Social media, digital video and health promotion in a culturally and linguistically diverse Australia

Participatory processes are effective for digital video production that promotes health and wellbeing with communities from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds, including migrants and refugees. Social media platforms YouTube, Vimeo, Flickr and others demonstrate potential for extending and enhancing this production approach. However, differences within and between communities in terms of their quality of participation online suggest that social media risk becoming exclusive online environments and a barrier to health and wellbeing promotion. This article examines the literature and recent research and practice in Australia to identify opportunities and challenges when using social media with communities from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds. It proposes a hybrid approach for digital video production that integrates online and offline participation and engages with the differences between migrants and refugees to support more inclusive health and wellbeing promotion using digital technology.