Professional socialization and prudence strategies

Oncologists in social media-what are the limits?

As more individuals experience tinnitus, some researchers have labeled the condition a “global burden” (J Formos Med Assoc. 2016 Mar;115(3):139). As such, social awareness of the condition has spread, in no small part due to the internet and social media. About 75 percent of American adults use the internet, including various social media platforms, to learn about health conditions like tinnitus (PEW, 2014 https://pewrsr.ch/2FgioCJ). The World Health Organization has asserted the importance of modern social media platforms, particularly in their ability to provide more people with instant and easy access to health-related information (Bull World Health Organ. 2009 Aug;87(8):566). Social media also allow users to discuss health conditions (like tinnitus) and build relationships with others who share symptoms or experiences (Am J Audiol. 2017 Mar 1;26(1):1; J Neurosurg Pediatr. 2017 Aug;20(2):119). These virtual platforms can encourage communication about and management of disorders, thereby promoting confidence and empowerment.social media, tinnitus, online informationFigure 1: Patterns of social media usage and categories across platforms.Table 1: Descriptive Statistics of Overall, Management, Information Sharing, and Misinformation of YouTube VideosHowever, the lack of adequate gate-keeping mechanisms on social media may pose a threat to information accuracy. Misinformation can be particularly dangerous to people who are distressed by their condition, like tinnitus, and desperate to find an effective treatment (J Acad Librariansh. 2015;41:583). In fact, billions of dollars are spent each year on items marketed online as “tinnitus cures” (Otol Neurotol. 2016 Aug;37(7):991). If tinnitus-related information posted online is systematically analyzed, audiologists and other hearing health care professionals can be better equipped to correct possible patient misinformation. As such, this study assessed the prevalence, quality, and trends of tinnitus-related information across three popular social media platforms: Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube (AJA. 2018. doi:10.1044/2018_AJA-18-0033). METHOD The study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of Hofstra University. A comprehensive evaluation of three social media platforms was performed by searching the keywords ”tinnitus” and “ringing in the ears” on Facebook (pages and groups), Twitter (accounts), and YouTube (videos). These platforms were selected based on present popularity and ease of quantifiable data (PEW, 2018 https://pewrsr.ch/2FkijOg). Search results were examined by two reviewers and included in the investigation only if they were in English, contained the keyword “tinnitus” within the title and/or description, and relevant to the audiological condition of tinnitus. Included items also had to meet the following criteria: 10 or more “likes” and five or more posts for Facebook pages; 10 or more members for Facebook groups; 10 or more followers and five or more tweets for Twitter accounts; and 100 or more views for YouTube videos. Public and closed Facebook groups were included and categorized based on page description. Among the studied YouTube videos, the first 100 that came up by each sorting option (i.e., relevance, view count, and rating) were assessed. The results for each platform were quantified based on various social media metrics, including likes, members, followers, and views. All results were sorted into the following categories based on primary functionality: (1) fundraising, (2) information sharing, (3) misinformation, (4) personal story, (5) promotion of a product, (6) service provider/institution, and (7) support group. Two additional categories were created for YouTube: (8) tinnitus assessment, and (9) tinnitus management. It should be noted that the authors defined misinformation as any shared information that is currently considered untrue (e.g., miracle pills), lacking peer-reviewed evidence (e.g., acupuncture), or uninvestigated at the time of the study. RESULTS Of the 1,459 search result items that were assessed, 624 met the inclusion criteria (49.2% Facebook pages, 36.5% YouTube videos, 8.4% Twitter accounts, and 5.9% Facebook groups). Figure 1 shows the breakdown of the different information categories in each of the studied social media platform. The highest levels of activity within the tinnitus community were found on Facebook pages (n = 307), which amassed a total of 214,184 likes and a mean of 701 likes. The most prevalent categories were misinformation (42.7% of pages; 75,581 total likes; 577 mean likes), service provider (27.4% of pages; 45,749 total likes; 545 mean likes), and information sharing (14.7% of pages; 33,080 total likes; 735 mean likes). A total of 37 Facebook groups were included in the study, totaling 45,664 members and a mean of 1,234 members. Of these, nine groups were public and 28 were closed. Public groups totaled 712 members (mean = 79) and the two most common categories were misinformation (44.44% of public groups; 123 total members; 30.75 mean members) and support group (33.3% of public groups; 360 total members; 120 mean members). Closed groups amassed 44,952 members (mean = 1,605). The three most common categories were support group (67.85% of closed groups; 38,266 total members; 2,014 mean members), information sharing (14.29% of closed groups; 4,433 total members; 1,108 mean members), and service provider (10.71% of closed groups; 2,206 total members; 735 mean members). For YouTube, 228 videos were examined after removing irrelevant and overlapping videos across sorting options. These videos amassed a total of 41,296,486 views, 170,707 likes, 15,479 dislikes, and 31,798 comments, and had a total duration of 340:29:12 (hh:mm:ss). Video upload dates ranged from July 2006 to July 2017 (when data collection took place) and duration ranged from 00:00:07 to 13:31:19. The three most common categories of videos were management, information sharing, and misinformation. The amount of misinformation varied by sorting option, with the most misinformation found when sorting by relevance (30.9%) and the least when sorting by rating (15.9%). Results for YouTube videos are summarized in Table 1. Fifty-two tinnitus-related Twitter accounts were analyzed. These accounts had a total of 155,167 followers (mean = 2,984) and produced a total of 33,932 tweets (mean = 6,499). The three most common categories were misinformation (34.6% of accounts; 28,042 total followers, 1,558 mean followers), service provider (25% of accounts; 96,959 total followers; 7,458 mean followers), and information sharing (25% of accounts; 23,376 total followers; 1,798 mean followers). Overall, the studied information varied in authenticity. Social media users who search for tinnitus-related information can get information about the condition, locate medical professionals, find peer support, and advocate for increased awareness of tinnitus. DISCUSSION The findings of this study suggest that social media platforms offer a multitude of tinnitus-related information that can help affected individuals cope with the condition. The highest rates of activity were found on Facebook, which is currently the world's most utilized social media platform (J Neurosurg Pediatr. 2017). YouTube was a unique platform in that tinnitus management videos (the most popular category) offered potential self-help and “do-it-yourself” relief options. Additionally, the study authors noted that some of the most pertinent and accurate videos resulted when sorting YouTube videos by rating, rather than YouTube's default sorting option of relevance. Substantial amounts of misinformation were found throughout all investigated platforms. Of the six social media metrics assessed, five had misinformation as one of the top categories. Although not all misinformation was spread maliciously, it became clear that social media may attract those with malevolent intentions. For example, several products and supplements were found across platforms that marketed themselves as tinnitus cures, some being sold for hundreds of dollars each. Many of these products have been clinically investigated and determined to offer no benefits besides a possible placebo effect (J Am Acad Audiol. 2014 Jan;25(1):106). Further investigation is needed to determine how to flag search results or products promoting misinformation on social media. This study had some limitations, many of which are unavoidable and inherent to social media, including potentially targeting search results based on IP addresses and personal accounts, the evolving nature of social media, and the possibility that the keywords searched may not have been all-inclusive. Future investigations should consider assessing micro-level trends in social media use and the susceptibility of the tinnitus community to online misinformation. Nonetheless, the results of this study can help audiologists and other hearing health professionals understand the current online portrayal of tinnitus. Clinicians should be prepared to combat the significant online tinnitus-related misinformation and offer patients correct information to help them effectively manage their condition.

Navigating Social Media in #Ophthalmology

Cooperative Mentorship: Negotiating Social Media Use within the Family

Social media such as Facebook have emerged and are becoming popular in academe as a learning management system (LMS). The capabilities of Facebook groups to augment online learning show that Facebook can become an effective LMS. However, students’ acceptance of Facebook as a learning environment may vary depending on their individual learning styles. This study aimed to describe how the students’ acceptance of Facebook groups as an LMS is linked to their learning styles. To determine the students’ learning styles, a survey using Felder’s Index of Learning Styles (ILS) was administered. Online students’ attitude, intent to use, perceptions of the usefulness, and ease of using a Facebook group as an LMS were observed using the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). The differences in students’ acceptance of a Facebook group according to learning styles were then determined. The results suggest that students found a Facebook group easy to use and a good idea for an LMS. Verbal learners perceived Facebook groups as easy to use and useful for learning, while active and intuitive learners intended to continue to use a Facebook group for learning. The findings contribute to the growing literature on the use of Facebook groups as an LMS in the Asian setting.

Due to the widespread destruction of the Camp Fire in Paradise, California in November 2018, residents faced long‐term displacement and disruption to community life. In response, digital spaces emerged as an important gathering space for survivors. While research has addressed the role of social media during disasters, less is known about the long‐term uses of digital platforms in post‐disaster recovery. This study presents a content analysis of the use of public Facebook groups created by and for survivors of the Camp Fire approximately 1 year after the event. It examines 480 posts from seven groups during a 2‐week period from November 19, 2019 through December 2, 2019. Users were most often seeking or providing informational support, but they also frequently used the groups for community‐building. Less frequent uses included instrumental, material, and emotional supports. Social media provide an alternative space for these community functions and also enable the recovery of the town itself.

Youth Social Media Use and Health Outcomes: #diggingdeeper

The “Buzz” About Tinnitus: A Social Media Study

Race and racism are enduring structural forces that have a hand in virtually every aspect of society; the internet and its vast array of platforms, applications, devices, and cultures are well within their grasp (Nakamura and Chow-White, 2013; Brock, 2020). The papers on this panel trouble, question, and reorient notions of how race comes to matter in our contemporary digital landscape. We build on scholarship that explores how content creators make sense of their relationships to audiences, their contested digital labor, and the centrality of identity to their (im)material work (eg: Baym, 2018; Abidin, 2018; Senft, 2008). Indeed, as critical internet researchers interested in “the lively, animated machines of today’s internet”, we argue that an examination of influencers, microcelebrity, and virality that explicitly attends to race and racism is sorely needed. This panel brings together a diverse group of interdisciplinary (anthropology, sociology, media and communication, game studies, queer studies, and feminist studies) scholars working in the United States and Australia, who engage in empirical and theoretical research on microcelebrity and influencer cultures. The papers in this panel employ a broad range of methods - including qualitative discourse analysis and digital ethnographic research of YouTubers, OnlyFans creators, TikTok users, and Facebook groups - to offer a multifaceted analysis of how race and racism function across social media platforms and within microcelebrity/influencer cultures. The first paper takes the broadest approach in their digital ethnographic work and attempts to flesh out the workings of race, gender, and political economies of influencers on YouTube. Particularly, Paper 1 analyzes the Pokémon GO phenomenon and the influencers who came to fame through building relationships with their fans, discarding conversations of race and racism, and engaging in unequal, gendered forms of private work. Key to its argument is an examination of how particular social locations of race and gender and the neoliberal project of entrepreneurship affect the clout, visibility, and well-being of Pokémon GO influencers. The next three papers focus explicitly on how race operates within microcelebrity and influencer circles as well as the effects that racism has on influencers across various social media platforms. Indeed, Paper 2 examines how race and racism mediate the experiences of gay porn microcelebrities in order to flesh out the differing, racialized relational work that occurs on OnlyFans and within its attendant social media subcultures. Most crucially, it destabilizes the often unnamed ‘white default’ of porn studies, while accounting for how race, racism, and sexuality shape online microcelebrity. Paper 3 studies the TikTok platform to think about how young influencers navigate race and racism and pose social justice stances on a burgeoning and ephemeral platform. In particular, engagement with American racial and cultural politics are explicitly linked to notions of platformed citizenship norms on TikToK. Finally, Paper 4 introduces the term “platformed race” to interrogate how Asianness is commodified, circulated, and microcelebrified within Subtle Asian Things (SAT), a private Facebook group. The paper interrogates how dominant narratives on SAT tend to leverage diasporic Asianess in the generation and circulation of memes, which in turn provoke socio-political debate and incite culturally relevant discourse amongst its distributed global community. To summarize, our analyses explore the intersections of microcelebrity and influencer economies, cultures, and labor demands by looking at how creators and their audiences experience race and racism across several platforms. Our various approaches contribute different examinations of race and racism to existing literature on the everyday experiences and structural hurdles that microcelebrities and influencers must endure in order to sustain their livelihood in a shifting platform(ed) landscape (eg: Abidin, 2018, Baym, 2018, Duffy, 2017). As internet researchers working with qualitative methods, we can never know in advance what contexts might be most meaningful for our work, and so we remain critical of how we make sense of both our own judgements and those of our participants (Markham and Baym, 2009). References Abidin, C. (2018). Internet Celebrity: Understanding Fame Online. United Kingdom: Emerald Publishing. Baym, N. K. (2018). Playing to the crowd: Musicians, audiences, and the intimate work of connection (Vol. 14). NYU Press. Brock Jr, A. (2020). Distributed Blackness: African American Cybercultures (Vol. 9). NYU Press. Duffy, B. (2017). (Not) getting paid to do what you love: Gender, social media, and aspirational work. New Haven; London: Yale University Press. Markham, A. N., & Baym, N. K. (Eds.). (2009). Internet inquiry: Conversations about method. Sage Publications. Nakamura, L., & Chow-White, P. (Eds.). (2013). Race after the Internet. Routledge. Senft, T. M. (2008). Camgirls: Celebrity and community in the age of social networks (Vol. 4). Peter Lang.

The aim of the article is to explore educational use of student-managed Facebook groups in upper secondary education (in Denmark). Much research on educational potentials of Facebook has studied groups managed by teachers. However, there is a lack of in-depth research on Facebook groups managed by students and without participation from teachers. As this study shows, students’ use of student-managed groups differs from their use of teacher-managed tools such as learning management systems (LMSs). The article presents an empirical study based partly on a content analysis of 3139 posts and 15,018 replies within five Facebook groups, and partly on a questionnaire answered by 1463 students and 148 teachers. The results of the study show that whereas LMSs were seen by students primarily as institutional systems of the teacher, Facebook groups have an educational potential to be used by students for peer-to-peer learning.

This study delves into the profound impact of social media on body image perceptions and overall dissatisfaction among young adults at Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad. In today's digital age, social media pervades the lives of young people, shaping their self-perceptions and influencing their social interactions. This research aims to understand how the constant exposure to curated and often idealized images on social media platforms contributes to the development of unrealistic body standards, fostering feelings of inadequacy and pressure to conform to societal beauty ideals. Employing a quantitative research approach, the study focused on a sample of 200 undergraduate and postgraduate students aged 18 to 30 years. Data collection utilized systematic sampling techniques and involved the administration of questionnaires via Google Forms. The study drew upon Social Comparison Theory to understand how individuals evaluate their own appearance by comparing themselves to the seemingly flawless images and physiques presented on social media platforms. Data analysis was conducted using IBM SPSS Statistics. The findings revealed a significant correlation between social media usage and body image dissatisfaction among young adults. Frequent comparisons with idealized images of influencers and celebrities on social media platforms were found to be a major contributor to negative body image perceptions, leading to a range of negative emotional and psychological outcomes, including anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem. These findings underscore the urgent need for interventions that address the detrimental effects of social media on young adults' mental health. This may include the development and implementation of comprehensive media literacy programs designed to equip young people with the critical thinking skills necessary to navigate the complexities of the digital world and resist the pressures to conform to unrealistic beauty standards. Furthermore, fostering a more inclusive and diverse representation of body images on social media platforms is crucial to promoting healthier body image perceptions and enhancing the overall well-being of young adults in the digital age. References Abi-Jaoude, E., Naylor, K. T., & Pignatiello, A. (2020). Smartphones, social media use and youth mental health. Cmaj, 192(6), E136-E141. Aichner, T., Grünfelder, M., Maurer, O., & Jegeni, D. (2021). Twenty-five years of social media: a review of social media applications and definitions from 1994 to 2019. Cyberpsychology, behavior, and social networking, 24(4), 215-222. Ali, R. (2016). 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Jiotsa, B., Naccache, B., Duval, M., Rocher, B., & Grall-Bronnec, M. (2021). Social media use and body image disorders: Association between frequency of comparing one’s own physical appearance to that of people being followed on social media and body dissatisfaction and drive for thinness. International journal of environmental research and public health, 18(6), 2880. Kleemans, M., Daalmans, S., Carbaat, I., & Anschütz, D. (2018). Picture perfect: The direct effect of manipulated Instagram photos on body image in adolescent girls. Media Psychology, 21(1), 93-110. Lee, H. R., Lee, H. E., Choi, J., Kim, J. H., & Han, H. L. (2014). Social media use, body image, and psychological well-being: A cross-cultural comparison of Korea and the United States. Journal of health communication, 19(12), 1343-1358. Liu, J. (2021, June). The influence of the body image presented through TikTok trend-videos and its possible reasons. 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Social media and teens: A needs assessment exploring the potential role of social media in promoting health. Social Media+ Society, 6(1), 2056305119886025. Pryde, S., & Prichard, I. (2022). TikTok on the clock but the# fitspo don’t stop: The impact of TikTok fitspiration videos on women’s body image concerns. Body image, 43, 244-252. Saghir, S., & Hyland, L. (2017). The effects of immigration and media influence on body image among Pakistani men. American Journal of Men's Health, 11(4), 930-940. Sanzari, C. M., Gorrell, S., Anderson, L. M., Reilly, E. E., Niemiec, M. A., Orloff, N. C., ... & Hormes, J. M. (2023). The impact of social media use on body image and disordered eating behaviors: Content matters more than duration of exposure. Eating behaviors, 49, 101722. Sekayi, D. (2003). Aesthetic resistance to commercial influences: The impact of the Eurocentric beauty standard on Black college women. Journal of Negro Education, 467-477. Shabir, G., Hameed, Y. M. 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BackgroundAnnually, more than 3500 US infants die suddenly and unexpectedly. Many sudden unexpected infant deaths (SUID) are preventable with greater adherence to safe infant sleep guidelines. There are racial and economic disparities in guideline adherence and SUID rates. Education alone has proven ineffective at altering behavior for many parents, and social networks and social norms regarding infant care have been found to influence rates of unsafe sleep. Using the power of social networks to shape social norms by delivering education through moderated online social media groups provides a unique opportunity to influence these practices in large groups of parents.MethodsOur five-year study is a 4-armed RCT to determine if delivering safe sleep and breastfeeding educational curricula in moderated private Facebook (FB) groups, starting in the third trimester of pregnancy and continuing until infant age 6 months, changes perceived social norms regarding these behaviors and shapes infant care practices among mothers with low income. To achieve a target analytic sample of 1536, we plan to randomize approximately 2400 pregnant women enrolled in Women Infant and Children (WIC) or seen at Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC) at 32–34 weeks’ gestation to receive one of 4 interventions via FB groups: 1) Safe Sleep (SS), 2) Breastfeeding (BF), 3) SS + BF, and 4) attention-matched control. We will utilize mixed-method analyses. Quantitative data (surveys, text message queries, FB posts) will allow us to examine the influence of social media groups and norms therein on parental practices regarding infant sleep and breastfeeding. Social network analysis will ascertain the structure of mothers’ social networks, the influence of network members, and changes in these networks and influences over the study period. Qualitative analysis of FB posts and in-depth interviews will allow us to probe systematically for differential influences (i.e., social media group vs other influences) on decision-making.DiscussionFindings from this clinical trial will inform future strategies to broadly utilize social media groups to change social norms around safe sleep practices among groups with historically high rates of SUID.Trial registrationThis trial is registered on ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05767658; date of initial release March 2, 2023).Protocol version 1. Date December 15, 2025.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12887-026-06900-9.

Using Digital Media to Promote Kidney Disease Education

4.8 Psychoeducation: All About TikTok, Snapchat, and Instagram, and How Psychiatrists Leverage Social Media for Public Health

Spatial Patterns of Purposeful Social Networking and Socioeconomic Influences: Towards a Mature, Inclusive Networked Society in the U.S.