Social Media & e-Professionalism: Impact and Implications for Social Work Practice and Education Keynote at the First Annual Conference of the Yorkshire and Humber Children Services and Higher Education Network What are some of the implications of new media and digital and social technologies for health and social care services? What are the impact and implications of new digital media and social technologies for social work and social care practice and education?

1. Claudia Megele
@ClaudiaMegele
Senior Lecturer and CPD/PQ Programme Leader & Digital Lead
Middlesex University

2. Socrates warning…
This invention will produce forgetfulness
in the minds of those who learn to use
it, because they will not practice their
memory.
Their trust in writing, produced by
external characters which are no part
of themselves, will discourage the use
of their own memory within them.
Source: Plato 1925, 274e-275a
Claudia Megele Social Media and SocialWork Education and Practice 2

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Picture Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Typewriter_-
_Underwood_typewriter_-_Kroton_001.jpg

4. THEN:THE NOTIFICATION BOARD NOW:THETWITTER STREAM
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5. “A hundred years ago it took so long and cost so
much to post a letter that it seemed worthwhile to
put some thought into writing it. Now the quickness
and cheapness of the post seem to justify the
feeling that a brief letter today may be followed by
another next week and a line now by another
tomorrow”
Percy Homes Boynton, Principles of Composition 1915
Source: Boynton, P. (1915) Principles of Composition. Ginn and Company
Available online: https://archive.org/details/principlescompo00boyngoog
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Now we share and
Exchange info with a click

7. Ease of posting
and sharing
Rapid succession
of messages
Affects the
perception of
time &
Permanence
Claudia Megele Social Media and SocialWork Education and Practice 7

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Transformation
of Mobile
Technologies

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Everyday use of Digital & SocialTechnologies

10. Portability & Ubiquity & 24-hour Connectivity
Picture Source: SANDIWAY FONG
HTTP://SANDIWAY.BLOGSPOT.CO.UK/2012_06_01_ARCHIVE.HTML
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11.  If Facebook was a country, it would be the most
populous nation on earth.
 1.39 billion people log in to Facebook each month
Source: Facebook Investor Relations
Claudia Megele Social Media and SocialWork Education and Practice 11

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13. Powerful Social Networking Platforms
Claudia Megele Social Media and SocialWork Education and Practice 13
 A new medium
and a new
message.
 Moving from
monologue to
dialogue to
Multilogue.
 Coproduction and a
greater voice for
social work and
people accessing
services.
 A new
conversation

14.  Case Study: Brent Council livestream council meetings
and councillors tweet during meetings and reply to tweets
using the hashtag #BrentLive.
Claudia Megele Social Media and SocialWork Education and Practice 14

15. West Sussex: Live twitter chat with Annie Maciver, Director of Family Operations,
Amanda Radley, Head of Children’s Social Care and Wendy Hill, Principal SocialWorker.
Claudia Megele Social Media and SocialWork Education and Practice 15

16. Source: Should you ban laptops from classrooms?
Claudia Megele Social Media and SocialWork Education and Practice 16

17.  Social Work
Knowledge network
and Community of
Practice.
 The first Social Work
Twitter Chat.
 Incorporated Social
Media in MSc. Step
up to Social Work
curricula for teaching,
learning and
assessment.
 Partnership with a
number of
universities and
collaboration with
local authorities.
Claudia Megele Social Media and SocialWork Education and Practice 17
Social Work & Social Care &
Media Network

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19.  Reality and identity
can be distorted
online.
 How do children,
adolescents & adults
see and represent
themselves in today’s
visual culture?
Claudia Megele Social Media and SocialWork Education and Practice 19

20. Social Media and SocialWork Education and Practice 20Claudia Megele

21.  Many children are born with the first fragment of
their ‘digital footprint’ already available online.
 A new generation of children who will experience
the aggregated effect of living in a digital world
over their whole lifetime.
 Digital profiles are work in progress passed onto
children from their parents.
 This raises important questions regarding privacy,
online identities and choice, vulnerability and
social media, and digital permanence.
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22.  ‘Triggered by over-exposure to social information on SNS,
envy feelings can cause significant damage to users’ well-
being and impact their life satisfaction’
 Promotion of narcissistic behaviour, with most users sharing
only positive things about themselves
 ‘… friend lists typically consist of individuals with a high
degree of similarity to the profile owner, which is particularly
conducive for the proliferation of envy feelings.’
Source: Krasnova, Hanna; Wenninger, Helena; Widjaja, Thomas; and Buxmann, Peter, "Envy on
Facebook: A HiddenThreat to Users’ Life Satisfaction?" (2013). Wirtschaftsinformatik Proceedings
2013. Paper 92.
http://aisel.aisnet.org/wi2013/92
Do you agree with the above statements?
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23. • Ri
• Risk taking
behaviour
• Frequently
unsupervised
• Lack of boundaries
& structure
• Inter and Intra
relational online
dynamics
• ‘Outsider Identity’
Low Self-
Confidence
Experience of
abusive
Environments
&/or
Relationships
Influence of
Drug, alcohol,
Gangs.
Lack of
supportive
Adults & Peers
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Picture Source: http://www.geekomad.com/2013/11/how-this-video-changed-my-perception.html

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28. Claudia Megele Social Media and SocialWork Education and Practice 28Picture source: https://www.brandwatch.com/2013/08/how-social-media-is-changing-our-world-infographic/

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Picture source: https://www.brandwatch.com/2013/08/how-social-media-is-changing-our-world-infographic/

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31.  Case Study
(Buckinghamshire Council)
Using Skype to facilitate support
groups (Social Care and Social
Work);
Using Skype for virtual
consultations (Health Care);
Using Skype for one-to-one
consultations (Therapists);
Popular choice for many local
authorities;
Contributes to sociality and breaking
down silos within the organisation ;
Promotes better collaboration and a
sense of connectedness
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32.  NHS Brighton & Hove engaged the public by running a
24-hourTwitter-thon asking community members what
changes they would like to see in policies to manage
alcohol consumption.
 “We were overwhelmed with the number and diversity
of responses that we received and it was so exciting to
see and receive instant feedback.” Source: Brighton &
Hove
 Walsall Council used a twitter account
@walsallmeetings & hashtag #walsallmanor to provide
live updates to engage and discussWalsall Manor
Hospital’s bid for FoundationTrust status.
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33. David Isaac fromTorbay Hospital one of the first surgeons in UK to use Google Glass
Source: BBC online http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-27315498
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35.  Case Study of Essex SocialWorker sanctioned over
FACEBOOK comments about a case.
 Comments Posted:
‘Me and [unnamed person] are reflecting on how the solicitor
commented on [how] fine nails and shoes appear to be a
requirement of our team lol. Anyway of [sic] now to do the
mammoth grim task fingers crossed xxx.’
‘Its powerful to know that … children’s lives have been massively
changed for the better.’
Source: Social worker sanctioned for Facebook posts
http://www.locumtoday.co.uk/article.php?s=2014-09-11-social-worker-sanctioned-for-facebook-posts#.VYWC2vlViko
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36.  Lack of understanding about digital and social media
boundaries and privacy;
 Lack of understanding of the psychological and
psychosocial implications of social media;
 Lack of understanding regarding digital permanence
and digital footprints;
 Lack of understanding of the ‘Digital Self’ and
boundaries;
 Drawn into the trap of oversharing experiences.
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Picture source: http://www.communitycare.co.uk/2015/01/30/social-worker-hauled-regulator-trolling-david-cameron/

38.  Enquiring Mind and a critical perspective:
 considers social media and new technologies and critically thinks
about how this is changing society, work, culture and
communication;
 Strategic and effective Use of Social Media:
 uses technology and social media to enhance the standing of the
profession. Acknowledges that the personal and professional
cannot be separated. Social media use even if in ‘personal
capacity’ will have consequences.
 Identifies new opportunities and challenges:
 digital divide, social media amplifies vulnerabilities
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39.  TheorizingTwitter Chat
 Social care in the e-professionalism era
 Employers Social Media Policy and the Challenge of e-Professionalism
 eABLE: Embedding social media in academic curricula as a learning and
assessment strategy to enhance students’ learning and e-Professionalism
 Social media should be an essential part of new social workers’ toolkits
 Five ways Google Glass can transform social care.The Guardian, Accessed
13 January 2015
 How can we use digital media in social work courses?
 Local government in 2020: challenges and opportunities
 How to move from local e-government to collaborative e-governance
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40.  Claudia Megele
 Twitter: @ClaudiaMegele
 Email: C.Megele@mdx.ac.uk
 Academia.edu:
http://mdx.academia.edu/ClaudiaMegele
 Psychosocial & Relationship Based Practice
 Using SocialTechnology in Health and Social Care
Provision: Strategies for Implementation and Good
Practice
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