Elliot K. Fishman M.D.
Johns Hopkins Hospital

Click here to view this module as a video lecture.

Social media are interactive technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks.
Wikipedia

Observers have noted a wide range of positive and negative impacts when it comes to the use of social media. Social media can help to improve an individual's sense of connectedness with real or online communities and can be an effective communication (or marketing) tool for corporations, entrepreneurs, non-profit organizations, advocacy groups, political parties, and governments. Observers have also seen that there has been a rise in social movements using social media as a tool for communicating and organizing in times of political unrest.

“The digital landscape altered significantly in 1997 with the advent of SixDegrees.com, a unique website that we know today as the beginning of “social media.” Users were able to send private messages, add connections, and make public posts for the first time in internet history. Though the platform is now defunct, other companies followed suit within a few short years and sites such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram, among many others, made their debuts on the World Wide Web. Today, there are approximately 4.65 billion social media users globally and 72% of U.S. adults use at least 1 social media platform.”
Social Media Usage for Radiology Education: A One-Month 2022 Global Survey
Lilly Kauffman, Edmund M. Weisberg, Elliot K. Fishman 
Current Problems in Diagnostic Radiology 52 (2023) 153 163

“As a combined group, 80.71% said they use social media “every day” or “a few times a week” (n = 205). YouTube was the most popular social media platform for radiology education (n = 180), followed by Instagram (n = 156) and Facebook (n = 110). In terms of goals for radiology education on social media, most answered “to learn more in radiology” (n = 217), with “to keep myself updated on current events in radiology” (n = 162), and “to participate in radiology discussions with colleagues” (n = 67) also well represented. Almost 3 quarters of respondents felt that social media was “extremely useful” or “very useful” for radiology education (n = 187). Approximately half of respondents said they “learn much more from social media” or “learn a bit more from social media” over traditional resources such as textbooks and medical journals (n = 126).”
Social Media Usage for Radiology Education: A One-Month 2022 Global Survey. 
Kauffman L, Weisberg EM, Fishman EK. 
Curr Probl Diagn Radiol. 2023 Feb 1:S0363-0188(23)00004-X.

Social Media Usage for Radiology Education: A One-Month 2022 Global Survey. 
Kauffman L, Weisberg EM, Fishman EK. 
Curr Probl Diagn Radiol. 2023 Feb 1:S0363-0188(23)00004-X.

“In this digital age, in which such technology is relied on moreheavily because of the global COVID-19 pandemic, we find it important for educators to understand how people are using online social media resources for education. With the large number of social media platforms, educators can be intimidated by where to start or which platforms to use. Our goal is to add social media statistics to the radiology literature so that educators can better understand how to find the online radiology community in order to make the most appropriate informed decisions as to how to best provide their educational material. We anticipate returning to this survey approximately every 2 years to examine how the landscape of social media continues to change in the world of radiology education.”
Social Media Usage for Radiology Education: A One-Month 2022 Global Survey. 
Kauffman L, Weisberg EM, Fishman EK. 
Curr Probl Diagn Radiol. 2023 Feb 1:S0363-0188(23)00004-X. (in press)

Social Media and the Web give Radiology and Radiologists the chance to re-brand ourselves and our role in healthcare

“ A 2008 national survey by the American College of Radiology revealed that one in two Americans still does not know “whether a radiologist is a person who interprets or a person who administers the scan.”
The Invisible Radiologist 
Glazer GM, Ruiz-Wibbelsmann JA
Radiology 2011; 258:18-22

“ As more and more people use social media platforms for other forms of information, adopting social media as tools for personal health is only natural. Social media can play a critical role in patients’ taking charge of their own health because of its informational, emotional, and communicative value.”
How Social Media Can Impact Medicine and Radiology
Zember WF, Fishman EK, Horton KM, Raman SP
J Am Coll Radiol. 2015 Jun;12(6):620-1

“Rather than allowing other physician specialties or random websites to set the terms of debate about the appropriateness of different imaging tests or the importance of radiologists’ role in patient care, social media may allow us to thrust ourselves back into the conversation.”
How Social Media Can Impact Medicine and Radiology
Zember WF, Fishman EK, Horton KM, Raman SP
J Am Coll Radiol. 2015 Jun;12(6):620-1

“ patients are making increasing efforts to develop “trusted” networks they can rely on. The idea of “trusted” networks has evolved and no longer simply encompasses people whom they know in the real world but, increasingly, people and communities online whom they are confident turning to in times of need. It is imperative that hospitals and physicians work to be included in patients’ trusted networks both online and offline.”
How Social Media Can Impact Medicine and Radiology
Zember WF, Fishman EK, Horton KM, Raman SP
J Am Coll Radiol. 2015 Jun;12(6):620-1

“Facebook has been embraced by medical professionals and medical institutions to promote health awareness, develop research projects, facilitate patient and student education, improve consultation and collaboration, increase disease awareness, and describe best-practice guidelines.” 
New Frontiers in Education: Facebook as a Vehicle for Medical Information Delivery 
Carolina Lugo-Fagundo, Madison B. Johnson, Rachel Black Thomas, Pamela T. Johnson, Elliot K. Fishman 
Journal American College of Radiology , Volume 13 , Issue 3 , 316 - 319

BE WHERE THE PATIENTS ARE