The objective of this
study is to reveal patterns of Facebook page networks that
belong to stakeholders in
eHealth. Through
online
social network analysis I tried to
investigate
the page like networks of two online pharmacies, a cosmetics and a
pharmaceutical company as well as two doctors’ networks.
People nowadays use Facebook for finding fellow patients and
discussing
their
conditions,
as well as
forming
online communities and support groups, physicians use
their Facebook pages
for informing and communicating with their patients, while
pharmaceuticals and medical companies invest in social media for reaching
their
target audiences.
The findings of the graph analysis I conducted with a tool called Gephi
suggest that
online pharmacies along with cosmetics companies target women by connecting with
personal blogs, pharmaceuticals target patients by connecting with non
-
profit
organizations related to certain diseases, while doctors either choose to keep their
networks strictly professional, or reveal aspects of their personal lives as well.
Since eHealth is a sector that is continuously growing, further research could
investigate the networks of other participants in eHealth such as non
-
profit
organizations or community support groups.
Meanwhile, companies could benefit
from the study of such networks, since they provide means of tracking what
competition does, as well as monitoring own performance.
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