Journal accepts paper on reactions to celebrity cancer
Doctoral candidate Rachelle Pavelko, assistant professor Jessica Myrick and doctoral candidate Roshni Verghese’s article, “Public Reactions to Celebrity Cancer Disclosures via Social Media: Implications for Campaign Message Design and Strategy,” has been accepted for publication in Health Education Journal.
The article, which was co-written with associate professor Joe Bob Hester of the University of North Carolina, features research on social media interactions between users and celebrities as celebrities have announced that they have cancer. The research team used a content analysis technique in studying actor Hugh Jackman’s 2013 Facebook post about his being diagnosed with skin cancer.
The research team found that hope and happy emotions and emoticons were most frequently included in announcements. Female social media users were found to be significantly more likely to mention detection behaviors regarding skin cancer diagnoses in postings.
This research may be used to help understand how celebrity cancer announcements can serve as cancer awareness campaigns and act as examples in future campaign strategies.