Caring Within Platform Capitalism: Community Health Workers’ Perspectives on Social Media for Health Promotion and Advocacy

Authors: Amy Z. Chen, Gail G. McCray, Tabia Henry Akintobi, Michael L. Best

This study explored how community health workers (CHWs) use social media in their work. Through interviews and group discussions in one of the southeastern U.S. states, researchers found that while CHWs rarely post in official roles, they do use social media in other ways to support their communities and connect with peers. They often struggle with balancing personal and professional identities and with choosing between broad outreach and local relationship-building. The study highlights these challenges and suggests rethinking social media strategies to better reflect CHWs’ diverse roles and ways of caring for their communities.