Health consumers’ social media adoption behaviours: evidence from Australia

Social media is contributing to the beginning of a paradigm shift emerging in the healthcare sector. Despite social media’s growing popularity, empirical research on the social media adoption behaviours of health consumers is limited. Using the Technology Acceptance Framework, this research investigates the underlying drivers affecting health consumers’ social media usage and acceptance behaviours. A cross-sectional survey of 265 health consumers was conducted. Findings reveal that perceived ease of use, information quality, privacy threats, social influence and self-efficacy influence health consumers’ social media adoption behaviours. The study shows there is a promising future for social media applications in healthcare. Health service providers need to be proactive in promoting social to harness the potential benefits of social media usage.