The internet is a system whereby computers are able to
connect and communicate with one another.
Funded by the Department of Defense, the original intent was for
universities and research institutions to be able to share information from one
computer to another. As with any verbal
language, it was vital that a common language protocol be established in order
for computers to understand each other.
Once established, the TCP/IP protocols made this possible. The same can be said about social media; it
is a way in which people can connect and communicate or share information with
each other. Social media, such as
Facebook and Twitter, are tools which exploit the internet in order for users
to connect in creative ways. The basic
principle is simple: Person A wants to tell Person B something. However, now, with the accessibility of
messages through social media platforms, Person A can tell an entire population
of people something. Person A gets to
determine what that message is. The
message can be simple (i.e., “I have a dog named Rex.”) or complex (i.e., “I
went to the Mission Viejo no-kill animal shelter and adopted my dog,
Rex.”). With the simple message, a few
people may be interested. But, with the
complex message, not only are dog lovers potentially interested, but the
message draws attention to the no-kill animal shelter in Mission Viejo. Thus, the content of a message determines who
the audience will be and, in some ways, how long the audience is willing to
direct its attention to the messenger.
Having been in the laboratory prior to and during the web
explosion of the 1990s, I have seen many iterations of how people choose to
connect using the web. It was once
revolutionary to send email messages across the country to friends and family
who also had access to an email account.
And, while email is still a standard form of communication, social media
sites have attracted users by their ease of use and the creativity users can
bring to their message. It’s a lot like
scrapbooking. We were once satisfied
with putting our printed pictures in photo albums. Then, scrapbooking became popular because it
was a way in which we could share our pictures with a creative flair. Being visual creatures, we are drawn to
outlets which allow us to explore and share our creativity. I’m not shocked by the popularity of social
media. But, much like being at a large
dinner party, the number of conversations occurring at one time can give me a
headache. It is important to remember
that social media is about communicating a message to an intended audience. Understanding this, my view of social media
has not changed since delving into Nursing Informatics. What has changed, however, is my awareness of
the number of platforms from which to choose.
Ultimately, I feel, many of the tools that are being marketed as ways to
reach an audience are tired reenactments of existing tools. It is important to be able to recognize what
is truly revolutionary and what is not.
When someone tells you they are a nurse, this tells you very
little about what they actually do.
Sure, nurses care for patients, but nurses can work in clinics, in
hospitals, within large insurance companies, as counsel to lawyers, in schools,
at camps, and as teachers. The list goes
on. Clearly, social media can be a
creative way for nurses to communicate a message with their target
audience. The message can be extremely
useful but, if nobody is listening, it doesn’t really matter much. There’s a woman who appears to be homeless
whom I can find a few blocks from my home on almost any day of the week. She rattles and mumbles words at people
incessantly. I daresay very few people
actually listen to her message. She
doesn’t command attention from walkers-by.
Her appearance is off-putting and, because she is constantly talking,
her words have less value. The same can
be true with nurses (or any profession) trying to communicate a message. We must present ourselves as authorities and
we must present our message in a way that makes people want to listen to
us. In essence, we have to grab the
attention of our audience or else we are just cluttering up the web. Whether the message is delivered through
Twitter, Facebook, a blog, or a vlog is irrelevant. What matters is that the message be one that
people want to receive and the method of delivery is flexible enough to evolve
as social media evolves.
For more advice, take a gander at my podcast:
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