Social Media and Unfounded Health Beliefs: An Assessment of Participants’ Response to Health Posts on Epidemics

Abstract

The flexibility of social media platforms has made seamless global exchange of communication practicable. The instinctive first port of call for information seekers, in the face of any new phenomenon, is usually these social media platforms. This study investigated social media participants’ response to health posts on epidemics. The study was designed as a survey. The study population comprised all university undergraduate students in South-East Nigeria (134,000). A sample of 400 respondents was selected from this population. Data collection was based on a 20-point questionnaire, administered to these study units. Findings indicate that there is widespread social media participation among university undergraduate students in South-East Nigeria and these students are exposed to social media health posts on epidemics. Also, these students, generally, place value on social media health posts, and centre their health beliefs on the gist of these health posts on epidemics. It was concluded that the influence of social media health posts on health beliefs warrants prioritizing the strength of these platforms, by health communicators and policy makers, in the quest to inform and influence the health choices of people, especially in regard to counteracting the negative influence of misinformation and disinformation that also comes from these platforms.

Keywords: Social media, Health posts on epidemics, unfounded health beliefs, Health choices