PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases
http://www.plosntds.org/
(Accessed 22 August 2015)
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Viewpoints
Responsible Use of Pop Culture and Communication in the Face of Ebola Virus
Brandon Brown, Melissa Nasiruddin, Alexander Dao, Monique Halabi
Published: August 6, 2015
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0003890
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…Current Use of Pop Culture in the Ebola Epidemic
The CDC, the World Health Organization (WHO), and other public health agencies have leveraged popular social media to distribute up-to-date and accurate information on Ebola [7,8], while social websites such as Reddit, to which users can submit content organized by areas of interest, allow for the assimilation of unverified information [9]. A literature review on the use of social networking sites for influencing health behavior demonstrated a particularly valuable aspect of social media: its cost-effective ability to reach hard-to-reach underserved and minority populations [10]. Health information reaches consumers at various levels that differ based on demographic and socioeconomic factors. For example, data from the Health Information National Trends Survey found that individuals who sought out health information tended to have regular health care access and were more likely to earn over US$50,000 in income; conversely, males, people older than 65 years of age, and people identifying as Hispanic were less likely to seek out that information [11]. Because of differences in how these groups receive, trust, and process health information, mechanisms by which pertinent health information is disseminated must be diversified in order to maximize the audience reached. This can be done through media accessed by members of multiple socioeconomic and cultural strata. Examples of useful media include film, books, pamphlets, the Internet, and crowdsource mapping, among others. Smart phone apps and health reminders through text messages are some ways that technology has been used to help raise awareness about the epidemic [12,13], but there are still other ways that social media and popular culture can be used to further spread vital public health information. The public is eager for this information, as clearly demonstrated with the success of television programs such as the Dr. Oz show in promoting information-seeking behavior [14]…