Using Social Media To Estimate Reach and Assess Response to an HIV Television Drama in Zambia With Limited Internet Access

Background: To address the key drivers of the high prevalence of HIV in Zambia, the USAID-funded Communications Support for Health (CSH) project launched the Safe Love campaign in 2010 in collaboration with the Zambian National HIV/AIDS/TB/STI Council. The campaign uses the behavior change communication approach, combining mass media with interpersonal communications to increase knowledge and promote HIV preventive behaviors. Love Games, a television drama dealing with sensitive HIV topics (e.g., multiple concurrent partnerships), became a key feature of the campaign and gained popularity with young adults, receiving more than 10,000 Facebook likes since January 2013.

Purpose: CSH used social media to estimate Love Games’ reach and assess perception among its target audience of 18 to 35 year olds in urban areas.

Methods: The study included quantitative and qualitative analysis of data from Facebook using the networks’ monitoring system for Season One and Two of the television series.

Results: Although Zambia as a country has low Internet access, urban centers such as Lusaka— with higher Internet access and access to mobile technology—provide an opportunity for using social media to estimate exposure to mass media campaigns by urban target audiences. The results showed that Love Games steadily grew in popularity, especially within its target audience of 18 to 35 year olds and equally with men and women. The study also revealed that social media followers expressed an increase in knowledge of preventive behaviors and openness to engage in HIV topics on an online forum from the start of the campaign throughout the series.