Self-determination theory as an explaining mechanism for the effects of patient's social media use
Social media enable patients to communicate with a large number of their peers, share experiences, and provide each other with emotional and informational support. Hence, patients can extend their traditional sources of information and build knowledge online with other patients. While limited research presents us with anecdotal evidence or make propositions of the social media effects, current research has not provided a theoretical explanation or empirically tested how social media changes doctor-patient interactions. We draw on self-determination theory to hypothesize the effects of social media use on doctor-patient interactions, namely self-management, empowerment and shared decision making. We propose the explanatory mechanism of self-determination theory through its key concepts of competence, autonomy and relatedness. We employ longitudinal survey in a newly established social media platform for diabetes patients to test our hypotheses.