Part 2 Communications and Social Media Tools The relevance of social media utilization in healthcare contexts for communication purposes has in the past become largely apparent (Thielst, 2013). For this reason, it would be prudent to assess some of the most appropriate social media tools for a campaign seeking to minimize substance abuse among minority youths.

Types of communication and social media tools to be used in the dissemination of the campaign

In this case, I would be using two kinds of communication and social media tools, i.e. social networking platforms (primarily Facebook) and microblogs (primarily Twitter). It is important to note that various studies and reports have in the past revealed that teens spend a significant amount of time online. One such study indicated that “American teenagers spend an ‘astounding’ nine hours a day with digital technology…” (Fox and Edwards, 2019). It therefore follows that any effort to reach this age group ought to be anchored on this reality. While Facebook is essentially a social networking site that primarily seeks to promote interconnectedness, Twitter is a social networking service that strives to facilitate engagements between users using ‘tweets.’

Why the tools selected...

It is for this reason that I selected Facebook which remains one of most popular online platforms for young people. It is important to note that although Facebook is no longer as popular amongst young people as it was a decade ago, it would be the most appropriate platform for a campaign of this nature. This is in comparison to other very popular platforms such as Snapchat and Instagram.
Secondly, I selected Twitter due to the ease of distributing content. This is more so the case given that with twitter, anybody searching for a specific topic as well as the general public can be able to access targeted tweets and share them. For this reason, I will not only be seeking targeted followers, but also tweeting frequently. This is an approach that I believe will come in handy in the further distribution of the appropriate content – and hence enhanced reach to my target audience.

Ways in which I might adjust my public health message based on the type of social media used in my public health campaign

For Facebook: Longer public health messages laden with media (such…