Social Networking, Health 2.0, and Beyond

The past several years has brought with it an apparent surge in social technologies. Web-based tools such as blogs, wikis, personalized search engines, instant messenger clients, video sharing sites, and social networking services are providing people with countless ways to connect, share experiences and insight, and engage with others. Sites like Facebook,1 Twitter,2 LinkedIn,3 and PatientsLikeMe4 are providing people in all walks of life with the means to connect like never before. The term “Web 2.0” is commonly associated with such web-based applications that facilitate community and interactive information sharing. These tools are making it easier than ever before to find information, resources, and contacts, and to interact with others around these sources in meaningful ways. In the context of health and health care, the term “Health 2.0” is used to describe the application of these participation-enhancing tools – such as health care blogs and podcasts, personalized medical search engines, and social networking services – by all actors in health care. From the scientists seeking innovative therapies, to physicians and nurses providing treatment, to the patients receiving care, we are all participants in health care. In this chapter we aim to not only review these participation-enabling technologies and discuss their implications for behavioral health providers, but to also provide useful guidelines for when, why, and how to get the most out of these innovative tools. We will also provide cautionary warning for situations in which use of some technologies may be ill advised. Upon reading this chapter we hope you will agree that while there are certainly some risks and temptations with respect to these technologies that are best avoided, the benefits of these innovative tools – to the extent that they empower patients and health professionals, foster information sharing and community, and facilitate engagement across the spectrum of health care – can be quite powerful.