Reference no: EM133242027

Participation in social media by the general public has increased sharply over the past nine years. In the U.S., the proportion of adults using social media has increased from 8% to 72% since 2005. The use of social media is prevalent across all ages and professions and is pervasive around the world. In 2012, Facebook users exceeded one billion people worldwide, a number that represents one-seventh of the world's population. In addition, each day 100 million active Twitter users send more than 65 million tweets, and two billion videos are viewed on YouTube.

Social media provide health care practitioners (HCPs) with tools to share information, to debate health care policy and practice issues, to promote health behaviors, to engage with the public, and to educate and interact with patients, caregivers, students, and colleagues. HCPs can use social media to potentially improve health outcomes, develop a professional network, increase personal awareness of news and discoveries, motivate patients, and provide health information to the community.

Discuss how social media has impacted health. Do you have any health related applications (e.g. fitness or nutrition apps) on your mobile device? Have you ever sought medical advice online, and did you find the information to be accurate? Be honest - I know everyone has Googled their health symptoms at least once.