Sociable Scholarship and Its Impact on Public Interest in Medical Information in Malaysia

Abstract

Although social media are commonly used among medical-related public figures and organizations, its utilization among other agents of social change such as medical scholars and practitioners is often overlooked. Sociable scholarship, which refers to public engagement on social media among scholars and practitioners, is vital to facilitate the change in public health. Current study aims to investigate the trend of sociable scholarship among medical scholars and practitioners specifically on Facebook and its impact on public interest in medical information specifically in Malaysia. Secondary data were obtained and analysed using content analysis. The findings revealed that there is a positive trend of sociable scholarship among medical scholars and practitioners in Malaysia. It was also shown that among medical information that gain the public interest are kidney-health and illegal health products. These findings were further discussed and presented with possible explanations. The current study provides a glimpse of this phenomena by using Facebook as a data-source. To gain better understanding on sociable scholarship, it is suggested to use other sources and extend to other population in future research.