Is social media reliable for medical advice?

            Chapter five discusses the many uses of social media when it comes to gaining information to help make a decision in our lives, both big and small. One of the articles that caught my attention was the discussion on medical advice through the use of social media. The book discusses this idea in a positive light mentioning how it may help make people more aware and educated on their health. Especially in areas that don’t have the resources to seek professional medical attention. For the most part I completely agree with the text, I think that social media can and will continue to be beneficial at giving medical advice. For one it is quick, cheap, and can be accessed at any time of the day unlike a doctor. Some people do not have the money to go to the doctor to figure out what is wrong with them. Therefore social media is beneficial because they can quickly describe their symptoms to all of their friends on Facebook or followers on twitter and get advice on what might be wrong with them and what they can do to fix it. Also doctors are not always available to ask questions such as late at night or on the weekends therefore social media can be a way for people to get advice when they can’t contact their doctor. It also helps to put people at ease because they get the feeling that they are not alone if others have been in a similar situation.

            However, the book fails to discuss the negative effects that social media might have on those who use it to seek medical advice. In reality not everyone on social media is a doctor and even those who are it is difficult to make a correct diagnosis without being physically seen. The main negative effect is that people might give out the wrong medical advice or diagnosis, causing someone’s condition to worsen or never get better. Also there are many ethical issues that could arise from people giving out medical advice through social media such as confidentiality. While some people may feel more comfortable asking a medical question over social media instead of face-to-face discussion, the only way to ensure proper diagnosis is for people to physically contact a doctor.

            That all being said I am guilty of using social media and the internet to seek my own personal medical advice. As I said earlier it can help make people feel at ease, which is one of the main reasons why I do it. Sometimes I will have a doctors appointment already scheduled but I will still ask for advice over social media before hand to try and figure it out ahead of time to help calm me down. Overall, I think that social media is a great way for people to seek medical advice, but I don’t think that the negative aspects should be completely overlooked. The only way to truly figure out what might be wrong and how to treat it is to go to the doctors, especially when the symptoms are serious.