Social media and its influence on reputation.

[Mmapule]

Danger of social media is that it often transmits false information and can be used to spread damaging and false rumors.If a sensational comment goes viral it is overshadowed by verifiable sources.How do we handle social media.

Topic

[Kelvin]

Social media is something which is very difficult to integrate within Clinical Trial, also CR management givern the ethical environment are very edgy about social media, mainly because there is a uncontrolled, unknown, uncertainty element, also because it compromise the ethical nature of clinical research; for example the right to confidentiality of participants. But there is definitely space for the creation of social media Community Engagement platforms which can be used to educate the public at large, and also study participants. Best practice to have a dedicated person to manage social media presence, with ethical oversight.

[ELIZABETH]

Yes, you are very correct but i must say that social media is a tool which can be used both negatively and positively. Hence, if it is used as an avenue to disseminate wrong and false information, we should also use that same avenue to correct those wrong and false information that have been disseminated.

[Anne]

Great question/comments! There are some great examples of social media being used to disseminate accurate messages about HIV prevention — i.e the FAQ Page for the PrEP on Facebook, HIV Smart and PrEP Love Campaigns and many others. And publications that talk about effective social media strategies in HIV prevention and public health.
It’s worthwhile to investigate who is doing what.. and decide on clear objectives for what you want to achieve with social media.

You also need a response plan in place! You do not want to be figuring this out when the spotlight is on you …
Does your team have a written SOP or plan (in line with your network’s or sponsor’s plan) that guides staff members about communications?
For example, it might include:
– Designated R&Rs– you need a tech and social-media savvy person working in sync with the rest of the team; this person can search for posts/key words across both internet and social media sites, for example
– Procedures for posting and responding to social media messages developed with leadership
– Answers to FAQs about the research/pre-approved messages for external communication
– Media or comms training plan for staff, CAB and participants

All food for thought!
What do others think?

[Anne]

Also on this topic –check out Jessica’s recent post and her link to an interesting online article.
Media can definitely a key partner in the research–especially when trying to overcome stigma and discrimination in communities! But we need to plan thoughtfully and engage early.
For even more information, stream our webinar with Anne Rancourt from NIH/NIAID. As a expert in the field, she has some very strategic advice about communications planning and media engagement!

[Author]

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