Offline, but not out of reach: Re-thinking healthcare communications in an increasingly disconnected world
Back in March some of the team attended the WIRED Health conference in London. The day was full of incredible innovations and ideas, one of them was Prenuvo. They’ve taken the whole-body MRI and used it in a new way by combining it with biomarker analysis and turning the results into a clear, personalised report. This is a fascinating piece of technology; and it got us thinking about the hyper digital and technical world we live in and what this means for day-to-day life and healthcare.
We live in a time of remarkable medical innovation – with treatments, tools, and technologies advancing faster than ever. But perhaps even more transformative is the growing desire among individuals to actively shape their own health journeys. From tracking sleep with wearable devices to sharing weight loss milestones on TikTok, the digital world has handed us unprecedented agency over how we monitor, share, manage, and make sense of our wellbeing. Health is no longer something that just happens to us, it is something we engage with, narrate, and, in many ways, curate.
But with this new sense of control comes complexity: what happens when the same digital spaces that empower us also overwhelm us?
The term ‘digital fatigue’ may be useful to describe this recent turn in how people use technology. Many have found the need to be constantly plugged in and switched on exhausting, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic and our lives shifting online. People are becoming tired and overwhelmed with what it takes to exist in a digital world, with many opting to spend less time scrolling through Instagram and Facebook.
Understanding this double-edged sword is vital for those working in health communications. Online platforms and social media channels are vital for most of our campaigns to reach people in different places. However, as many are deprioritising the digital, we cannot rely solely on digital channels to communicate health information. If people are leaving online platforms, where are they going?
What’s trending?
At the end of last year, we published our predictions for health communications in 2025. One of those predictions was people taking a break from social media, due to ‘brain-rot’ and the newly attuned understanding of the impact scrolling has on mental health. Almost halfway into this year, are we seeing this in action? Definitely.
According to Ofcom’s 2025 report, some previously heavy users of Facebook, X and Instagram described themselves as spending less time this year scrolling through their social media feeds, a clear sign of digital fatigue. Yet, TikTok appears to be the exception. It is now the most popular main app for 35% of 16–24-year-olds, and the primary platform for 14% of all adult social media users, up from 11% in both 2023 and 2022. This suggests that while many are stepping back from traditional platforms, TikTok still holds value for connection, creativity, and cultural commentary, especially among younger audiences. However, this growing discernment also reflects a shift in how users are engaging with digital spaces, with increasing scrutiny of the platforms they choose to spend time on.
A clear example is the fallout of Duolingo’s recent announcement from the CEO Louis Von Ahn, that the company will transition into an ‘AI first’ organisation. This entails the phasing out of human contractors and only hiring more employees if the team cannot automate their work. While this inevitably sparked widespread criticism, particularly on TikTok where users’ outrage led to the company having to temporarily remove its content, the issue is deeper rooted than simply job displacement. For many, this incident reflects growing unease with the emotional and ethical implications of algorithm-driven platforms. As users become more attuned to how digital environments affect their wellbeing, especially when corporate decisions feel impersonal or exploitative, they’re increasingly choosing to disengage. For healthcare communicators, this is a clear sign that audiences are not just reacting to AI replacing jobs, they are responding to a broader fatigue with inauthentic, emotionally taxing, digital experiences.
TikTok is becoming the place to go to for advice on both health issues and mental health related queries. However, the platform is rife with misinformation when it comes to mental health support. A recent Guardian study found that 52 out of the top 100 videos about mental health on TikTok contained either vague and unhelpful language or misinformation. While TikTok is a great place to share personal stories, there is a tendency to believe in a ‘one size fits all’ approach to mental health, which can be more damaging than it is useful. As David Okai, at King’s College London highlights, the short, sound-bite style of TikTok videos can miss the important nuance of different mental health related issues.
In a similar vein, more and more people are seeking authentic, face-to-face connections beyond the digital realm. Initiatives like the Love is Blind star, Tom Stroud’s @shouldertoshouldercommunity which is known for its coffee walks, highlights this shift while also actively challenging toxic masculinity pervasive on social media, a growing issue in the UK. This trend underscores the need for genuine and proactive approaches to meaningful interactions, shaping how we engage with audiences on topics of health and well-being.
Different communities, different needs:
As people move away from the internet for connection, the spaces they’re turning to, whether it’s supper clubs or running events, are all deeply shaped by cultural, economic, and social contexts. But this shift also demonstrates a critical truth: not everyone has the privilege of choosing to disconnect, some aren’t connected in the first place.
According to Ofcom’s 2025 report, 15% of adults in lower-income households (classified as ‘DE’ — semi-skilled, unskilled, or unemployed) still don’t have internet access at home, compared to just 2% in higher-income ‘AB’ households. And among those who are online, 30% of DE adults rely solely on smartphones, which can limit access to essential services and make tasks like filling out forms or comparing health information significantly harder.
For healthcare communicators, this is a vital reminder that blanket awareness campaigns can unintentionally obscure the nuance of lived experience. If we’re not careful, we risk designing messages that are inaccessible, irrelevant, or even alienating to the very people who need them most. Ensuring our campaigns are inclusive, context-aware, and grounded in real-world access and behaviour is essential for impact.
Reaching people where they are – without demonising the digital.
Reaching people where they are means more than just choosing the right channel, it’s about understanding the context, culture, and constraints that shape how people engage with health information. As we highlighted in our latest world immunisation week blog, vaccine uptake isn’t just about personal choice, it’s shaped by a web of structural, social, and psychological barriers. That’s why our campaigns must go beyond awareness and into action. Community-led approaches like HIV testing in Black barbershops, piloted in 2024 due to the pivotal role salons play in black communities, show the power of working with trusted messengers and figures to build trust and shift behaviour.
But we also need to think creatively about alternative digital platforms. Podcasts, newsletters and essay sharing platforms like Substack, are thriving because people are craving real, relatable voices — not just polished perfection in the form of paid social media adverts. Even in physical spaces like libraries, GP waiting rooms, or even barbershops, we have the chance to create warm, welcoming touchpoints that feel human. It’s not about demonising the digital, it’s about designing communications that are empathetic, accessible, and rooted in the realities of people’s lives.
What does this mean for digital communications?
Digital fatigue doesn’t mean people are ditching social media all together. It is the reprioritisation of mental health over digital saturation. Consequently, this doesn’t mean our roles as healthcare communicators are redundant, in fact, it means they are even more important. We are slowly realising, especially with platforms like TikTok, that reach doesn’t mean relevance, and certainly doesn’t always lead to change.
We now must purposefully shift our strategic thinking to communicate in ways that truly resonate with the people we are targeting. Not just simply reaching a metric for our KPIs.
How can we address this as healthcare communicators?
- Consider the types of influencers you’re engaging with for campaigns. “Micro” influencers can be a better option for organic reach that results in more thoughtful engagement.
- Think of ways to embed support in storytelling. Telling a story is crucial to the work we do, however providing pragmatic and actionable next steps will help connect with people and point them in the right direction.
- Be aware of the places people are meeting offline. Consider creative ways to reach them where they are, whilst building trust and connections that don’t rely solely on the digital sphere.
If you’re interested in making a campaign that really reaches people, send us an email [email protected] The ever-changing digital landscape is not a limitation, but an invitation to do things better.