Social Media & Ethical Considerations

Janlee Wong, MSWNational Association of Social Workers

California ChapterPresented to San Fernando Valley Unit

June 8, 2012

Why social media?

• Original powerful social networking tool• Free• Fit with the individualistic culture of our time• How do you get the best fit with your

personality, culture, likes, dislikes, but to present yourself outwardly?

• How do you get rather instant feedback on yourself?

Safe Social Exploration

• How do you get to know other people without actually meeting them?

• Safe, you control the meeting, you don't have to observe any niceties or manners

• How do you get to know people you already know but don't really know alot about them?

• Safe, they volunteer their information; they seek approval or disapproval from you and others

The Thrill of Social Media

• Excitement• Daring and Risk• Challenge • Disappointment• Reward• Positive reinforcement• DRAMA

The world unlimited

• When I was in college, my world was very small, limited to my classes, my school and my community

• When my daughters entered college, their world was unlimited, as unlimited as the Internet

• The possibility of finding "matches," likes, dislikes, alternatives, and differences is unlimited

Social media turns commercial

• A fad that didn't fade• A gold mine of likes and dislikes for millions of

individuals• A way to "spread the word" to millions

instantaneously • Imagine the marketing/business applications

What does it mean for clinicians?

• Clinicians have a need to form therapuetic relationships

• Social media is a means to share and exchange personal, professional, cultural and other information

• Social media is a way to get the word out quickly about one's professional self and business

Other considerations• Can social media help develop and maintain

therapuetic relationships• Can social media reach those who can't be

reached by traditional means but need/want help?

• Does social media redefine the traditional definitions of confidentiality and dual relationship

Confidentiality

• Traditional confidentiality is one way (clinician maintains client's confidentiality but client can say whatever they want about themselves and their therapy/counseling/case to whomever they want

• Social media continues the one way street for clients, but the clinician is challenged to not break confidentiality but operate in an open networking system

Hidden But Not

• Venting about clients on Facebook– Even without identifying details, violation of client

clinician confidentiality– Clients can sometimes identify themselves– Done before in an elevator, office but not global

• Google you, Google me

Dual Relationship

• Traditional client/clinician relationships were bound by a physical office, where no one knew. Even chance encounters could be managed.

• Social media relationships are open to the "everyone"

• Despite some "privacy" and "friend" controls which are not foolproof

What can be found out

• Licensing boards can use social media too• Evidence of a dual relationship• Dual relationships are not just sexual• They can be platonic or business

Are their ethical uses of social media?

• One macro social worker believes social media is an essential tool to community organizing

• Sharing information, bringing to light injustices• Applying pressure tactics such as change.org– Injustice- Trayvon Martin– Greedy fees - BofA, Sallie Mae– Policy change - Access to guns by mental health

clients

Evolution of Ethics

• Can ethics evolve?• Can it evolve to adapt to social media?• How has it evolved?– The Ethical Code is full of exceptions– Legal overides such as Tarasoff– Special therapuetic situations such as corrections– The hiring of consumers in the mental health

system

How could ethics evolve due to social media?

• Will/do clients share about their therapuetic experiences on social media?

• Will/do clinicians learn more about their clients through social media?

• Will/do clients learn more about their clinicians through social media?

• Can social media be regulated?

Your own considerations

• Are you too drawn into, intrigued by social media?

• Will/do you have a social media presence?• Will/do you communicate with clients through

social media?• Will/do the benefits of social media outweigh

the risks?• Have/can you prepare yourself for social media

whether you use it or not?