How Technology Is Changing Healthcare For Us

Cyberbullying cases on social media had increased during the pandemic

Thanks to the pandemic, so many of us turned to social media and the internet for advice, tips, and news on ways to protect ourselves from the COVID-19 virus back in 2020. At the time, little research was done on the novel virus, so any advice or tip from an expert about prevention was well-received.

Capitalizing on this fact, healthcare professionals began to dominate the social media space with videos on Instagram and TikTok, either giving information or debunking myths about the virus. They also took the time to talk about other ailments and health issues. One such medical professional turned healthcare influencer is Dr. Austin, who up until now, continues to make short educational clips. His account @austinchiangmd, has over 562K followers on TikTok.

Over the years, there’s been a rise in health-related social media accounts. Whether it’s about the virus, mental health, or alternative medicine, there’s an account out there for just about any aspect of holistic wellness.

On TikTok, the hashtag #HealthTok has over 944 million views. A quick look at the hashtag’s overview on the social media platform reveals a variety of content creators—from professionals to publications and even everyday humans—sharing tips and hacks to help others.

Moreover, these creators will likely cross-post and share their content on other social media platforms, like Instagram and Facebook. This constant act of sharing makes it difficult for social media users to avoid such content.

While it’s great that these healthcare professionals and everyday humans want to educate their fellow humans on certain issues and topics, concerns about fearmongering and spreading misinformation have also been brought up.

In the past, the focus was on physical health and issues. These days though, the trend seems to involve mental health and relationship advice from psychotherapists and the like. The pandemic has brought with it an onslaught of mental health issues for people worldwide. According to reports by the KFF, about four in 10 adults in the U.S. reported anxiety or depressive disorder symptoms. These feelings aren't surprising because many of us were cooped up at home and had to adjust to different working methods.

It was also reported that cyberbullying cases on social media had increased during the pandemic, making it essential for healthcare influencers to discuss staying safe on social media. While school bullying dropped dramatically because everyone was staying home, the bullies took to the internet to hurt their victims. It also didn’t help that internet usage increased from 4.1 billion in 2019 to 4.9 billion in 2021, according to the International Telecommunication Union.

Beyond the realms of social media, healthcare, too, has gone even more digital with the rise of telehealth and telemedicine. In this instance, patients no longer have to visit a physical clinic to get diagnosed and receive medication. Instead, they’re assessed by their physician on a video call. The medication then gets delivered on the same day.

Medical trend watchers have already shared that they think technology will continue to play a huge role in medicine, even in the post-pandemic era. If anything, adopting technology in the medical field could make healthcare even more accessible worldwide.

Additionally, it’ll simplify processes across various healthcare aspects, including administrative work, insurance, and more. 

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