Among the many uses of new media, is the dissemination of important and timely information to the public.  An excellent example of this is the H1N1 virus.

According to Steven Smith of the Boston Globe, “never before has a virus gone viral like this. There are swine flu blogs and swine flu tweets, swine flu videos on YouTube and swine flu groups on Facebook. The arrival of the H1N1 virus, and young people’s vulnerability to it, have forced public health agencies to muster new media with unprecedented fervor. It’s a matter, disease specialists said, of going where the young audience is. ‘They don’t watch the news at 6 o’clock,’ said Barbara Ferrer, executive director of the Boston Public Health Commission. ‘They’re not going to pick up our pamphlets.’”

One prime example of this is how the Boston Public Health Commission is using viral videos to promote  flu prevention topics:

New media spread the word on H1N1 – The Boston Globe.

Additionally, the BPHC is using Twitter to reach audiences with information on this topic. For example, “No lines, free H1N1 vaccine still available at West Roxbury flu clinic. Hurry. The clinic closes today at 4.”  was a recent Tweet from the BPHC.

Smith, S. (December 2009). New media spread the word on H1N1; Twitter, YouTube messages aimed at public.  The Boston Globe. Retrieved on December 27, 2009 from http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/12/11/new_media_spread_the_word_on_h1n1/

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