Information Technology and Social Health: a Theoretical and Research-oriented Review

Nowadays, the world becomes a global village, as McLuhan said, by new information devices. Recent forms of communication have been developed in virtual environments, which apart from their benefits have their own challenges such as endangering the safety the society. Today, the use of information technology in various aspects of the individual and the social have positive and negative consequences for users; however, the misuse and improper usage of technology may lead to several social vulnerabilities. The present study was conducted to investigate the relationships between information technology and public health. A review method was employed as a research method. The advantages and disadvantages of using information technology and social network in public health are reviewed for this study. In addition, national and international studies of the relationship between information technology and public health were reviewed. The results from this review study revealed that addiction was a social problem with the usage of social networks and communication technologies. Therefore, it is necessary to provide programs with the content of education, awareness, and adoption of preventive actions.