Accepted for/Published in: Journal of Medical Internet Research
Date Submitted: Nov 13, 2019
Date Accepted: Feb 27, 2020
Date Submitted to PubMed: May 22, 2020
Wildfire-like effect of WhatsApp campaign to mobilize predominantly health professionals with a university degree on the health issue: infodemiology study
ABSTRACT
Background:
The online interactions within closed WhatsApp groups can influence attitudes and behavior of the users in relation to health issues.
Objective:
To analyze members activity of a WhatsApp group initiated to raise awareness of the possible health effects of the 5G mobile networks and to mobilize members to sign a related petition.
Methods:
The WhatsApp group with 205 members and active during 4 consecutive days in August 2019 was analyzed retrospectively. The messages exchanged were collected, anonymized, and analyzed according to their timing and content.
Results:
The WhatsApp group members were invited to the group as administrator’s contacts, 91% had university degree, 68% were medical professionals, and 24% hold academic positions. At least a quarter of members signed the corresponding petition. The intense message exchange had wildfire-like features and majority of messages (95%) were exchanged during first 26 hours. Despite lively activity and high rate of petition signing, only 8 (6%) messages from the group members excluding administrator referred to the health issue being the topic of the group. No clear opposite opinion to those presented by the administrator was voiced, and there was no debate in a form of confronting messages exchanged.
Conclusions:
The wildfire-like activity of WhatsApp group and efficient petition signing as a result of the mobilization campaign was not accompanied by any form of a debate related to the corresponding health issue although the group members were predominantly health professionals, a quarter of them holding academic positions.
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