Psychology Social Media

Social Media Use in the Field of Psychology

Social media platforms provide a convenient way for individuals to communicate online. However, there exists a chasm between the confidential nature of psychotherapy, and the transparency of social media platforms (Lannin & Scott, 2013). Thus, this paper addresses a growing concern within the field of psychology. Should clinical psychologists engage with social media platforms, and if so what are the ethical risks of using social media platforms? Thoughts and implications will be discussed.

Overview

Social media platforms, are digital web services that allow individuals to connect and communicate with others within a bounded digital network (Boyd & Ellision, 2008). Platforms such as Facebook, Twitter,

Psychologists need to exercise their ethical decision-making abilities when dealing with client relationships in situations that involve high levels of self-disclosure, such as online media environments (Lannin & Scott, 2013). Social media networks present a potential blurring between the boundaries of the client and therapist relationship. Thus, a revision to the psychologist ethics code to show a proper way for clinicians to communicate online would help mitigate this issue. Proper online communication can help maintain the trust and fidelity between clinicians and patients. (Kolmes, 2012; Lannin & Scott, 2013). As online media technologies continue to expand, there is a growing need for clinicians who are adept and active in online communities. Clinical psychologists who continue to use social media and contribute their expertise online; will be better experienced than those who don’t engage with social media networks often. Ultimately, for revision’s to be made to the psychologist’s code of ethics for online communication; this requires empirical evidence based upon the experiences of psychologists engaging in online social media environments. These experiences in compilation, will help serve as a benchmark that can be used to create effective

Any inappropriate content posted online such as jokes of crude humor for example could serve to jeopardize their professional standing and undermine their clinical competence with patients (Greysen, Chretien & Kind et al., 2012). Clinical professionals may be at a disadvantage when posting content online to social media networks. Even the process of venting about strife’s from their professional lives may be exposed to clients and in turn project a clinician in a negative light (Kolmes, 2012; Lannin & Scott, 2013). Clinical psychologists need to be aware that their online activities are being monitored as well. Despite the impersonal nature of social media, clinical psychologists must always remain professional in online environments. When clinicians comment on social media sites or professional listservs their comments are exposed for all to see, and due to the permanent archival nature of the internet. This information may be hard to remove and can be used to distort the reputation of clinical or health care professionals (Tunick, Mednick & Conroy, 2011). The effects of how social media networks may misuse, or horde user information are evident in the latest Cambridge Analytica Facebook scandal (Granville, 2018). These recent events serve as a stark reminder of the permanent enduring nature of user-generated content, that may be used maliciously in the