Online community queries on hormonal male contraception: An analysis of the Reddit “Ask Me Anything” experience

• Published in: Contraception (Stoneham) Vol. 104; no. 2; pp. 159 - 164
• Main Authors: Latack, Kyle R., Yuen, Fiona, Wang, Christina, Nguyen, Brian T.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01-08-2021
• Subjects: Clinical trials; Contraception; Hormonal male contraception; Male contraception; Men's health; Public Engagement; Reddit; Social Media; Male contraception; Men's health; Public Engagement; Reddit; Social Media; Clinical trials; Contraception; Hormonal male contraception
• ISSN: 0010-7824; 1879-0518
• DOI: 10.1016/j.contraception.2021.02.009

Reddit is one of the most popular websites in the United States because of its user-driven aggregation and community-based curation of online content. We describe the use and impact of Reddit's Ask Me Anything platform, for public engagement and education about developments in hormonal male contraception (HMC).
We analyzed the content from and user engagement with 2 Reddit Ask Me Anything events that answered user queries about HMC in June 2018 and March 2019. Clinical trial investigators provided real-time responses throughout the events. We examined the 25 most popular posts from each event, analyzing content for salient themes via an inductive approach. To quantify event impact, we examined Google Trends data and subsequent traffic to the investigator website.
Over 18,000 registered Reddit users interacted with each of the 2 Ask Me Anything events, with each generating over 1600 comments. The most popular posts of each Ask Me Anything event expressed interest in off-target effects associated with the use of HMCs. Additional themes included queries about previous and ongoing clinical trials, HMC physiology, and market analyses and projections of public willingness to use HMCs. The events coincided with a spike in both Google searches for “male birth control” and first-time visits to the study's website where users could express interest in participating in clinical trials.
Reddit Ask Me Anything events conducted by HMC investigators revealed wide public interest in HMCs. The events prompted further searches for more information on male contraception, while driving traffic to the investigator website for trial recruitment purposes.
Reddit Ask Me Anything events are a popular, cost-free online platform for publicly responding to a range of HMC-related queries, while providing investigators with insight into stakeholder priorities and preoccupations.