Celebrity health events can have a positive effect on public health education and awareness because people spread health information related to the celebrity on social network sites, according to a new report from online science journal Elsevier.
The research study said social network sites provide a convenient public space to connect with others to mourn when a celebrity dies.
To gain understanding about the circumstances that encourage health information sharing in social media following these tragic events, the study employed a questionnaire to examine the role of ?parasocial? attachment to comedian Robin Williams, who passed away in November 2015.
?? [A] moderated mediation analysis revealed that grief motivated health education on social network sites only for individuals who were coping by trying to find positive meaning in his death,? the study observed.
