Nursing, Privacy and the Risks of Social Media

Social media, the umbrella term for connecting with others online through websites and apps like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, has grown into a massive multi-billion dollar industry over the past fifteen years.

With 16 million monthly active Facebook users in Australia, the chances are, you’re one of them (David 2020).

As a healthcare professional, using social media can be beneficial from an educational and peer support point of view. Being able to discuss the latest research findings and evidence-based practice is an important aspect of continuing your professional development, and social media is just one of the tools that enable you to do that.

Though in all probability, your social media use is likely to be more weighted on the personal side than professional.

Whilst you may not think your social media use could have an impact on your career, there are a number of possible implications if you haven’t taken adequate steps to protect yourself.

Privacy is a growing concern for all of us who use the internet. Just how is our information being used, and could other people be able to access it? Interestingly enough, according to a research study by the Ponemon Institute into privacy and security online, whilst 75% of users were worried about security, only 44% were concerned about privacy (Ponemon Institute 2015).

So how can using Facebook be a risky business, and what do you really need to know about social media privacy and your nursing career?

Essentially, the issues we need to consider are:

• Breaches in confidentiality;
• Bullying and harassment;
• Defamation; and
• Breaking professional boundaries.