Social media

“In any given moment we have two options: to step forward into growth or step back into safety.” - Abraham Maslow. The New York Times recently published the op-ed “Dr. Google is a Liar,” written by cardiologist Haider Warraich, MD. Dr. Warraich describes the rise of fake medical news and the adverse consequences of a population who gets their medical information from social media. He shares that when ...

Read more...

The internet truly is a wondrous invention. It has evened the playing field with a wide swath of people now having access to information that used to be possessed in the hands of only the elite few not too long ago. However, as with most things, there can be downsides associated with any tool of progress. Yelp Yelp is a powerful social tool that allows individuals to share experiences, good or bad, so that ...

Read more...

From the beginning of medical school, one of the first things “instructional videos” that we had to watch during orientation was about “social media” and what “not to do.” There began this stigma, and it was frowned upon to use social media if you were a clinician. There are the obvious things that physicians should not do, such as post private information about patients, show a patient’s face without their permission, ...

Read more...

I am certain that many of you might be familiar with the intelligent, vibrant young lady named Brittany Maynard. Brittany's story was so compelling to the world that it reached the most outstanding and historic numbers through digital media. Ms. Maynard was only 29, diagnosed with terminal brain cancer and decided that she would end her own life "when the time seemed right." Maynard was an advocate ...

Read more...

For Apple iPhone users, the release of iOS 12 included a new feature called “Screen Time.” Although a number of productivity apps that offered a similar snapshot of phone usage were available before this update, I was never interested in quantifying my usage. Now, on a weekly basis, I get a reminder of the exact percentage breakdown of how I’m using my phone. In true millennial fashion, a review of my ...

Read more...

By now, I’m sure most of you probably have heard about the Cleveland Clinic first-year resident who was fired last September when it became known that in 2012 she had tweeted she would “purposely give all the yahood [Jews] the wrong meds …” The website Canary Mission documented numerous tweets expressing similar thoughts. She has apologized but will likely have great difficulty finding another job as a physician. This ...

Read more...

Are you a media whore? Or do you worry you might be labeled one by your colleagues – if not to your face, then behind your back? In the process of delivering hundreds of media engagement workshops, I’ve heard dozens and dozens of you express this fear, using precisely this language. You've made it clear that the mild put-down of "microphone hog" I was familiar with has now been replaced with ...

Read more...

During rounds, in between seeing patients, the medical student pulls out his phone and scans a dating app for new matches. In the team room, a resident opens Facebook before responding to a non-urgent page. Each of these instances may seem trivial enough, but I’ve seen both lead to poor evaluations, reprimands, or others whispering terms like “unprofessional.” In the medical world, there’s an implicit understanding that while you’re at work, ...

Read more...

An opinion piece published in JAMA suggests the latter: "Protecting the Value of Medical Science in the Age of Social Media and 'Fake News'" The authors argue social media poses a threat to science in several ways:

• Unfettered publication of unvetted information by sources of unknown reliability.
• An emerging tactic of decrying disagreeable content as “fake” or part of a “conspiracy.”
• Opponents of evidence-based research who perpetuate ...
  
  Read more...