In the digitalized world, the use of social media is increasing and spreading to many areas. Moreover, the process of digitalization of everything transforms the media tools and fits mass communication into digital coding together with interpersonal communication. Health communication ensues between doctors, patients, and other healthcare professionals, and its strength is important. Health institutions, doctors, and patients can now communicate through new media and discuss health-related issues through these channels. Many phone applications have transformed health into e-health by digitizing the patient-doctor relationship. On the other hand, the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, which spread from China to the whole world and affected almost every country in a short time, forced the world to a more isolated lifestyle. This study investigates the role of new media opportunities in health communication during the pandemic. In this context, the literature research is examined.
TopIntroduction
The internet, as a rapidly developing phenomenon all over the world, has surrounded our lives today. Its evolving structure and the fact that it becomes more and more wireless, increasing its reach every day, has made it an indispensable tool in both personal and business life. This vehicle, which is indispensable today, has emerged as a result of the development of some technologies. Many developments in the historical process, such as the emergence of the computer, the first two computers to sending e-mails to each other, the establishing international wired networks, websites, the emergence of mobile phones, the production of smart versions of mobile phones, the spread of tablets, social networks, the use of its applications, the new social networks through mobile phones which feeding a media field, have caused the internet to penetrate to the deepest.
In this process, the most used analog methods are digitized. As with the transition from analog clocks to digital clocks, e-mails instead of mails, digital writing platforms instead of paper, digital versions instead of traditional media tools began to be used. Social media provides to spread the news almost instantly when the event is still in progress, and instead of expectancy for the newspaper to read or to see in the TV's news bulletin. Now, it has become commonplace to follow any event, activity happening all over the world, reach with a single button, and be informed independently of geographical borders.
The fact that computers fit into cell phones has made them a powerful weapon. The combination of formerly separate hardware, almost like a Voltron, has made mobile phones an efficient tool in many ways. Today, there is slightly no transaction that cannot be done with mobile phones. These tools, which can stay in our pocket, offer us multiple features by merging all in one spot, such as a Swiss army knife, a tape measure, a GPRS tool, a socialization tool, a heart rate meter, a pedometer, a scanner, and an internet access point.
The convergence has virtually made digital transformation mandatory for practically all sectors. Even though it was offered in 2011, the first ideas about digital transformation are based on much older. In 2011, at a fair held in Hannover, Germany, the industry 4.0 concept was announced to the world. Technologies in which are improved by the years can help all types of sectors can take digitalization one step further. Thus, digital transformation has begun to be discussed in many areas such as education, art, economy, and politics. The health sector has also taken its share from this effect of digital transformation, and it has started to produce digital versions of many industrial applications.
It has now become possible to say that social networks are frequently used whenever any information is needed in the field of health. For example; Healthcare professionals like the WhatsApp application in other industries; It is known that it is used frequently by doctors, nurses, pharmacists, healthcare administrators, other healthcare professionals and related sectors. It was stated in the studies that this situation accelerates communication, the functionality of the transmission of the read receipt of the message, and the ability to transmit data forms such as picture, sound, document, video recording together with written messages, and it has been reported that it offers many advantages to healthcare professionals (Güdük & Önder, 2018, p. 128).
As of December 2019, when the world health organization declared the new type of coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on March 11 (WHO, 2020), digitalization processes, which have become the number one issue on the world agenda, has not only accelerated but also caused it to become compulsory. Many industries have come to a halt in production due to this transmittable through personal contact disease. And lockdowns have been made in many countries for months. However, contrary to many remaining industries, the health sector has had to fight with this virus by working at an increasing pace and continued to serve humanity, albeit under many severe conditions. The digitalization process has forced the health sector to transform more rapidly with the pandemic. Primarily in Turkey, the ministry of health to announce daily data on COVID-19 cases and losses on Twitter; His frequent use of social media for warnings, precautions, and other remarkable messages is one of the best examples.