“Social Media has created a positive environment for the health and wellness community through fostering connections, increasing access to expert advice, and providing a platform for motivation and support.”
Social media has emerged as an undeniable force in the current day, influencing numerous aspects of our life, including the wellness and health community. It helped build relationships, encouraged guidance from professionals, and established previously unreachable spaces for support and guidance. This paper examines how social media platforms have given the health and wellness community a supportive and empowering atmosphere by creating communities, increasing awareness, and motivating healthier lifestyles. The way people approach their well-being has changed as a result of health-conscious people and brands being able to reach a larger audience. Social media’s interactive features facilitate the exchange of personal narratives, professional expertise, and lifestyle motivation, hence increasing the accessibility, inclusivity, and appeal of health and wellness guidance. This paper will explore how social media can be a powerful instrument for fostering the development of wellness and health communities, motivating people to adopt healthier lifestyles, and fostering a supportive environment for people embarking on health journeys.
Building communities
Communities have been created and built on social media creating a positive environment for viewers and promoting health and wellness to the wider audience, in particular it is a growing trend for health and wellness companies to share not only their product but the lifestyle. Through collaborations with other brands and hosting events which is then promoted on the brands social media. For example brands like Leelo Active posted content from their latest event promoting their new ‘Pilates Range’ they had a Pilates instructor leading the group which they set up by the beach. They had freshly made matcha teas and smoothie bowls for all of the guests for after the class. Not only are they promoting their new line but they are also promoting to move your body, get out into the fresh air and choose healthier, nutritious options. The Leelo active team also took to social media to call out to “any Pilates girlies” expanding into the wider Perth community to join them at their events. This is not just helping promote themselves as a brand but is also promoting the lifestyle and continuing to grow the health and wellness community in Perth this call out widens their community and spreads the community to a larger audience and demographic. It could be argued that having ‘Pilates Ranges’ and having Pilates events is narrowing their scope by exclusively showing their brand in conjunction with Pilates, although this could be true Leelo Active are pushing their own niche to foster that community which leads people to associate their brand with pilates. They also post content and collaborate with influencers who focus on gym, lifting and gaining muscle; they could still incorporate this as well as different sports or movement events into their brand and social media to foster broader connections throughout the health and wellness community.
Leelo Active is not the only brand that is building communities like this, another popular and growing Perth based brand Kikiva who share countless parts of their day and the behind the scenes of their brand. Like Leelo Active, Kikiva also host events but they also have a group of micro influencers being their “Kikiva Athletes” these girls are all from different sporting and movement backgrounds which is where Kikiva may have the upper hand as they have a continuously growing community and their constant activity on social media makes Kia Buckly, Kikiva CEO and her team feel more relatable and approachable which establishes a bigger flourishing community which continues to grow the health and wellness community. As an outcome brands with use of social media have created and built these communities which has led to a positive effect on the health and wellness community.
Raising awareness
Raising awareness in the health and wellness community with use of experts coming onto social media has made the health and wellness community far more accessible for people who have minimal prior knowledge of the subject. Experts have been taking to social media sharing information from both sides of the field, from advice from modern medical professionals, naturopaths, personal trainers, health coaches and many more high-level advisors sharing tips, information, and advice to the community. It helps the community or the up-and-coming health and wellness community learn about the importance of health and wellness as well as going about it properly and safely. Sharing their guidance and knowledge fosters engagement with the community as well as allowing the sharing of their knowledge. “There they can share cases and ideas, discuss practice management challenges, make referrals, disseminate their research, market their practices, or engage in health advocacy.” (Ventola, 2014). The importance of gut health, effects of lymphatic drainage massage and the benefits of many natural remedies have been shared on social media and has helped so many people who have given up on trying after failed attempts or modern medical practices.
Previously when someone has a problem they book an appointment with a doctor and some would think to go to a naturopath, now days you can search up your problems on TikTok for example and find videos of doctors, naturopaths or other experts in the area and find advice and explanations right in the palm of your hand, not only that you can look into the comments and find a whole community who can share their real life experiences and remedies that helped them, ways that they solved their problem or referrals to who can help. Not only that but natural remedies and natural medicine has greatly grown as people can share and research more conveniently about these alternative solutions. “In addition to social media being a useful tool to share user/practitioner beliefs, attitudes, and experiences about Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM), it has shown to be accessible, effective, and a viable option in delivering CAM therapies and information. Social media has also been shown to spread a large amount of misleading and false information in the context of CAM.” (Ng et al., 2023).
Social media has aided the increasing access to expert advice and providing a safe space for people to ask for advice as well as searching for solutions in a less invasive way and inexpensive way than booking an appointment, that’s if you can get one, then waiting at the practice around other unwell people, then having your appointment which doesn’t always result in a straight up answer or leads to more expensive tests or appointments. It is correct in saying that people could incorrectly diagnose themselves and find themselves in a loophole, but it is a good way for people to start. For example, the gut is strongly connected to a lot of other parts of the body, especially for women. The gut and skin are directly linked so once your gut health is healed and good your skin will show results, this is not in all cases but is a much better way to try rather than booking a doctor’s appointment and having them take the easy way out and giving you a prescription, which comes with hundreds of side effects. If someone stumbles across a video about gut health and the connection all of that could be avoided, that is the beauty of social media and people being able to share their own journeys and products that helped them. Through the use of social media, it has increased the ability to find expert advice as well as a safe place for people to share and connect with each other’s experiences.
Inspiring lifestyles through influencers
It is standard in this generation for people to be influenced and inspired by people’s lifestyle on social media. We look at how these ‘influencers’ are living their lives and what they are doing, and we follow, in a literal sense and a philosophical one. As it has become much a trend to be into health and wellness these lifestyle influencers have shifted the community through their social media which has further grown the health and wellness community. Not only lifestyle influencers but now it is such a niche to be a health and wellness influencers, sharing what they eat in a day, their workout routine, suggested supplements, favourite brands and other rituals. These influencers inspire the viewers lifestyle and sharing their healthy and balanced lifestyle is increasing the growth of a positive environment of the health and wellness community through their individual communities that they build and relate to.
For example, influencers like Madeline Storace (@meet_madeleine) who shares all things health and wellness across Instagram, TikTok, Youtube and her podcast has created a community and relationships with her following who trust in her and her advice, continuing to be influenced by what she puts out on her social media. Madeleine also shares her struggles as well as her successes to make her profile more relatable for new people of the health and wellness community so like her they can begin their journey. Not only does Madeleine have a trusted following but she has a community outside her social media, she further expands her health and wellness expertise to her network marketing business where she promotes clean and premium health and wellness products, this shows the trust in her following and the effects of her influence as she is very successful in her business.
Although some people might believe that it is detrimental to young people to be influenced by others and their lifestyles it is becoming more popular for the to share the real sides of their lives both positive and negative, it is definitely correct in saying that is not the case for all influencers but it is just important to be following the right people and the people that inspire you. “Showcasing the benefits of their routines and discipline inspires followers to work toward a similar level of wellness and confidence. Many of their followers look up to their influencers’ physiques as a source of motivation, striving to reach a comparable level of health and fitness.” (Nation, 2024). These creators not only influence their followers but also have created their own community that has added positive increase in the health and wellness community and has inspired many to make healthier, happier, and more balanced choices for their life to be more like the lifestyle that they share.
In conclusion, social media has been a significant driver of the health and wellness community’s expansion and development, converting it into a platform for building relationships, exchanging professional expertise, and encouraging healthy living. Social media has made health and wellness more accessible and affordable for a wide range of users, from the development of online forums that encourage exercise and good eating to the easier availability of expert guidance. Wellness programs have expanded their reach and encouraged healthy lifestyle changes thanks to the growing number of influencers who set an example and the capacity to interact directly with a global audience. The overall influence of social media on health and wellness has been overwhelmingly positive, despite obstacles like false information and possible detrimental impacts on mental health. The health and wellness community has boundless potential for expansion and deeper connections as platforms continue to develop, guaranteeing that more people will have access to the tools, inspiration, and support they require to live healthier lives. In this case, social media serves as a catalyst for constructive change in the wellness industry rather than merely a platform for information distribution.
References:
Leelo Active [@leelo.active]. 2025, January 28. “Would you like to come along?”. TikTok.
Leelo Active [@leelo.active]. 2025, January 29. “Our new collection launch from the weekend went a little like this…”. TikTok.
Nation, V. (2024, August 13). How Health And Fitness Influencers Can Fit Your Marketing Efforts | Viral Nation. Viralnation.com; VIRAL NATION INC. https://www.viralnation.com/resources/blog/health-fitness-influencers-marketing
Ng, J. Y., Verhoeff, N., & Steen, J. (2023). What are the ways in which social media is used in the context of complementary and alternative medicine in the health and medical scholarly literature? a scoping review. BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies, 23(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12906-023-03856-6
Storace, Madeleine [@meet_madeleine]. (n.d.). Posts [Instagram Profile]. Instagram.
Ventola, C. L. (2014). Social Media and Health Care Professionals: Benefits, Risks, and Best Practices. Pharmacy and Therapeutics, 39(7), 491. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4103576/
Hi Shannon Kate, You’re right to ask; it is incredibly difficult to police these issues today. Predatory behaviour isn’t exclusive…