Document Type

Conference Presentation

Embargo Period

5-14-2026

Publication Date

Spring 5-2-2025

Department

Library Science and Informatics

Abstract

Objective:

Young adults in South Carolina face increasing challenges when seeking accurate sexual health information due to limitations in traditional and authoritative sexual health education and healthcare access. This paper investigates the future of libraries and health science librarians by exploring how young adults use social media platforms to seek sexual health information. It identifies the primary barriers young adults face and investigates opportunities for developing innovative digital health literacy resources.

Methods:

This study employed a dual-method qualitative approach, utilizing 90-minute semi-structured interviews and digital walkthroughs with 20 young adults aged 18-25 from across South Carolina. The interviews explored participants' experiences and strategies when using social media to seek sexual health information, while the digital walkthroughs provided real-time observations of their navigation patterns, platform choices, and interactions. This dual-method approach allowed for an in-depth analysis of the role that social media functionalities, algorithms, and community interactions play in shaping the information-seeking practices of young adults. The data included for analysis consisted of transcribed participant narratives and screen recordings of participants’ digital walkthroughs. All data were analyzed thematically using NVivo to identify salient patterns, challenges, and opportunities for interventions such as digital health literacy workshops, collaborative fact-checking initiatives, and the development of educational resources tailored to guide young adults in critically assessing and navigating social media for accurate sexual health information.

Results:

Preliminary findings indicate that while social media platforms offer accessible resources for sexual health information, young adults face significant challenges in their efforts to access credible and relatable information despite vast amounts of information. Key barriers include misinformation, algorithmic biases that affect the visibility of relevant information, and difficulties in assessing the credibility of creators on social media. Moreover, findings indicate mistrust of experts like medical practitioners due to their perceived lack of cultural competence when treating young adults. Participants orient themselves through and around such barriers to sexual health information and resources via social media. These findings suggest a need for targeted interventions, such as developing resource guides and programming that improves digital health literacy and equips young adults with the skills necessary to critically seek, evaluate, and use online sexual health information to make informed decisions.

Preliminary findings indicate that while social media provides accessible resources for sexual health information, young adults face challenges accessing credible and relatable content. Barriers include misinformation, algorithmic biases that obscure relevant information, and difficulties evaluating content creators' credibility. Additionally, there is mistrust of medical professionals due to perceived cultural incompetence when addressing young adults' needs. Participants navigate these obstacles using varied information-seeking strategies. These findings highlight the need for targeted interventions, such as resource guides and programming, to improve digital health literacy and equip young adults with the skills needed to critically eval

Conclusion:

The study underscores the critical role of health sciences librarians in bridging the gap between young adults and credible sexual health information on social media. Rather than focusing solely on the perceived information deficits of users, health librarians can reorient their approach by developing systems and resources that leverage current users' existing social media practices. This can be accomplished by creating resource guides and digital literacy outreach programs that focus on fact-checking techniques, identifying trustworthy content creators, and understanding platform algorithms. By providing these tailored services, health science librarians not only enhance the accessibility and quality of health information but also position themselves as key stakeholders in addressing sexual health disparities. This reoriented approach aligns with the evolving information needs of young adults and underscores the future of health sciences librarianship in promoting digital health literacy.

Description

Presented at the Medical Library Association Annual Meeting - 2025

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