Subculture-centered public health communication

A social media strategy

Bibliographic Data

ID12656229
AuthorsLindsay Ems (Indiana University, corresponding author), Amy Gonzales (Indiana University), Amy L Gonzales (0000-0002-3660-707X, Indiana University)
Year2015
Volume18
Issue8
Pages1750-1767
Publication date2015-02-03
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueNew Media & Society (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1461-4448 • E-ISSN: 1461-7315
PublisherSAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/1461444815570294
OpenAlexW2073208437
LanguageEN
Citations received12
References cited34

Social media use by health practitioners helps articulate a subculture-centered approach to public health communication. This article explores public health practitioners’ communication strategies with one subculture: young (18- to 29-year-old) men who have sex with men (MSM). Interviews with staff at a public health clinic reveal the use of a variety of social media systems to engage potential MSM clients (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Grindr, and Google+). Public health communicators’ social media use reflected the esthetic, behavioral, and media preferences of a high-risk target group and the ethical risks associated with publicly viewable communication. Social media became a platform for integrated multi-channel communication that comprised both top-down (i.e. institution centric) and bottom-up (i.e. subculture centric) communication flows that work together in a complementary fashion. Ultimately, subculture-centered social media use in this setting helps minimize cultural barriers between members of a public health subculture and the institutions that provide critical care

Health care · Health communication · Political science · Public health · Public relations · Social media · Social science · Sociology · Subculture (biology · Variety (cybernetics · Computer Science · Gender, Feminism, and Media · Medicine · Nursing · Social Media and Politics · Social Media in Health Education

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