Beyond Tailoring: Customization in Health Websites

• In Event: eHealth and journalism: The changing face of mediated discourse

Abstract

Tailored health communications result in individualized messages, which may be relevant but not of much utility to the recipient. Today’s interactive technologies allow health communications to go beyond tailoring by allowing recipients to customize their health information, resulting in messages that are both relevant and useful. We report on a preliminary content analysis of customization efforts in major health websites, conducted as part of an emerging research stream on the health benefits of customization technology.

Authors

• S. Shyam Sundar, Penn State University

• Sampada Sameer Marathe, Penn State University

• Hyunjin Kang, Penn State University