The Impacts of Social Media on Users with Health Issues

Social Media And Ill-stricken Individuals

Due to limited mobility, ill-stricken individuals have lots of free time. They have all the time to spend online in social media. The addictive nature of the browsing trend catches up with them. Spending much of the time in social forums such as Facebook leads to fatigue. Such victims end up suffering from eye problems because of staring too much on the screens. The same will lead to reduced physical activities such as body exercise. This may lead to other chronicle diseases associated with lack of practices such as diabetes and obesity, worsening the health condition of the victim (Nettleton, Burrows & O’Malley 2005).

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From the analysis of the impacts of social media on its users who have health issues, it can be noted that social media is both negative and positive at the same time. However, the basis of its degree of advantages and disadvantages among the people living with illness cannot be established. This is because of its diversity in application and the different perception among the users of social media. However, researchers have determined the support social media has offered to people living with diseases. A more significant number of people suffering from a particular type of illness are in desperate need of support. Ill stricken individuals require medical assistance, fiance, and moral support. In a way, social media has created forums where ill stricken persons can access financial, moral and medical help (Hawn 2009).

The discussed above are just a few of the various ways the social media supporting the sick people in the modern day society. However, the degree of this support is not measurable. The actual support is not guaranteed either. As much as the social forums may be helpful sources of information, fun, and entertainment to those with health challenges, they may be equally hazardous to same group. The diverse and uncontrolled nature of the data cannot guarantee trust to these particular users of the social media. As elaborated by Moorhead et al. (2013) in their research, some scholars agree on the importance of social media exposure among victims of various diseases such as mental disorders.

These scholars support their argument with surveys showing how individuals and groups have benefited from their interaction with social media. Other researchers agree with the hypothesis that social media is detrimental to the sick users. These researchers base their philosophies on the negative ways in which the social media has impacted on the sick people. Their arguments gain strength from the facts of cyberbullying, stigmatization, and victimization among the sick people interacting with various social forums (Sarasohn-Kahn 2008).

As much as the researchers remain contradicting in their stakes on the matter, the fact is that the social media has both negative and positive impacts on the ill-stricken people who use it. The extreme of these effects cannot be established. There is neither a specific social forum that can guarantee either of these impacts to the people living with various types of sickness. This calls for more in-depth research to establish the degree of the effects of social media among these users. The diverse nature and varied ideologies, environments, and beliefs of the social media users have intensified the contradicting view of how social media related to support of the ill-stricken people. Social media is an open forum that engages people from all races, religion, and culture. It makes it a challenge therefore for the social media to take a specific trend to the matter of its support to the sick people using it (Antheunis, Tates, & Nieboer 2013).

It can be concluded that technology has made a significant impact in the health sector, particularly the social media and its impact to the sick people. Various sick people interact with the social media with multiple objectives such as to have fun, source information, pass the time or create social links. In exchange, a number of these users are advantaged to get recommendable support from the social media. However, there is a percentage among the users who end up falling victims on the negative impacts such as victimization, misleading information and cyberbullying. These stances cannot bring forth a specific direction to take on the matter.

Equally, one individual can get a support today from a particular online forum, and equally fall a victim on the negative side in another social gathering or even on the same forum.

However, the sick people who are users of the social media can use the simple selective method to avoid the negative impacts. This requires awareness among the ill-stricken users of the social media, to understand its diverse and unpredictable nature before engaging into using it. This knowledge will help the users understand what they should expect. Recognizing the double edge of the social media will act as a mind setting element, where victims of the side B of the social media (Cyberbullying, victimization among other adverse impacts) will know how to avoid such by selecting the content to view and where to share their ideas. The awareness is also critical to open up the eyes of these users against false and misleading information from the social media.

References

1. McGowan, B. S., Wasko, M., Vartabedian, B. S., Miller, R. S., Freiherr, D. D., & Abdolrasulnia, M. (2012). Understanding the factors that influence the adoption and meaningful use of social media by physicians to share medical information. Journal of medical Internet research, 14(5).
2. Nettleton, S., Burrows, R., & O’Malley, L. (2005). The mundane realities of the everyday lay use of die internet for health, and their consequences for media convergence. Sociology of
   health & illness, 27(7), 972-992.
3. O’Keeffe, G. S., & Clarke-Pearson, K. (2011). The impact of social media on children, adolescents, and families. Pediatrics, 127(4), 800-804.
4. Sarasohn-Kahn, J. (2008). The wisdom of patients: Health care meets online social media.
5. Tichon, J. G., & Shapiro, M. (2003). The process of sharing social support in cyberspace. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 6(2), 161-170.

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