Invited Commentary- Social media: frenemy of public health?

What did Greene et al. find about food and beverage companies' use of social media?

Greene et al. found that food and beverage companies leverage the popularity of social media and their target audiences to blur the line between entertainment and advertising.

According to Greene et al., what strategies help brands generate engagement on social media?

Greene et al. found that using personality-driven content—such as sarcasm, humor, trendy language, memes, and portrayals of desirable lifestyles—helps generate millions of likes and retweets.

What is an example of personal stories being used effectively in public health messaging?

The Tips From Former Smokers campaign used personal stories from former smokers, which were instrumental in helping other people quit smoking.

What is an example of a successful online public health campaign?

Humorous videos from New Zealand were used to promote vaccine uptake and encourage vaccination.

What metrics are commonly used to measure the effectiveness of social media messages?

Views, shares, and comments are used as proxies to evaluate the effectiveness of social media messages.

What is engagement optimization?

Engagement optimization is the process of ensuring a message reaches a specific target audience based on demographics, interests, previous online media use patterns, and behaviors.

How does Facebook help advertisers target young people?

Facebook collects information about young people's social media usage and sells access to audiences with relevant interests to advertisers.

Why are surveys about the advertisements young people see important?

Surveys help identify which ads young people actually encounter, allowing researchers and policymakers to design effective interventions such as healthy alternative messaging and regulatory changes.

What regulatory changes can be informed by advertising exposure surveys?

Surveys can support regulations such as bans on unhealthy advertising and requirements to disclose advertising funding sources and origins.

How can social media benefit researchers?

Social media can be used to recruit participants for research studies.

What did a recent study find about children's exposure to online food and beverage marketing?

The study found that almost 60% of food and beverage promotions viewed by children online were peer-endorsed.

What does the WHO International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes state?

The code states that there should be no advertising of breast-milk substitute products to the general public.

Who is Dr. Jennifer Gunter, and what role does she play on social media?

an OB/GYN, provides easy-to-digest, evidence-based health information on social media and has become a health influencer.

Who is Dr. Hazel Wallace, and what role does she play on social media?

a medical doctor and nutritionist, shares accessible, evidence-based health information on social media and has become a health influencer.

What are three ways public health can leverage social media?

• Personality-filled public health messaging.

• Research recruitment, especially among neglected populations.

• Increasing the number of credible, community-facing public health experts.

Why are credible health influencers important in public health?

Credible experts such as Dr. Jennifer Gunter and Dr. Hazel Wallace can provide evidence-based information in an engaging format, helping counter misinformation and educate the public.

Whats a way engagement algorithms can be used?

They can ensure health-promoting messages reach the right audience