Using the Media (graded)

Using the Media (graded) Given the power of the media, discuss how you would use an opinion editorial, a personal interview, websites, texting, Facebook, Twitter, and/or blogs to influence public opinion relative to your policy priority. What issues about media and electronic social networking do you need to consider? Why? Social media is ubiquitous. You cannot go anywhere without seeing people staring at their cell phones, consuming social media. One of the most popular sites is Facebook. Personally, almost everyone I know is on it, ranging from my 12-year-old nephew to my 88-year-old great grandmother. The policy I chose was banning disposable plastic bags. Social media, specifically Facebook is a great platform for spreading information about it. When researching the topic, I found many pages and groups dedicated to reducing plastic in consumption today. It is an interest of mine. Prior to this I belonged to and or liked several groups and pages regarding minimalism and zero-waste. Some of the issues you need to consider when using any media is the source and accuracy of the information. As I previously stated, it is everywhere and everyone is on it. It is a great way to reach an extremely large and diverse population (Fast, Sørensen, Brand, & Suggs, 2015). The trouble with that is that everyone can post something, regardless of facts. Opinions reign on the internet. It is up to the reader to distinguish and research what is factual or not (Fast et al., 2015). If I were to use the platform to discuss banning plastic bags, I would make sure that the information I posted was accurate by drawing from peer reviewed journals and sources. It would be important not to fabricate or embellish information to get a reaction. It is easy to get into trouble using social media, especially as a care giver working for an organization. Recently a physician working for my hospital was writing a weekly or monthly editorial for an online paper. He spoke about childhood immunizations and stated his opinion, rather than academic and evidence based research. While he seemed like a credible source and worked for a top hospital, the information he was espousing was not the official position of the hospital. He was reprimanded by the CEO of the hospital and an email was sent to all employees to watch what we say and do as it reflects back on the hospital. For me, that’s a good lesson. I think the lines between opinion and fact are too blurred today. Social media is a blessing and a curse. While there is so much information at our fingertips, it’s almost too much. When I read something now, I have to go several steps further to make sure it’s credible. Just because I like what it says doesn’t mean it’s true. If I was to use Facebook to influence public opinion on my policy, I would make sure it was clear that the information I was presenting was from high level of evidence studies and credible sources. Resource Fast, I., Sørensen, K., Brand, H., & Suggs, L. S. (2015). Social media for public health: An exploratory policy analysis. European Journal of Public Health, 25(1), 162-166. doi:eurpub/cku080 Mariah: Great post! I think your right that Facebook is a powerful tool. Whether we like it or not, it is ingrained in everything we do. My unit has a similar secret Facebook group. We use ours mainly for staffing. All employees with Facebook accounts are invited or join the group and post days they would like to switch. My manager oversees three units and when we are looking to switch we can utilize staff from all the units to cover the shift we would like to switch. This has helped immensely with call offs and ensuring the proper staffing levels per shift. Our floors are some of the most well-staffed in the building. We rarely ever have a nurse from an outside unit have to float to our unit. If a staff member is not on Facebook, they usually ask someone who is to post the request for them and leave a phone number. One almost always has someone willing to switch the dates for them. We have never had a problem with inappropriate posts. I like the idea you have of using it for announcements and events within the units. This would be a good way of increasing employee engagement. It is important to note that technology often makes people nervous and slow to adopt (Gagnon & Sabus, 2015). The concerns you had about appropriateness are an example. Those same concerns might make someone not use all the tools they have to push forward public policy. Social media is exactly the place to go for reaching a wide range of people (Gagnon & Sabus, 2015). Consumers of all products, including healthcare, policy and information go to places like Facebook to stay connected (Gagnon & Sabus, 2015). We as future advanced practice nurses need to embrace and understand the complexities of the medium and use them to our advantage. Reference Gagnon, K., & Sabus, C. (2015). Professionalism in a digital age: Opportunities and considerations for using social media in health care. Physical Therapy, 95(3), 406-414. doi:10.2522/ptj. Mariah Bradford 4/3/2017 5:05:18 PM Using the Media I personally feel that Facebook is a great way to communicate to different groups, including the public. Social media is an incredibly powerful tool as far as getting information out to others. The critical access hospital that I work at has a secret Facebook page that I started soon after I came to the facility. The nurses from all departments belong to it, along with our administrative assistant and it has been a wonderful way to communicate. As a nurse manager, I was first a little skeptical about starting this page as I was concerned about professionalism, but I made my concerns clear and stated that the page was for professional and informational use only. The staff at first did not post a lot, it was mostly me posting meeting reminders, classes, professional development opportunities, and pulse surveys. I am happy to say that now more staff are posting different shift opportunities and nursing community projects that they are involved in on this page as well. It is a great tool to show all the different activities that the nurses are involved in, and also pictures of team building activities are there as well. I am proud of how professional this Facebook page has stayed. The two largest issues of this secret page are keeping posts appropriate, which I have not had an issue with, and also keeping the group to current staff members at the hospital, which since I am the administrator of the page that is easy for me to control. I am also able to delete any inappropriate posts if needed. Gagnon and Sabus (2015) shared that due to the new technology available, healthcare providers should be adapting communication techniques to the preferences of the customers. Gagnon and Sabus (2015) shared that most adults in the United States have smartphones, Internet access, and use social media. Gagnon and Sabus (2015) discussed the concerns from health care providers in regards to social media and privacy and liability concerns. Gagnon and Sabus (2015) shared that health care professionals have a responsibility to create social media for patients that includes dependable and reliable information. Gagnon and Sabus (2015) shared that social media sites can be very helpful to patients who are dealing with a specific or chronic disease for support. Gagnon and Sabus (2015) suggested sticking to a specific topic, and adhering to professional standards and organizational policies when using social media in healthcare. Gagnon and Sabus (2015) shared that one should always be careful on social media in regards to privacy, reputation issues, and protection of personal health information. I feel that a public Facebook page for information on access to healthcare would be beneficial to post updates and facts on the page. There possibly could be a volunteer group formed to assist with transportation in smaller towns that could use this page as well. I believe that this could also be somewhat of a support page for those struggling with this issue. Reference Gagnon, K., & Sabus, C. (2015). Professionalism in a digital age: Opportunities and considerations for using social media in health care. Physical Therapy, 95(3), 406-414. doi:10.2522/ptj. Hi Michelle: Great post. I agree with you that social media, despite all of its many flaws, is the way to go when trying to reach a specific community. I am trying to advance legislation in a county in Ohio too. I think the best way is Facebook. You’re right that most people are a member of social media and most consume it daily. I have recently gone on a Facebook cleanse, where I deactivate my account for a while. The result is multifold. On one hand, I get peace of mind and set my phone down and become more present in my everyday life. On the other hand, I am woefully disconnected from everything. I don’t know what is happening in the world, or with my family. My family communicates primarily through Facebook messenger, therefore, if something is happening this weekend, I wouldn’t know because all plans are made there. The point of this is to say, while I agree that social media has many negative aspects, uneducated opinions, and fake news, it also connects us on a level that is almost unescapable (Liang & Scammon, 2013). If we want to use the latest technology to advance positive agendas, we need to embrace it and use it for the good it can have. Reference Liang, B., & Scammon, D. L. (2013). Incidence of online health information search: A useful proxy for public health risk perception. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 15(6). doi:10.2196/jmir.2401 Michelle Card 4/3/2017 7:10:54 PM Using the Media The public policy priority I am focusing on in this class is the development of a 12 Step Drug Addiction Anonymous program. In order to make an impact on the community and provide the resource as proposed in the policy plan, support from the Lorain County Commissioner, Lori Kokoski will be necessary. The Commissioner will help connect the appropriate community locations to hold the group meetings. Once this is established, public outreach will be necessary. Social media is the best way to reach populations of people. I would utilize public websites, Facebook, Twitter, and blogs to reach as many people as possible. Most people these days are on some sort of social media. According to Chamberlain College of Nursing (2017), the power of media exists simply because it reaches a vast number of people. An issue with media and electronic social networking that needs to be considered would include personal experience, experience with social networks, and the interpretation based on values and cultures (Liang & Scammon, 2013). Media is not always factual and things can be exaggerated as we all have experienced (Liang & Scammon, 2013). These platforms of social media also allow for the public to respond with their own thoughts and opinions. While this may prove beneficial to the cause in support of the policy, there will be critics as well. There will be negative opinions and comments that may influence the success of the policy implementation. A key component to successful media outlet usage will be to stay involved in the media platform used, to be ready to provide dialogue with those in support of the issue and with those that are critics. It will be impactful to be prepared with facts to support the topic. It will also be impactful to report how the public will be impacted positively with the policy implementation. Social media and the internet have a powerful influence on public and political issues. The attention of specific policy will fluctuate in response to media coverage rather than any change in an issue or evidence to support it (Weishaar et al., 2016). The portrayal of the policy to the public will influence the acceptability and legitimacy thus impacting the policy maker’s perception and further debates (Weishaar et al., 2016). References Chamberlain College of Nursing. (2016). NR-506 Week 6: Professional Development and Social Media in Healthcare Policy [Online lesson]. Downers Grove, IL: DeVry Education Group. Liang, B., & Scammon, D. L. (2013). Incidence of online health information search: a useful proxy for public health risk perception. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 15(6). doi:10.2196/jmir.2401 Weishaar, H., Dorfman, L., Freudenberg, N., Hawkins, B., Smith, K., Razum, O., & Hilton, S. (2016). Why media representations of corporations matter for public health policy: a scoping review. BMC Public Health, 16(1). doi:10.1186/s