Social Media Influencers Redefine Health Message Recall Among Young Adults, Study Finds
A new study in Health Communication, led by Emily Pfender, assistant professor in the department of communications at the University of Delaware, reveals a significant shift in how young adults receive and remember health messages. Traditionally, memorable health messages were recalled from trusted individuals within one's personal network, such as doctors, friends, or family. However, the study indicates that young people are now primarily recalling their most memorable health messages from strangers and influencers on social media. Many of these young adults did not even follow the influencers, encountering their content only once, yet some messages were remembered for over six years. The research highlights that these memorable health messages from social media can be both problematic, promoting unverified health prescriptions like using mouth tape for jaw shape or specific teas for PCOS, and empowering, advocating for holistic health views and mental well-being.
