital balance for communication for development.

2019冠状病毒病大流行期间社交媒体的作用:挽救其在非洲积极改变社会行为的“力量”
正在进行的2019冠状病毒病(COVID-19)大流行仍然是一场重大的全球公共卫生危机。2019冠状病毒病大流行的独特演变使社交媒体出现并发展成为快速传播信息的重要工具。这反过来又产生了多种信息来源,导致了所谓的“信息泛滥”,与大量的错误信息和阴谋论有关。从这个角度来看,我们探讨了社交媒体行业的增长及其在持续的COVID-19危机期间的影响。我们认为,虽然在社交媒体上传播的多个信息片段会引起错误信息和恐慌,但这可能不一定会影响目标人群的持续行为,而且在所有情况下都是如此。我们就如何利用社交媒体的力量并将其纳入社会卫生和公共卫生领域提出建议,以便在传播促进发展方面实现更好的数字平衡。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
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来源期刊
Health Promotion Perspectives
Health Promotion Perspectives PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH-
CiteScore
7.10
自引率
2.30%
发文量
27
审稿时长
13 weeks
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