Twitter and What I Found There

ClkerFreeVectorImages,
"Twitter, Tweet, Twitter Bird,Social Network, Internet"
09-04-14 via Pixabay, Creative Commons CC0

@PUBLICHEALTH

It may seem as though twitter is just used as an app to keep track of Jessica and Tim's most recent breakup-makeup situation, but instead twitter is becoming more of an educational tool.

It can be used to ask questions, to engage with other like-minded individuals, to keep up with current events, or to even facilitate discussions. Therefore,

let's check out what is happening in the 

twittersphere in regards to Public Health.

In the field of Public Health the top stories/issues that

 people are buzzing about are air pollution as a health

 emergency, the zika virus, gun policies, and the current water crisis 

 in Flint, Michigan. 

The World Health Organization (WHO) came out          On twitter people are inquiring about the zika 

and declared air pollution to be a health emergency.       virus. They want to know more about the

In response to such news people began discussing         symptoms, treatment, and any travel advice. 

the need for more practical pollution laws and the 

fact that death by air pollution will  be and is becoming

a real problem.

The biggest news circulating would be the                        People are commenting on the different

current crisis in Michigan. People are outraged                 gun policies throughout 2015. Specially

at the State's irresponsibility and failure to protect            the NBA's push against gun violence and 

their people. Images and graphs are circulating in             a movement to end the CDC's ban on gun

order to convey the true severity of the lead                      gun violence research. 

contamination.

       In my opinion the two most interesting conversations or stories that I found were about the zika virus and the Flint, Michigan water crisis. Overall I think the twitter account Public Health Talks (@PubHealthTalks) was a great account because it wasn't just a collection of data/information from a big faceless organization, but rather it is a collection of information from real health professionals. It was refreshing to see the work that people like my parents, neighbors, or professors were putting out into the world of Public Health.
       

"United States Public Health Service"
6-12-07 via Wikipedia
Wikimedia Commons Public Domain

The World Health Organization (@WHO) was a great account to get the quick and dirty facts about anything and everything related to the health field. However, the best part about this account was the global aspect. This account reported information from all over the world, rather than just a specific country, state, or city. Instead I was able to get information from health professionals all over the world. 

Based on what I saw on twitter I found that Public Health covers a pretty wide variety of health topics/issues. It covers everything from the most basic health issues to environmental issues. I found it most surprising that gun violence and air pollution were topics of discussion within the Public Health world. I thought that people were talking in ways that I wasn't expecting in the sense that they made even the smallest of issues seem like the biggest deal. It didn't matter what the issues were because the people were talking with such passion that every issue seemed just as important as the next. Sometimes people talk about the same issue over and over again, but it was great to be able to see past the headline news and find issues or stories that are still important just not as widely known/shown.