Advances in Social Media: Towards Interdigital Scenarios for Health 2.0
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Abstract
Objective:
Aim of this study is to evaluate what challenges do Mobile App Health users with poor levels of Digital Literacy encounter when share sensitive personal data or discuss medical conditions in Health 2.0 contexts. Do they act like modern "Alice in "interdigital" land"? In this paper a novel concept of Interdigital Communication Theory aimed at analysing Digital Literacy in Health 2.0 contexts, is tested. The need of experienced-based educational programs addressing the Digital "Illiteracy 2.0" is documented.
Background: By way of a background I combine relevant interdigital communication theory (Murero, 2012) and social media literature (Fox, 2010, 2011, 2012) to picture the general criticism that we observed in the last ten years (Dutton, 2012; Lievrow, 2012) showing that privacy, security and surveillance discourses fail to protect citizens and patients online (Murero & Rice, 2006; Murero 2011). “Big data†issues are addressed.
Methods . A Social Network Analysis (SNA, Wellman, 2007; Rainie and Wellman, 2012) was conducted to assess the sample (n=226) ability to share information, define terms, recognize threatening situations, and opportunities in “interdigital†contexts, particularly Facebook and Twitter. On this regard, a selected number of mobile apps that monitor heart disease and share personal health information via facebook and twitter are tested. Also, experience-learning attitudes and behaviors were accounted to test the short-term efficacy of an educational model aimed at improving Digital Literacy 2.0. The sample was recruited via online "snowball" method.
Results: Preliminary results clearly show that the majority of mobile apps users sharing health information via Facebook (72%) and Twitter (54%) are little aware of online risks of sharing sensitive data, and are not proficient in protecting their privacy, even when highly educated. In 89% of the cases the sample is not aware that personal information can be easily accessed by profit-oriented third parties for “big data†commodification. Moreover, 100% of the interviewed admitted to have registered to the mobile app without reading the "terms and conditions ". The majority of interviewed (82%) agreed that the experience of learning more about their privacy, security and surveillance has changed their perception (85%), and attitudes (82%) and intend to modify their online behaviour (92%). For example, 86% will modify privacy options; 89% intend to "clean" the contents of their Facebook account and 92% of the interviewed agreed when asked if educational programs in forms of tutorial should be administrated to Health 2.0 users from policy makers or online service providers, including Facebook.
Conclusions:
Poor Digital Literacy in Health 2.0 can be highly challenging for privacy, security, and commodification of personal data. Poor levels of Digital Literacy and lack of educational programs are still observed. Our findings reinforce the need for vast educational programs of “Digital Literacy†at the same strength of alphabetization. The empirical case study confirms the validity of the Interdigital Communication Theory, by showing that experienced-based learning models in Health 2.0 environments increase the demand of closing the digital “illiteracy†in tomorrow’s internet-saturated interdigital society.
Aim of this study is to evaluate what challenges do Mobile App Health users with poor levels of Digital Literacy encounter when share sensitive personal data or discuss medical conditions in Health 2.0 contexts. Do they act like modern "Alice in "interdigital" land"? In this paper a novel concept of Interdigital Communication Theory aimed at analysing Digital Literacy in Health 2.0 contexts, is tested. The need of experienced-based educational programs addressing the Digital "Illiteracy 2.0" is documented.
Background: By way of a background I combine relevant interdigital communication theory (Murero, 2012) and social media literature (Fox, 2010, 2011, 2012) to picture the general criticism that we observed in the last ten years (Dutton, 2012; Lievrow, 2012) showing that privacy, security and surveillance discourses fail to protect citizens and patients online (Murero & Rice, 2006; Murero 2011). “Big data†issues are addressed.
Methods . A Social Network Analysis (SNA, Wellman, 2007; Rainie and Wellman, 2012) was conducted to assess the sample (n=226) ability to share information, define terms, recognize threatening situations, and opportunities in “interdigital†contexts, particularly Facebook and Twitter. On this regard, a selected number of mobile apps that monitor heart disease and share personal health information via facebook and twitter are tested. Also, experience-learning attitudes and behaviors were accounted to test the short-term efficacy of an educational model aimed at improving Digital Literacy 2.0. The sample was recruited via online "snowball" method.
Results: Preliminary results clearly show that the majority of mobile apps users sharing health information via Facebook (72%) and Twitter (54%) are little aware of online risks of sharing sensitive data, and are not proficient in protecting their privacy, even when highly educated. In 89% of the cases the sample is not aware that personal information can be easily accessed by profit-oriented third parties for “big data†commodification. Moreover, 100% of the interviewed admitted to have registered to the mobile app without reading the "terms and conditions ". The majority of interviewed (82%) agreed that the experience of learning more about their privacy, security and surveillance has changed their perception (85%), and attitudes (82%) and intend to modify their online behaviour (92%). For example, 86% will modify privacy options; 89% intend to "clean" the contents of their Facebook account and 92% of the interviewed agreed when asked if educational programs in forms of tutorial should be administrated to Health 2.0 users from policy makers or online service providers, including Facebook.
Conclusions:
Poor Digital Literacy in Health 2.0 can be highly challenging for privacy, security, and commodification of personal data. Poor levels of Digital Literacy and lack of educational programs are still observed. Our findings reinforce the need for vast educational programs of “Digital Literacy†at the same strength of alphabetization. The empirical case study confirms the validity of the Interdigital Communication Theory, by showing that experienced-based learning models in Health 2.0 environments increase the demand of closing the digital “illiteracy†in tomorrow’s internet-saturated interdigital society.
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