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It’s hard to say this without sounding like I’m bragging, but that’s not going to stop me: I’m going to the White House tomorrow to talk about Pew Internet Project’s latest research on peer-to-peer healthcare.

The White House Office of National AIDS Policy is convening a meeting, in partnership with the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office on Women’s Health and the White House Council on Women and Girls,  in recognition of National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. The event will be live-streamed at http://www.whitehouse.gov/live beginning at 3pm Eastern.

If you had 5 minutes to talk about women, girls, and HIV awareness, what would you say?

Here are my talking points:

  • Nine in ten teenagers go online. Eight in ten teenagers between 14-17 years old have a cell phone. Eight in ten online teens between 14-17 years old use social networking sites. The numbers are lower among adults, but not by much. Internet and social network use only drop down significantly around age 65. The internet gives us access not only to information, but also to each other.
  • Eight in ten internet users age 18+ gather health information online. 17% of cell phone users have used their phone to look up health or medical information. According to Yahoo’s data, three out of the five most popular health searches on cell phones have to do with sex. The mobile internet is a just-in-time, wherever-you-are health information resource.
  • Mobile, social technology is changing our frame of reference so that we see information as portable, personalized, and participatory.
  • None of the organizations or individuals in this room can control the conversation about HIV, but they can contribute to it.
  • Pew Internet’s research shows that a majority of internet users still turn to a health professional with their health questions, but 1 in 5 internet users look online for “someone like them” to provide advice. That number is higher among people living with a chronic disease and among those who have experienced a significant health change in the past year.
  • There is a parallel health system online, powered by people connecting with each other, and now is the time to tap into it.
  • Take this opportunity to regroup. Tap in to people’s instincts to share and their ability to do so. Seed the conversation with what you know. Let your audience become your agents.
If you are interested in getting more information about the above trends, please see the following reports and slide decks:

As always, thoughts welcome!

 

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