The Role of Social Media in Public Health Intelligence: Trends, Techniques, and Challenges

Abstract

The social media development has transformed the landscape of surveillance and communication of health issues among the masses. This review explains how social media can be used in the area of public health intelligence, and it deals with disease outbreaks, risk communication, and even the assessment of public sentiment. It talks about emerging themes in social media surveillance in the area of public health, including pandemic surveillance, vaccination campaigns, and behavioral health interventions. Through the use of sophisticated analysis tools, researchers and decision-makers able to extract valuable information on large volumes of user-generated content to allow interventions and evidence-based decision-making to take place in a timely manner.  Under the circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic, social media came in quite handy in the manifestation of social opinion on preventive actions, as well as the dissemination of health-related information rapidly. However, there are challenges to its institutionalization in the health systems of the population.  This discussion indicates the necessity to develop scaled, ethically controlled and AI-based models as well as to give a summary of the current trends, strategies and challenges.  Online democracy on social media can enable equitable use of social media, enhance accountability, and resiliency of global health systems.