New Media and Health

New media has transformed the way health information is shared and received, offering promising opportunities, but also raising new challenges for public health professionals. Digital tools now allow real-time engagement, personalized messaging, and interactive health experiences. Emerging technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) add more potential, from predicting health trends to tailoring interventions, while also introducing risks such as misinformation, ownership and privacy concerns.

The pace and nature of these changes vary widely across countries and communities. What counts as “new” media in one setting, like social messaging apps or telehealth platforms might already be well-established in another. For public health practitioners, understanding these differences is essential: tailoring communication strategies to local contexts and populations ensures that messages are effective, accessible, and respectful of diverse realities.

This course expands the toolbox of the next generation of health communicators, allowing them to navigate the rapidly evolving landscape of new media in health. We cover social media, mobile health, online platforms, transmedia storytelling, extended reality, and AI-driven interventions. Through case studies, hands-on exercises, lectures, and social engagement projects students identify best practices, learn to proactively address disinformation, consider ethical and privacy challenges, and practice designing communication strategies that engage communities responsibly.