My Interviewees on Social Media

To get a sense of the informal social media my interviewees are using, I searched for them on popular social media networks such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Reddit, and other common blogging and sharing sites. Here's a quick recap on where you can find these medical professionals:

• What social media networks do Nicole Achenbach, PT and Dr. David G. Armstrong use? Nicole Achenbach is found on Facebook and LinkedIn, but not on any other social media sites examined. She appears to use Facebook primarily as a social tool among friends, while LinkedIn is rarely updated. David Armstrong uses nearly every social media site examined, including Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Tumblr, Twitter, and YouTube. 

• How are they using their accounts? David Armstrong primarily uses his accounts professionally. His LinkedIn constantly updates with links to ongoing research in diabetic foot journals. The same is true for his Twitter and Facebook accounts. His YouTube videos are often quick posts of himself and colleagues chatting or preparing for surgeries outside of operating rooms. These are often more collegiate, but they are still in office settings. In contrast, Nicole Achenbach does not appear to use any social media sites for professional development. Her LinkedIn is not updated often, and her Facebook posts target friends and family. 

• How do their social media posts differ from their tone in academic journals? In some senses, David Armstrong's tone doesn't change dramatically between academic journals and social media posts. Both focus extensively on diabetes care and management. He is far less formal in his YouTube postings. However, his online blog and twitter updates often hyperlink directly to peer-reviewed journal articles. In this sense, he uses social media as a tool to draw a larger audience to more formal manuscripts. Nicole Achenbach, on the other hand, is professional, formal and PT-focused in her literature review. On Facebook, however, she is less formal and uses it in a social environment. Thus, her audience is completely different between the two media.