Pitua Ivaan, Raizudheen Raafidha
Makerere University, College of Health Sciences, Kampala, Uganda.
PLOS Glob Public Health. 2025 May 7;5(5):e0004496. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0004496. eCollection 2025.
Memes have become a popular communication tool, especially during public health crises, offering both opportunities and challenges for messaging. This short communication examines the dual role of mpox-related memes circulating since the disease's declaration as a public health emergency in August 2024. Through a qualitative content analysis of 200 mpox memes shared across major social media platforms, we identified two primary themes: (1) Awareness and Education and (2) Misinformation and Stigma. Approximately 60% of the memes promoted awareness, using humor to increase engagement with health messages and fostering constructive dialogue on preventive measures. However, 40% conveyed misinformation or perpetuated stigma, particularly against LGBTQ+ communities, which may have hindered public trust in health authorities and created barriers to health-seeking behaviors. The findings suggest that while memes can positively impact public health communication, their potential to spread misinformation requires strategic monitoring and response. Public health organizations may benefit from partnering with social media influencers to create accurate, relatable meme content that engages audiences without perpetuating harmful stereotypes.
表情包已成为一种流行的交流工具，尤其是在公共卫生危机期间，这为信息传播带来了机遇和挑战。本简短通讯探讨了自2024年8月该疾病被宣布为突发公共卫生事件以来流传的与猴痘相关的表情包的双重作用。通过对在各大社交媒体平台上分享的200个猴痘表情包进行定性内容分析，我们确定了两个主要主题：（1）意识与教育，以及（2）错误信息与污名化。大约60%的表情包促进了意识提升，利用幽默来提高对健康信息的参与度，并促进关于预防措施的建设性对话。然而，40%的表情包传达了错误信息或延续了污名化，特别是针对 LGBTQ+ 群体，这可能阻碍了公众对卫生当局的信任，并为寻求医疗行为造成了障碍。研究结果表明，虽然表情包可以对公共卫生传播产生积极影响，但其传播错误信息的可能性需要进行战略监测和应对。公共卫生组织可能会受益于与社交媒体有影响力的人合作，以创建准确、相关的表情包内容，吸引受众而不延续有害的刻板印象。
