INTRODUCTION
Social media use among dermatology patients is ubiquitous, with estimates of over 80% of patients using social media to learn about their dermatologic conditions.1 Vitiligo is an autoimmune disease leading to depigmentation with an estimated prevalence of 0.5%-2% globally.2 Vitiligo has been implicated in a decreased quality of life (QoL), particularly in females, individuals with darker complexions, and those from South Asian cultures.3,4 Connecting with others through social media has been identified as a potential source of psychosocial support for those with dermatologic conditions.5 Our study sought to characterize vitiligo social media content to better understand how social media may be used for social support and to determine differences in content between social media platforms. Specifically, we hypothesized that the most popular posts would contain themes of patient support and connectedness, and we projected more posts to feature individuals with skin of color (SOC).
We used the keywords "vitiligo" and "vitiligo support" on Facebook, Reddit, TikTok, Twitter, and YouTube to analyze the 25 most popular posts involving humans. Searches were performed during the week of November 8, 2020. Characterizations included the post theme, and assessment of Fitzpatrick skin type and gender expression of individuals featured in the post. Each post was grouped into 1 of 4 categories: Body Positivity/ Empowerment, Anecdotal, Group Organization, or Treatments (including alternative treatments). Apparent Fitzpatrick skin types III-VI were documented as SOC populations.
Our results are reported in Table 1. We found that the most popular social media content represented the categories of Body Positivity/Empowerment (70%), followed by Anecdotes (14%), Group Organization (9%), and Treatment (7%). Facebook (72%), Reddit (84%), TikTok (96%), Twitter (40%), and YouTube (38%) represented more Body Positivity/Empowerment top posts, and Twitter appeared to be the most prominent forum for Group Organization purposes (20%). Information on treatments was more likely from Facebook (24%) and YouTube (12%), and YouTube represented more patient anecdotes (42%). All top social media posts were more likely to include SOC individuals (66%) and females (69%).
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We used the keywords "vitiligo" and "vitiligo support" on Facebook, Reddit, TikTok, Twitter, and YouTube to analyze the 25 most popular posts involving humans. Searches were performed during the week of November 8, 2020. Characterizations included the post theme, and assessment of Fitzpatrick skin type and gender expression of individuals featured in the post. Each post was grouped into 1 of 4 categories: Body Positivity/ Empowerment, Anecdotal, Group Organization, or Treatments (including alternative treatments). Apparent Fitzpatrick skin types III-VI were documented as SOC populations.
Our results are reported in Table 1. We found that the most popular social media content represented the categories of Body Positivity/Empowerment (70%), followed by Anecdotes (14%), Group Organization (9%), and Treatment (7%). Facebook (72%), Reddit (84%), TikTok (96%), Twitter (40%), and YouTube (38%) represented more Body Positivity/Empowerment top posts, and Twitter appeared to be the most prominent forum for Group Organization purposes (20%). Information on treatments was more likely from Facebook (24%) and YouTube (12%), and YouTube represented more patient anecdotes (42%). All top social media posts were more likely to include SOC individuals (66%) and females (69%).
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