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Social media as a space for support: Young adults' perspectives on producing and consuming user-generated content about diabetes and mental health

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  • Fergie, Gillian
  • Hunt, Kate
  • Hilton, Shona

Abstract

Social media offer opportunities to both produce and consume content related to health experiences. However, people's social media practices are likely to be influenced by a range of individual, social and environmental factors. The aim of this qualitative study was to explore how engagement with user-generated content can support people with long-term health conditions, and what limits users' adoption of these technologies in the everyday experience of their health condition. Forty semi-structured interviews were conducted with young adults, aged between 18 and 30 years, with experience of diabetes or a common mental health disorder (CMHD). We found that the online activities of these young adults were diverse; they ranged from regular production and consumption (‘prosumption’) of health-related user-generated content to no engagement with such content. Our analysis suggested three main types of users: ‘prosumers’; ‘tacit consumers’ and ‘non-engagers’. A key determinant of participants' engagement with resources related to diabetes and CMHDs in the online environment was their offline experiences of support. Barriers to young adults' participation in online interaction, and sharing of content related to their health experiences, included concerns about compromising their presentation of identity and adherence to conventions about what content is most appropriate for specific social media spaces. Based on our analysis, we suggest that social media do not provide an unproblematic environment for engagement with health content and the generation of supportive networks. Rather, producing and consuming user-generated content is an activity embedded within individuals' specific health experiences and is impacted by offline contexts, as well as their daily engagement with, and expectations, of different social media platforms.

Suggested Citation

  • Fergie, Gillian & Hunt, Kate & Hilton, Shona, 2016. "Social media as a space for support: Young adults' perspectives on producing and consuming user-generated content about diabetes and mental health," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 170(C), pages 46-54.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:170:y:2016:i:c:p:46-54
    DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2016.10.006
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Kaplan, Andreas M. & Haenlein, Michael, 2010. "Users of the world, unite! The challenges and opportunities of Social Media," Business Horizons, Elsevier, vol. 53(1), pages 59-68, January.
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    2. Schneider-Kamp, Anna & Takhar, Jennifer, 2023. "Interrogating the pill: Rising distrust and the reshaping of health risk perceptions in the social media age," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 331(C).
    3. Elena Chatzopoulou & Raffaele Filieri & Shannon Arzu Dogruyol, 2020. "Instagram and body image: Motivation to conform to the “Instabod” and consequences on young male wellbeing," Journal of Consumer Affairs, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 54(4), pages 1270-1297, December.
    4. Sarah A MacLean & Corey H Basch & Rachel Reeves & Charles E Basch, 2017. "Portrayal of generalized anxiety disorder in YouTubeâ„¢ videos," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 63(8), pages 792-795, December.
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    6. Shankardass, Ketan & Robertson, Colin & Shaughnessy, Krystelle & Sykora, Martin & Feick, Rob, 2019. "A unified ecological framework for studying effects of digital places on well-being," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 227(C), pages 119-127.
    7. Kadić-Maglajlić, Selma & Lages, Cristiana R. & Pantano, Eleonora, 2024. "No time to lie: Examining the identity of pro-vaccination and anti-vaccination supporters through user-generated content," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 347(C).
    8. Yang Yang & Keqiao Liu & Siqi Li & Man Shu, 2020. "Social Media Activities, Emotion Regulation Strategies, and Their Interactions on People’s Mental Health in COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(23), pages 1-16, December.
    9. María Cruz López-de-Ayala & Antonio García-Jiménez & Yolanda Pastor-Ruiz, 2021. "Differentiated Uses of Social Networking Platforms among Young People in the Autonomous Region of Madrid," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 10(4), pages 1-14, March.
    10. Hofman-Kohlmeyer Magdalena, 2021. "Brand-Related User-Generated Content in Simulation Video Games: Qualitative Research Among Polish Players," Journal of Management and Business Administration. Central Europe, Sciendo, vol. 29(1), pages 61-87, March.

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