INTERESTED IN LEARNING MORE? PLEASE CONTACT MARVIN BOWE @ MBOWE@NAVICORGROUP.COM

Facing Cancer—Why are patients turning to Facebook and other social sites?By Marvin Bowe

I have been working in oncology marketing and communications, exclusively, for nearly six years and during this time I have seen many transitions take place. But, the biggest transition is how patients with cancer gather information regarding their disease. The increased amount of online activity over the last five years, considering the average age of a patient with cancer, is impressive.

One of the most unfortunate feelings a patient with cancer faces is the feeling of being alone. Typically many of their friends or family members have never walked a mile in their shoes. I remember my uncle being diagnosed with head and neck cancer; I was working on a radio-protectant campaign for head and neck cancer therapy during that

time. I would call him and he would tell me how no one understands what he’s going through. I was fortunate that I know his disease and could find information quickly for him. It was at that time when it occurred to me most people do not have an expert family member they can call. I remember every call and email I received, “they want to give him this”, “they want to treat him with that...” I spent most of my time researching terms we didn’t know and directing them to sites with information. My family’s days were filled soaking up information while riding this daily emotional roller coaster.

This emotional roller coaster is the case for many patients with cancer. First sadness then anger until eventually those emotions turn into motivation and desire,

a desire to live. Soon after that, it becomes a mission. What do we need to know? Over night whether they like to read or not the patient and family become a high school student cramming for the final exam hoping to pass and move the next grade.

During my uncle’s battle, they found several people in similar situations online that they communicated with on a routine basis. This was when I first realized the value an online community could offer. Regardless of how many studies I knew or what data I could access, nothing I offered compared to the words of someone who has gone through the same situation. In addition to networking, my aunt started a blog to log the daily progress for the extended family.

Social sites are

becoming one of

the greatest

resources for

seniors particularly those

who suffer from a

chronic disease

like cancer.

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INTERESTED IN LEARNING MORE? PLEASE CONTACT MARVIN BOWE @ MBOWE@NAVICORGROUP.COM

Unfortunately, my uncle did not survive much beyond a year after his diagnosis, but his story lives on to support patients and caregivers through the online logs that my aunt posted on various blogs related to head and neck cancer for future patients to read as they venture into this scary time in their life and start their information gathering.

Social networks are not

child’s play.

Social sites are becoming one of the greatest resources for seniors particularly those who suffer from a chronic disease like cancer. In a recent article from NPR, Tammy Gordon, AARP's senior adviser for social communications, says a quarter of the organization's members are using Facebook, and the number is rising quickly. Nearly 19 million people ages 55 and over used Facebook in July, up from about 9 million one year ago, according to comScore.

According to a Pew report, Older Americans and the Internet, sixty-six percent of seniors have looked for health or medical information online – the same percent as the general Internet population. In addition, half of online seniors now count themselves among the Facebooking and LinkedIn masses.

The concept of seniors online may be hard to grasp for many of you, particularly if you are one of the many who think social sites are mostly filled with tweeners, and teens. Although this may have been the case five years ago it’s not the case today. According to comScore, a digital measurement company, 27.4 million people age 55 and over engage in social networking, up from 16 million one year ago.

There are several reasons why people over the age of 55 go online, but when looking for common themes you will find in many studies, three main activities: email, searching for health information, or purchasing something. (social networking being a very close forth) In fact, we are seeing a trend suggesting that social sites will eventually surpass email as the most popular activity amongst seniors. According to Nielson Netview, email has saw double-digit declines in share of time. While, according to Pew Research Center, social networking use among those ages 50 and older nearly doubled over the past year (from 22% to 42%).

Why might social

networks be increasingly attractive to patients with cancer?

In a recent survey, Older Adults and Social Media, Pew Research Center shows there are two activities which stand out among people living with chronic disease: blogging and participating in online health discussions. When other demographic factors are held constant, having a chronic disease significantly increases an Internet user’s likelihood to say they work on a blog or contribute to an online discussion or other forum that helps people with personal issues or health problems.

For my family, finding someone that has walked a mile in our shoes helped us take our first step.

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Half of internet

users ages 50-64

and one in four

users age 65 and

older now use

social networking

sites. 

Pew Research Center, 2010

Marvin leads the new media development for

Navicor, focusing on Internet linking strategies;

engaging physicians, patients, and caregivers

through online social community dialogue; tracking

online trends and enhancing SEO by maximizing

user-generated content for client’s brands.