Platformization of healthcare communication: Insights from the early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy

Abstract

Over the past few years, public health organizations have adopted new communication practices, such as social media communication, framed by the concepts of Health 2.0 and Medicine 2.0. These concepts need to be reconsidered in the light of the transformation of social media as digital platforms. This article aims to define and critically discuss the concept of the platformization of healthcare communication, investigating the impact of social media incorporation on the local health authorities’ Facebook communication during the early phase of the COVID-19 emergency in Italy. Findings show the progressive incorporation of the mechanisms of platformization by local health authorities and the progressive shift of their Facebook pages from connectors to complementors of healthcare communication and services during the early phase of the pandemic. Conclusions critically discuss the incorporation of social media into the communication strategies of the public healthcare sector.