This is such an interesting take - i was particularly struck by your point about 71% of doctors and nurses having social media accounts but 16% receiving social media training at medical school. I hadn't thought about this but you're totally right - it's a missed opportunity. Plus, in my experience training focuses on the risks associated with social media (mainly to put you off using it) and not on potential ways medics can use it to benefit people. Do Universities need to update their curriculum to include social media and tech? How would they keep their teaching abreast of the ever-evolving landscape?
Across the board (not just in medicine), institutions still approach social media as a risk to manage rather than a tool for trust-building, and it's put them on the back foot. I've also seen a fair amount of elitism about people getting information from the platforms at all... which I get, but it's also not helpful if we want to actually address the problem.
On your questions: yes, I think digital and media literacy need to be part of medical curricula. The challenge to keep up is real, but I'd argue that the fundamentals — understanding how information gets distributed, how people decide whom to trust, and simply exercising the muscles of participating online — are general preparedness tactics that medical professionals can apply across any specific technology or trend.
Good read - adding that social media hacks our brain reward center. Just like tobacco companies pirated our food supply and replaced it with highly processed foods that also hacked and hooked our brains. Which created chronic illness that now pharma can fix with expensive injections. To the tune of billions in profit. I predict there will be some capitalist, expensive, institutionalized fix to solve the social media addiction problem.
For sure — companies like Brick (the device you put on your phone to lock certain apps) are growing so quickly and will become big businesses in themselves. I wish some of that money would go towards media literacy education to foster healthy habits, and better support for parents and teachers on the front lines of these issues!
Yes to all that! Excellent point about Brick - just the beginning. If only our society appreciated and supported education, health, and safety that served the people instead of supporting lucrative tech and big businesses.
This is such an interesting take - i was particularly struck by your point about 71% of doctors and nurses having social media accounts but 16% receiving social media training at medical school. I hadn't thought about this but you're totally right - it's a missed opportunity. Plus, in my experience training focuses on the risks associated with social media (mainly to put you off using it) and not on potential ways medics can use it to benefit people. Do Universities need to update their curriculum to include social media and tech? How would they keep their teaching abreast of the ever-evolving landscape?
Hi Jasmine — appreciate your thoughts on this.
Across the board (not just in medicine), institutions still approach social media as a risk to manage rather than a tool for trust-building, and it's put them on the back foot. I've also seen a fair amount of elitism about people getting information from the platforms at all... which I get, but it's also not helpful if we want to actually address the problem.
On your questions: yes, I think digital and media literacy need to be part of medical curricula. The challenge to keep up is real, but I'd argue that the fundamentals — understanding how information gets distributed, how people decide whom to trust, and simply exercising the muscles of participating online — are general preparedness tactics that medical professionals can apply across any specific technology or trend.
Good read - adding that social media hacks our brain reward center. Just like tobacco companies pirated our food supply and replaced it with highly processed foods that also hacked and hooked our brains. Which created chronic illness that now pharma can fix with expensive injections. To the tune of billions in profit. I predict there will be some capitalist, expensive, institutionalized fix to solve the social media addiction problem.
For sure — companies like Brick (the device you put on your phone to lock certain apps) are growing so quickly and will become big businesses in themselves. I wish some of that money would go towards media literacy education to foster healthy habits, and better support for parents and teachers on the front lines of these issues!
Yes to all that! Excellent point about Brick - just the beginning. If only our society appreciated and supported education, health, and safety that served the people instead of supporting lucrative tech and big businesses.
Agree 100%
I'm afraid we're doomed...
Ha - I feel this. That's why newsletters like yours are so important! We are all raindrops in the sea, and I really believe we can get there.