Exploring the Use of Social Media Platforms for Supporting Individuals with Long-Term Conditions: Impacts on Self-Management and Healthcare Engagement

About the Project

This PhD will investigate how individuals with long-term conditions (LTCs) use social media platforms to access informal care, social support, and advise from people with lived experience of illness. The PhD will explore the implications of these social and informatic interactions for illness beliefs, self-management practices, and engagement with formal healthcare systems.

With the rise of digital peer networks, people living with LTCs are increasingly turning to platforms such as Facebook, Reddit, TikTok, and YouTube for emotional support, practical advice, and community connection. These informal systems may fill gaps left by formal services, particularly in contexts of limited access, stigma, or fragmented care. Such networks can also provide social support and exert social influence on how individuals perceive and manage their conditions.

The project may adopt a range of approaches to investigate these phenomena, potentially including but not limited to:

• Digital ethnography of online communities.
• Qualitative interviews with individuals living with LTCs.
• Stakeholder engagement with healthcare professionals and policymakers.
• Policy and practice mapping to identify integration opportunities.

Applicants may choose to focus on a specific LTC and may also wish to explore how these digital support networks operate within hard-to-reach communities or among groups facing barriers to healthcare access. This research will contribute to a deeper understanding of patient-led digital ecosystems, inform service design, examine the impact of misinformation, and explore how online social support influences, selfmanagement, healthcare decisions and wider policy development.

Supervisory Team

• Director of Studies: Professor Rebecca Stack
• Supervisors: Dr Clive Sealey
• Research Group: Living with Long-Term Conditions Research Group