Social Networking Sites are an extremely prominent form of communication in our generation. A few examples of such sites are Facebook, Twitter, match.com, and classmates.com. According to lecture, SNS’s account for 11% of all time spent online and people spend more time on these sites than on any other type of website. We also learned in lecture that many people do not restrict their SNS information to anyone. In fact, almost half of teens (45%) do not. Social Networking Sites must meet three requirements, according to lecture. You must be able to make a profile, communicate with others, and view the entire network. In an online journal, Psychologists’ Attitudes and Ethical Concerns Regarding the Use of Social Networking Web Sites, concerns relating to the use of social networks in a professional sense are raised. It mostly discusses how the revealing of too much personal information can affect therapeutic relationships.
In terms of a therapist to patient relationship, a certain amount of distance must be maintained in order for both parties to feel completely comfortable and for there to be a substantial amount of trust and credibility. According to the journal, many unintentional factors can reveal things about a professional, such as their office décor, how they dress, and their personal appearance. Although these are largely unavoidable, protecting personal information, such as the names of your family members, personal photographs, and current stressors is important. Revealing this type of information, including financial circumstances and personal fantasies or dreams is almost never ethical or helpful when it comes to this type of situation. The existence of personal websites also often provides conflict when it comes down to a psychologist having to choose between accepting or ignoring a friend request from a patient. Many patients view their therapist as a friend after time goes by, but there is a line that should not be crossed.
The online journal also discusses a study consisting of 695 participants in the psychology field, which showed the vast amount of professionals using SNS’s. 77% of those surveyed maintained a social webpage and only 56% of them seriously considered the ramifications of what they put on them. Although this was the case, 86% of them adjusted their privacy settings to limit who was able to see them. Social Networking Sites are a very effective way to keeping in touch with distant friends and for making social connections, but the content of a person’s website should be considered in terms of where you are professionally. Even if it is not a therapeutic-based client relationship, credibility can be jeopardized by what is linked to your name.
Taylor, Laura; McMinn, Mark R.; Bufford, Rodger K.; Chang, Kelly B. T. “Psychologists’ attitudes and ethical concerns regarding the use of social networking web sites.” Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, v. 41 issue 2, 2010, p. 153-159.
