“Likes” in Social Media: Does It Carry Any Implications?
Abstract
Social media usage has drastically increased in recent years. In particular, social media usage among medical
providers has become commonplace. It may offer a variety of benefits in the medical arena, with respect to information
dissemination, health promotion, and education. However, the implications of social media usage and engagement
remain to be seen. This narrative review aimed to describe and highlight the effects of social media usage and
engagement and to provide guidance for engaging in social media as a medical professional. Our review demonstrates
that active social media engagement unequivocally affords the urologist with meaningful opportunities for selfpromotion,
branding, education, networking, research, and enhanced recruitment efforts, but this engagement comes
with the risk for burdensome exposure to misinformation and harassment. We encourage adherence with American
Urological Association/European Association of Urology (AUA/EAU) social media best practices and provide our
own recommendations for social media engagement.
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