Social Media and Public Health

Social media has become the virtual agora for public discussion and is increasingly popular for sharing health information by both institutions and people who are involved in the promotion of public health and well-being. Lifestyle and health choices are largely influenced by public perception, and people express their opinions and feelings about them on online platforms. For this reason, the study of online conversations and interaction allows for the opportunity to extract useful information for the purpose of health promotion and disease prevention, which are the aims of public health. In this respect, we briefly overview the methods used to analyze online conversation, supporting them with examples on Covid-19 and vaccination research, and we highlight the main challenges to fostering actual and effective strategies of public health.