Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Dermatology
Date Submitted: Apr 25, 2021
Open Peer Review Period: Apr 24, 2021 - Jun 19, 2021
Date Accepted: Jun 9, 2021
Date Submitted to PubMed: Aug 26, 2023
(closed for review but you can still tweet)
Social Media as Solace for Psoriasis: Do providers or influencers take the lead?
ABSTRACT
Background:
Psoriasis is a multisystem chronic inflammatory skin disease. It is a relatively common disorder that occurs in children and adults. The burden of psoriasis impacts both the physiologic and psychological areas of one’s life. Given the robust use of the internet and social media, patients have turned to Instagram for educational and social support to discuss psoriasis.
Objective:
This study aimed to characterize how patients interact with Instagram to cope with the bio-psycho-social aspects of psoriasis. We analyzed the interaction between journals and organizations compared to public profiles of individuals diagnosed with psoriasis who provided information and refuge. Our goal was to identify how followers engaged and what type of content they were most receptive to.
Methods:
All journals and organizations representing psoriasis were selected for review. The top 10 public profiles of individuals diagnosed with psoriasis we also selected for comparison. The number of followers, following, and posts were noted to understand the popularity. The number of likes and comments was also recorded to understand engagement.
Results:
When comparing the journals and organizations to the public profiles, the former held a greater number of followers but engaged less with the audience on Instagram based on the number of profiles they followed. Profiles with respect to individuals with psoriasis produced content that was more personal and relatable, including experiences with flares, motivational text, and emotional support. The content produced by journals and organizations was geared towards education, providing peer-reviewed resources and commentary from licensed healthcare professionals. Followers were more engaged via “likes” than “comments” on Instagram profiles of journals and organizations, as well as public profiles of individuals diagnosed with psoriasis.
Conclusions:
There was an evident online presence of journals and organizations, and public profiles of individuals providing content on psoriasis on Instagram. However, there were distinguishing features of the type of content being produced on these accounts. Where journals and organizations took the traditional approach in providing evidence-based information, the public profiles of individuals related to the psychosocial needs of the psoriasis community. These 10 profiles navigated their posts with creativity and real experiences, which was evidently well-received based on the “likes” and “comments”. This research helps us appreciate what the audience on Instagram is looking for to further address how we merge these needs to provide a holistic platform on Instagram for both providers and patients. Social media creates the space for collaboration, which can be advantageous for journals and organizations to work with individuals who already have a public presence on Instagram. As many more healthcare professionals begin to appreciate its role in medicine, a sense of community can be built with it.
Citation
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Copyright
© The authors. All rights reserved. This is a privileged document currently under peer-review/community review (or an accepted/rejected manuscript). Authors have provided JMIR Publications with an exclusive license to publish this preprint on it's website for review and ahead-of-print citation purposes only. While the final peer-reviewed paper may be licensed under a cc-by license on publication, at this stage authors and publisher expressively prohibit redistribution of this draft paper other than for review purposes.