Why do health professionals create content on social media?

Uses and Gratifications of Egyptian “physician vloggers” on YouTube

Authors

Keywords:

social media, uses and gratifications, health communication, Egypt

Abstract

Objective: While there are clear potential benefits for viewers of health videos, much less is known about why health professionals create content on platforms like YouTube. This article therefore explores the uses (or motivations) and rewards (or gratifications) these health professionals associate with using YouTube to publish video content, or vlogs, about health information. Method: We applied reflexive thematic analysis to data from in-depth interviews and focus groups with 12 popular Egyptian ‘physician vloggers’ (i.e., physicians, pharmacists, and psychologists with many YouTube subscribers). Informed by Uses and Gratifications Theory (UGT), we examined what motivated these health professionals to vlog on YouTube and the rewards, or gratifications, they received from doing so. Findings: Physician vloggers used YouTube to achieve self-focused goals, such as to develop their professional brands and save time in their offline work, as well as society-focused goals, such as to spread medical awareness for illness prevention, address cultural and social stigma around mental health, and offer free medical advice to those who need it. In return, vlogging on YouTube gratified participants with a sense of influence, recognition, and professional fulfilment, as well as with opportunities to build digital communication skills and deepen medical knowledge. Implications: Findings extend limited work on UGT to a context in which users create and share content, not just to consume it and, in doing so, furthers our understanding of what motivates health professionals to share content on YouTube. The results could be used to encourage medical professionals to pursue vlogging for health communication.

Author Biographies

Noha Atef, Scholarly Communications Lab

Noha Atef is a postdoctoral media researcher with a professional background in the press, broadcast journalism, and online media. She obtained her PhD in Media from Birmingham City University in 2017, where she also worked for the Birmingham Centre for Media and Cultural Research (BCMCR). Ever since, she has been teaching theoretical and hands-on modules at a number of universities in Egypt. Dr. Atef’s postdoctoral research focuses on social media uses in political activism, journalism, and health communication.

Alice Fleerackers, Interdisciplinary Studies, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, Canada

Alice Fleerackers (she/her) is a researcher at the ScholCommLab and a doctoral candidate at Simon Fraser University’s Interdisciplinary Studies program, where she researches  how health science is communicated online. Her doctoral research is supported by a Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarship from SSHRC and a Michael Stevenson Graduate Scholarship from SFU. 

In addition, Alice volunteers with a number of non-profit organizations in an effort to foster greater public understanding and engagement with science. She is the New Science Communicators Program Coordinator of Science Borealis, a Director on the Board of the Science Writers and Communicators of Canada, and a member of the Scientific Committee for the Public Communication of Science and Technology Network (PCST). Alice is also a freelance health and science writer whose work has appeared in the Globe and Mail, National Post, and Nautilus, among other outlets.

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Published

2023-12-31

Issue

Vol. 12 No. 2 (2023): Journal of Social Media in Society

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Articles

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