Social media are emerging as an important platform for communication and health information exchange. Yet, despite the increase in popularity and use, only a limited number of empirical studies document which segments of the adult population are and are not using social media and with what, if any, affect on health. Preliminary studies highlight that while there are still significant inequalities by race and socioeconomic status in Internet access, once access is gained, use of social media such as social networking sites is equally prolific across socio-demographic groups. This ubiquity of use presents both significant opportunities and challenges for cancer communication efforts. With the new communication channel emerges a real need for refined measurement that adequately reflects the innate dynamism of the platform and a nuanced understanding of the links between computer/technology-mediated communication and health across populations to ensure that existing digital divides and health disparities are not exacerbated but rather narrowed.

Citation Information: Cancer Prev Res 2011;4(10 Suppl):ED05-03.

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2011