We live in a society where we can obtain almost any information we need with just the touch of a button. The world is seeing a rise in new technology, software applications and innovative ways to deliver information to individuals.
In 2013, more people than ever used a digital platform for reading newspapers or magazines, to access their bank accounts, to seek health information or to buy groceries. This information published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) also highlighted that activities previously carried out on the high street are now increasingly being carried out online (ONS, 2013).
More recent statistics only show a further rise in reported use of digital platforms. The internet was used daily or almost daily by 82% of UK adults (41.8 million) in 2016, compared with 78% (39.3 million) in 2015 and 35% (16.2 million) in 2006. Furthermore, in 2016, 70% of adults accessed the internet using a smartphone, up from 66% in 2015 and nearly double the 2011 estimate of 36%.
Many UK organisations are using social media to promote key public health campaigns. In recent years, the birth and development of social media has fundamentally changed how individuals and groups of individuals interact within society. Sites such as Facebook and Twitter are popular platforms used for both personal and professional purposes all over the world. Social media is influential, powerful and here to stay.
In April 2016, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (2016) released statistical data for the use of social media (DCMS, 2016): between April 2014 and March 2015, 70.4% of adults in England had used social media in the past year with Facebook, YouTube and Twitter being the most popular platforms. More than two thirds of those who used social media did so at least once a day. These figures can only be expected to rise due to the accelerated development of new digital innovations and devices. It could be said, then, that social media is an ideal platform for the promotion of public health campaigns or other health information.
Many service providers, charities and user groups are flocking to digital platforms such as social media and forum sites. Digital platforms can be an effective way to share information with a specific population. For example, the promotion of public health campaigns can go beyond posters in GP surgery waiting rooms. If midwives or healthcare providers want to reach the masses, as demonstrated by the ONS statistics, digital platforms are ideal for delivering information to a population in which 82% of UK adults are online per day.
In conclusion, it is important to ensure public health messages are being displayed in all forms. We know that due to the rise in technological innovations, displaying a public health message on a poster is no longer the only option, but the importance of visual posters should also not be forgotten since not everyone is a user of the internet. Many older people, for example, are still yet to catch up with the digital revolution, with nearly half of single pensioners still having no internet access at all (ONS, 2016). However, as health professionals we must understand that in 2017 we should not limit ourselves to promoting public health via print media alone.