I have been thinking about concept of the wicked problem and how it could explain our debate and deep division over COVID’s public health management. What’s a wicked problem? Proposed by University of California professors W.J. Rittel and Melvin M. Webber in a 1973 article in Policy Sciences journal, a wicked problem describes a problem that is difficult ... Continue Reading about Why We Can’t See COVID as a Wicked Problem
Twitter and the Dual Responsibility of Media
I found this tweet and it got me thinking about the tension that I feel on MedTwitter. It made me think that there is a dual responsibility of media. Trying to post something on #MedTwitter without invoking criticism: Attached was a gif of a woman executing an impossible rollerblade sequence around some obstacles. The tweet is from Dr. Kurt Lucas and ... Continue Reading about Twitter and the Dual Responsibility of Media
TikTok Health Champions and Skeptics
TikTok health champions and skeptics are haggling on MedTwitter over its worthiness as a platform. It started with some bad physician actors posting stuff that was disrespectful to patients. The disagreement looks something like this: TikTok health skeptics say it’s a place where bad things happen. TikTok health champions argue that pinheads are not platform ... Continue Reading about TikTok Health Champions and Skeptics
Anti-vaccine Attack on TikTok – Is Facebook Complicit?
Following a post last week about the benefits of immunization, Ohio pediatrician Nicole Baldwin became the target of a coordinated anti-vaccine attack on TikTok, Facebook and even her office. Her story then became the subject of mainstream media news. Of course, physicians as targets of the anti-vaccine mob is not new. Bloggers and early era social media ... Continue Reading about Anti-vaccine Attack on TikTok – Is Facebook Complicit?
The Limits of Twitter for Debate
Dr. Saurabh Jha (aka @roguerad) recently posted this comment on the limits of Twitter: No controversial topic can be adjudicated, or meaningfully discussed, on Twitter. My Twitter motto for 2020 I shared the idea and suggested that it should be framed and put over every physician’s workspace. Some agreed. Some disagreed. Twitter for ... Continue Reading about The Limits of Twitter for Debate
OldMedTwitter – How Hashtags Impact #MedTwitter
As doctors grow in numbers on Twitter we tend to collect in silos based on ideology, etc. But know you’ve reached critical mass when we can curate tweets based on perceived generational differences among physicians. Check out #oldmedtwitter. Social media can be remarkably powerful. It can bring us together as well as pull us apart. Time will tell ... Continue Reading about OldMedTwitter – How Hashtags Impact #MedTwitter