The Social (Media) Being: Psychiatrists' Guide to the Trials and Tribulations of the Virtual Self Across the Lifespan

Social media platforms are a prolific method of entertainment, communication, and content exchange. Initially widely more popular among and utilized by youth, a recent survey suggests up to 72% of US adults use at least one social media app, most on a daily basis (1). Social media content is largely unmonitored, plagued with misinformation (2), includes promotion of risky behaviors such as substance use (3), self-harm, (4) and potentially lethal "challenges" (5), and is well suited for the rapid spread of sociogenic illness (6). Additionally, anonymous features of many apps allow for harassment, sexual exploitation and the exchange of elicit substances (3). On the other hand, social media has also facilitated a sense of connection, and an environment of support, education (7) and social activism (8) for marginalized groups and even improved access to marginalized groups in research studies (9), highlighting the importance of not "throwing out the baby with the bathwater". Knowledge of social media apps by consultation-liaison psychiatrists is imperative for culturally informed assessment and treatment.

This pediatric SIG sponsored, engaging, and interactive skills course will provide an up-to-date overview of the most widely used social media apps, current social media trends, and cyber laws and regulations relevant to patients across the entire lifespan.

References:
1. Social Media Fact Sheet. Pew Research Center. April 7, 2021. https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/fact-sheet/social-media/. Date accessed: March 19, 2022
2. Suarez-Lledo V, Alvarez-Galvez J. Prevalence of Health Misinformation on Social Media: Systematic Review. J Med Internet Res 2021;23(1): e17187
3. Moyle L, Childs A, Coomber R, Barratt MJ. #Drugsforsale: An exploration of the use of social media and encrypted messaging apps to supply and access drugs. Int J Drug Policy, 2019; 63:101-110
4. Moreno MA, Ton A, Selkie E, Evans Y. Secret Society 123: Understanding the Language of Self-Harm on Instagram. J Adolesc Health. 2016; 58(1): 78-84.
5. Cost B, Grace A, Dellatto M, Hegedus E. The 23 craziest TikTok challenges so far and the ordeals they’ve caused. New York Post. 2021 Dec 22.
6. Müller-Vahl KR, Pisarenko A, Jakubovski E, Fremer C. Stop that! It's not Tourette's but a new type of mass sociogenic illness. Brain. 2021 Aug 23: awab316. doi: 10.1093/brain/awab316. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 34424292.
7. Berger MN, Taba M, Marino JL, Lim MSC, Cooper SC, Lewis L, Albury K, Chung KSK, Bateson D, Skinner SR. Social media's role in support networks among LGBTQ adolescents: a qualitative study. Sex Health. 2021 Nov;18(5):421-431. doi: 10.1071/SH21110. Erratum in: Sex Health. 2021 Nov;18(5):444. PMID: 34706814.
8. Auxier, B. Pew Research Center. Social media continues to be important political outlets for Black Americans. December 11, 2020. https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/12/11/social-media-continue-to-be-important-political-outlets-for-black-americans/
9. Russomanno J, Patterson JG, Jabson Tree JM. Social Media Recruitment of Marginalized, Hard-to-Reach Populations: Development of Recruitment and Monitoring Guidelines. JMIR Public Health Surveill. 2019 Dec 2;5(4):e14886. doi: 10.2196/14886. PMID: 31789598; PMCID: PMC6915454.