Social Media – What dentists need to be aware of

What is social media?

The Oxford English Dictionary¹ definition is:

‘Websites and applications that enable users to create and share content or to participate in social networking’

Many of us will instantly think it relates to sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. However, it encompasses a variety of websites and all types of social networking. When I was asked to write this article, I researched some basic demographics about social media, which I found astounding. The United Kingdom has a population of approximately 65 million² and 92.6% of this population actively use the internet, a number far higher than I expected.

Whilst sitting on the train travelling to work and walking from the station to the hospital, I notice that the majority of people are transfixed to their mobile devices. I find the same scenario on my return journey, and notice more and more people out for dinner with their partners and family, mute, as they are using their mobile devices and not engaging in verbal conversation. What has happened to the world? Am I old before my time? Do people not socialize verbally anymore and share their experiences; do they only use social media? The answer to the latter, although may not apply to everyone, is yes to an extent. This is certainly the way the trend seems to be moving. I am a supporter of social media, but am concerned that our lives are overrun with ‘apps’, ‘posts’, ‘tweets’ and ‘re-tweets’. What we as professionals need to remind ourselves is that our ‘electronic posts’ may well be visible to all, and therefore we must consider what we post on social media, as the footprint is likely to remain there for ever, irrespective of removal of, or deletion, of posts. Some have described this as a digital tattoo.³