Social media technology impacts and applications

Social media/technology in healthcare within the forum/blog online setting is the next step in online communication. Although many have had problems identifying social media as the new platform for communication, it has grown on its own into one of the main methods of communication, advertising, and discussion for consumers and businesses. Friends discuss things over Facebook and share their lives on Instagram and snapchat. Translating that into the healthcare setting can invite people working in healthcare to expand their networks and promote research and new treatment methods they believe will change the face of healthcare. "Many social media tools are available for health care professionals (HCPs), including social networking platforms, blogs, microblogs, wikis, media-sharing sites, and virtual reality and gaming environments" (Ventola, 2014, p. 491).

The HON Code of Conduct for medical and health Web sites has several principles that may muddy the waters when it comes to introducing social media into healthcare. For example, there is the issue of privacy. People on social media post their lives for the world to see. In a healthcare setting, there must be a certain level of professionalism upheld at all times. However, social media has advanced and now businesses have social media accounts, even hospitals where the post pictures of patients, stories, and new, exciting medical treatment options that provide information to someone interested in funding the hospital or being a patient there (Eschenbrenner & Nah, 2015). In the case of businesses, it helps them promote their service and product and maintain a connection with the customer.

Others may claim social media creates a grey area when it comes to clearly labeling editorial content and advertising content. For example, YouTube videos may be sponsored and the YouTuber may not disclose it. Again, things have changed and new policies introduced to most social media platforms, especially blogs and forums, make it so that way if content is sponsored, it must be clearly labeled as such (Wiener & Kazak, 2015). One of the biggest benefits of social media in the healthcare setting is transparency. Because people see consistently what happens on a regular basis in whatever healthcare setting the social media account promotes, there is a higher level of transparency.

Social media platforms are also useful in that people can disclose funding sources in a way that does not have to be as formal as before. It can be relayed in a personable way and gives a chance for the audience to interact, ask questions immediately after the social media post is made and get to decide if they like the post or not. There is a higher level of input from the community and a chance to create community that is not found outside of social media. The sense of immediacy and the incorporation of user input truly provides full communication.