Social Media: Wonderful and Terrifying

It’s been a while since we talked about social media in emergency medicine and a LOT has changed! We first explored this topic in 2019 with Dr. Meghan Ranney in our episode With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility. The following year, the pandemic hit and digital platforms exploded while many people isolated themselves or worked from home. Add in complications including the spread of disinformation, the rise of hate speech, Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter, and the emergence of new platforms, and the landscape today looks very different. To help us understand how to navigate the current world of social media, including the benefits and potential pitfalls, we spoke with digital media expert, Lauren Suedkamp.  Do you use social media professionally? What are your favorite platforms? Hit us up on Instagram, Twitter/X, and Threads as @empulsepodcast, or leave us a comment at ucdavisem.com Hosts: Dr. Sarah Medeiros, Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine at UC Davis Dr. Julia Magaña, Associate Professor of Pediatric Emergency Medicine at UC Davis Guests: Lauren Suedkamp, Vice President at BCW Global, digital media and public relations strategist with a focus on health care, content creation/platform management, and crisis management.  Resources: ACEP: Use of Social Media by Emergency Physicians How to use social media in healthcare: examples + tips (Hootsuite) *** Thank you to the UC Davis Department of Emergency Medicine for supporting this podcast and to Orlando Magaña at OM Productions for audio production services.