“Social media is changing the way that consumers gather health
information from the Internet. Patients and caregivers are no longer
limited to static resources but are now sharing advice and treatment
experiences online,” explained Meredith Abreu Ressi, Manhattan Research Vice
President of Research, “And it’s not just younger audiences connecting
online – consumers with conditions such as cancer, fibromyalgia, and
depression are also avid users of these types of resources. Health 2.0
is happening, and it’s changing the way things are done in the
healthcare industry.”

Manhattan Research estimates that 60 million U.S. adults are Health 2.0 consumers, using "blogs, online support groups, prescription rating sites and other health-related social media applications." The company’s Cybercitizen 0.8 report came out this week in the aftermath of the Health 2.0 in San Francisco. Ressi shares her reaction to the conference and talks about trends in online advertising and consumer behavior in the Web 2.0 era in a Manhattan Research podcast.  PODCAST