MASS MEDIA Lecture 8:

Health Communication mediachoice model

• Media professionals have an abundance of facts and information about changes but have few mechanisms with which to respond strategically to changing consumer preference.

• Traditional health communication techniques. (old media; authoritative and credible, one-to-many)

• Effective health communication today

(dynamic network of human beings and technology)

• Consumers are taking charge يترأسof their communication needs and desires and rejecting passive acceptance of information.

• (Research theory known as Uses and Gratificationsإرضاء ) This theory moves the discussion away from the notion that media “Do” things to people, and toward the idea that people use media to fulfill various needs.

• Our model posits يفترض that People have communication needsneeds that drivedrive them to:

A.Select communication media and

B.Adopt communication behaviors that best gratify those needs at a given time.

Communication

Needs

1. Connectivity (relateيتعلق , supportsupport, engage يرتبطwith others)

2. Information (need to gain knowledge)

3. Entertainment (amusedمضحك , relaxedrelaxed العصبي التوتر من العصبي يحرر التوتر من , يحررdiverted مسلي- ( ملهي

4. Shopping (acquire goods and servicesservices)

1.Connectivity

• Can be seen in FriendshipsFriendships, religious affiliationsاالنتماءت , clubsclubs.

• YouTubeYouTube : videos related to health…

• Social networking sitesSocial networking sites: facebook, twitter…etc..

2.Information

• Informational behaviorInformational behavior might involve searching WebMDsearching WebMD or going to see a health professional with specific questions.

• Search engineSearch engineماكنةماكنة : consumers are satisfying their information needs online.

3.Entertainment• To be psychologically healthyTo be psychologically healthy (play,

diverteddivertedمسليمسلي )• Wide range of sourcesWide range of sources with which to fulfill

that need .• It’s important that some health related health related

messagesmessages be presented in an entertaining fashion similar to the strategies using humor humor and other attention- getting devices that advertisers doadvertisers do to “cut through the cut through the clutterclutterضوضاءضوضاء ”, e.g., celebrity celebrity الشهرةالشهرةcultureculture

4.Shopping • Going to the local drugstore, OR ordering ordering

vitamins online.vitamins online.

• Health consumers are moving away from dependence on sources from which they have traditionally bought health-related goods and services and they are using they are using searches to inform their purchase searches to inform their purchase decisions.decisions.

Individual Differences in Individual Differences in communication Needscommunication Needs

• variables that affect media choice:variables that affect media choice:Demographic, Cultural, Personal and individual characteristics Personal and individual characteristics

such assuch as : Age, Education, Gender.

The concept of The concept of ApertureApertureمنفذمنفذ

• Refers to The optimal time when people The optimal time when people are most receptive to persuasive are most receptive to persuasive message.message.

• Can be defined in terms of day part (morning or eveningevening) OR

• In term of times of life (childhood, adulthoodadulthood) OR

• Types of human connection with a particular health issue. (e.g.,: celebrity

مشهور الشهرة -شخص and illnessillness)

Health communicators must be highly Health communicators must be highly sensitive to variations in media by sensitive to variations in media by

different segments of the population.different segments of the population.

Media FeaturesMedia Featuresخصائصخصائص

• Different media have features that make them attractive to different target attractive to different target audiences audiences

• Audiences fulfill their communication needs at different timesdifferent times of the day.

• Media offers at least seven features:1. Immediacyاآلنية 2. Mobility

3. Participation

4. Rich media

5. Search

6. Customization - التكييف- التخصيص التحوير7. Time shifting.

Voice in health communicationVoice in health communication

• In creating content and selecting media, In creating content and selecting media, health communicators must use the health communicators must use the preferred voicepreferred voice of the target audience to of the target audience to convey information.convey information.

• AuthoritativeAuthoritativeموثوقموثوق voice:voice:

Information comes from long-established source

• OpinionatedOpinionated بعقيدة- عالقة ذو بعقيدة- عقدي عالقة ذو :voice:voice عقدي

Information that seems to share viewpoints and attitudes

• Created Created -مبدع مبدع-مبتدع :voice:voiceمبتدع محاكي محاكي غير غير

Health information comes from the perspective of people who are experiencing it.

• The Media Choice Model is really The Media Choice Model is really useful way to evaluate the various useful way to evaluate the various ideas and proposals news ideas and proposals news organizations are coming up with as organizations are coming up with as they attempt to carve out they attempt to carve out إلقامةإلقامة a a viable presence on the Webviable presence on the Web..

Media Choice Model spells out يوضح the fundamental needs people are seeking to be met when يبحثواthey go online:

• Information

• Entertainment الترفيه• Connectivity

• ShoppingShopping

• Uh, okay. Sounds pretty vague, right? But where the rubber meets the road comes in helping you to avoid doing something…Web video or audio, for e.g.,…just because you CAN, thereby wasting valuable resources. Save those tools for when you think they will meet people’speople’s needs.

• Say you have an idea on how to pull Say you have an idea on how to pull تسحبتسحب

together some evergreen together some evergreen الخضرة الخضرة دائمة دائمة

content your organization already produces content your organization already produces

in one place on your site. in one place on your site.

• How does this proposal How does this proposal meet the above needs? meet the above needs?

• For e.g., have you provided

opportunities for your audience to

interact with that content in ways

that meet connectivity needs?

And so onهكذا and so forth هلم

جرا