Social media is an important topic for discussion of today. It is a huge part of modern society, and it affects everyone’s everyday lives. Social media is a great way to deliver necessary information to millions of people all over the world, which is especially important in the case of emergency. It allows international health organizations to inform people about medical discoveries and results of latest researches. Househ, Borycki, and Kushniruk (2014) claim that “exploiting social media tools during the treatment process can allow for a continuous, close health monitoring by reducing time-consuming face-to-face visits” (p. 67). This means that social media allows more patients to be provided with health services, than it used to be possible before the advent of social media. However, there are also disadvantages of social media for health care. There are numerous communities, where people discuss their diseases. It is an excellent way to read about experiences of others and symptoms. However, it could lead to wrong diagnosis. That is why it is advised to discuss your problems with a specialist before looking for information on social media.
Social media is an interesting topic for discussion in social psychology. It is quite complicated because the presence of other people on social media is rather imagined than actual. However, it must be understood that most of the time people behave on social media in the same way that they would among their peers. It is a relatively new form of social interaction, which still has not been adequately studied. There are various researches that show that social media affects the mental state of people. Social psychologists can analyze the way social media interactions on health care affect individuals to support positive health care decisions.
Social media has changed everyone’s perspective of both health care and education. Health care system is no longer as opaque as it used to be, which is important. Physicians are very active on social media, even though some still only observe it. People trust social media posts that were made by health care professionals. When it comes to education, the information is better perceived by students when it is delivered on social media. It has helped to make students more interested in different subjects. Nowadays online education is quite popular. It nullifies any possible social anxiety and students are more inclined to participate in discussions of diverse topics.
Social media will change most of the professions that are based on social interactions in the future. Very soon, there will be user reviews of their experience with almost every health care practitioner available. These reviews will increase the quality of provided services. McWay (2013) claims that “social media can be used to find and recruit patients to tell positive stories about their interaction with the health care provider” (p. 315). This means that there are ways to spread false information; however it will not be possible with the even further development of social media.
In conclusion, social media is a great platform for communication between the general public and professionals. It has changed the way people perceive information. Both patients and health care providers agree that it significantly improves the quality of interactions. Capabilities of social media should be used to the fullest to provide people with the best possible services, which will be a huge step for health care.
References
Househ, M., Borycki, E. and Kushniruk, A. (2014). Social media and mobile technologies for healthcare. Hershey, Pa.: IGI Global.
McWay, D. (2013). Today’s health information management: an integrated approach. Boston, Mass.: Cengage Learning.