Millions turned their attention to Twitter after billionaire Elon Musk bought it for $44 billion Thursday night, sparking speculation about the future of the social media platform question.
Twitter is a vital tool for many healthcare organizations, and since its inception in 2006, it has helped transform the industry’s marketing strategies. Healthcare systems, insurance companies and others use the platform to reach consumers and spread the word.
The New York-based Mount Sinai Health System typically has 89,500 daily Followers post several times. The Minnesota-based Mayo Clinic Health System’s 20,000-plus followers typically see new content at least every few days. Intermountain Healthcare in Utah has 32,600 followers and posts regularly every week.
Among insurance companies, Humana has nearly 45,000 followers and often posts content several times a day. Aetna has 54,200 followers and typically posts multiple times in a month. UnitedHealthcare also regularly posts content for its 57,700 followers.
The systems and companies either declined to comment or did not respond to requests for comment on whether they would change their use of the platform. As they grapple with any potential changes on Twitter, healthcare companies and organizations have been working to combat misinformation circulating on social media about COVID-19 and vaccinations during the pandemic.
Tim Koelzer, managing partner of EquiBrand, a consulting firm that works with healthcare clients, said he expects a short-term backlash from users who disapprove of Musk, but that many will eventually come back to the platform. He added that most people have already decided whether to see Twitter as a viable source of information.
. “You’re dealing with people’s lives. It’s not a political issue, are you a Republican or a Democrat?”
American Hospital Federation Chairman and CEO Chip Kahn said no one knew what to do with the misinformation problem on social media. He thinks it’s too early to tell whether Twitter’s usefulness will be compromised, but if it does become too inappropriate, healthcare organizations may have to find other ways to do mass communication.
Kahn said he wanted to know what the mainstream business model for Twitter would be. “Elon Musk has been very successful in giving the market what it needs, so despite all the noise, I think Twitter is very important for communication at all levels, and it’s here to stay,” Kahn said.
Musk, who has previously expressed disdain for advertising, called on advertisers in a post on Thursday that “Twitter aspires to be the most respected advertising platform in the world” and Will focus on serving relevant ads to users.
Late Thursday, Musk tweeted that “the bird has been released.” The New York Times reported that in the 24 hours before Musk’s deal with Twitter, thousands of new accounts were created and added to a surge in new followers of Twitter’s most influential far-right account. The report noted that it was uncertain whether the surge in activity was related to Musk’s ownership, but the chief executive of Memetica, a digital survey firm cited in the report, said the findings were worrisome.
On Friday afternoon, Musk tweeted that the company will form “a broad-based content review committee. No major content will be made until the committee meets. Decision or Account Recovery.”
