This document summarizes a presentation about the impact of social media on social work. It discusses how social workers need to stay technologically competent to help clients who have embraced technology. It also examines factors that influence the adoption of social media and outlines some of the ethical issues and challenges social workers face regarding boundaries and client privacy in the digital age. The presentation emphasizes that social workers must adopt a learning mindset and be willing to adapt to continuous changes in how technology shapes communication and interactions.

1. Lessons from the River: Social Work, Social Service Work and Social Media
OCSWSSW Education Forum, London ON
October, 23, 2014
Dr. Marilyn Herie, PhD RSW

2. “so rapidly have we begun to feel the effects of the electronic revolution that all of us today are displaced persons, living in a world that has little to do with the one in which we grew up”
Marshall McLuhan, 1959

3. learning objectives

4. “Social workers and social service workers should ensure that they are technologically aware and competent, as their clients are likely to have embraced technology in step with the general population” (OCSWSSW, 2012)

5. “you can’t stand in the same river twice”
(Heraclitus)

6. where are you at?

7. novice
expert

8. External Factors
Perceived Usefulness
Perceived Ease of Use
Attitude
Behaviour Intention to use
Technology Use
Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) Ease of use and usefulness will predict an individual’s attitudes towards, intention to use, and acceptance of the technology
McGowan et al., 2012. Understanding the Factors That Influence the Adoption and Meaningful Use of Social Media by Physicians to Share Medical Information. Journal of Medical Internet Research.

9. …factors found to be nonsignificant included demographic variables typically perceived as important, such as years since graduation (a proxy for age), gender, patients seen per week (a proxy for how busy a physician is), and type of specialty. This finding is consistent with other studies, which have shown practice-related characteristics to be unassociated with use of Internet-based communication technologies.
McGowan et al., 2012. Understanding the Factors That Influence the Adoption and Meaningful Use of Social Media by Physicians to Share Medical Information. Journal of Medical Internet Research.

12. what is the biggest game-changer?

13. no single thing

14. a learning mindset

15. lesson #1: it’s always a new river

16. key trends
and
applications
http://blog.hootsuite.com/social-media-trends-that-are-sticking-around-in-2014/

17. social video
digital literacy
the social business

18. literacy
digital

19. what’s your flavour?

20. use
understand
create

21. a 16 year old’s perspective…

22. a 16 year old’s perspective…
•
facebook:
“there’s a lot of ads but it’s really good”
•
linkedIn:
“nobody uses linkedin in unless you have, like, a job”
•
google+:
“nobody has google+”
•
twitter:
“it’s good for keeping track of things”

23. Quick Twitter Tips
•
140 characters max
•
# (hashtag): categorizes tweets – there is a taxonomy of hashtags, or you can create your own (www.hashtags.org)
•
@MarilynHerie: “twitter handle” – how your tweets will appear

24. http://educateria.com/2013/10/12/you-are-a-knowledge-curator/

25. social
video

26. http://mashable.com/2012/12/13/spreecast/

27. why?

28. connecting
right here
right now

29. http://www.alsa.org/fight-als/ice-bucket-challenge.html

32. 1 operate camera
2 transfer file to computer
4 edit (trim) video
5 save video
6 create youtube account
7 upload video & share
3 download free software
learning curve

33. shoot
share

34. vine.co

35. http://blog.instagram.com/post/53448889009/video-on-instagram

36. snapchat.com

37. viddy.com

38. + + + tools for
storytelling

39. business
the social

40. “Today anyone, whether it is an employee or a customer, if they have a good or bad experience with your company they can blog about it or twitter about it, and it can be seen by millions of people…”

41. “…it’s what they say now that’s your brand.”
- Tony Hsieh, Zappos.com

42. Don Tapscott, (2009) Grown Up Digital. New York: McGraw Hill, p.81

43. lesson #2: water wants to be free

44. and implications
impacts

45. it just crept in

46. Mishna et al. (2012). Clinical Social Work Journal

47. Mishna et al. (2012). Clinical Social Work Journal

48. client-driven practice

50. client-initiated

51. administrative versus clinical

52. a slippery slope

54. pandora’s
box

55. positive
negative
neutral

56. access

57. privacy

58. a culture of
immersive, continual sharing
and communication

59. managing expectations

60. ethical gray zone

61. murky waters

62. data security
client confidentiality

63. social self versus professional self

66. who has a smart phone?

67. 1.
choose a random person in the audience
2.
ask their name
3.
google them
4.
how many hits?
5.
what comes up?

68. the paradox of online identity: the more you avoid the less you control

69. suggestions…
•
be judicious & use the security settings
•
remember you are probably more visible than you think
•
search yourself online – regularly
•
ask an expert (teenager) for help!

70. ethics
and
boundaries

71. permeable boundaries

72. things used to be so much easier

73. anywhere, anytime?

74. more casual?

75. developing a social media ethics policy
http://www.socialworktoday.com/news/eoe_070111.shtml

76. lesson #3: water continuously alters topography

77. development

78. http://educateria.com/2012/10/24/personal-learning-networks-plns/
your very own PLN

79. yes, there is danger

80. … but also great potential

81. where do you want to go?

82. lesson #4: you have to get wet to know the river

83. jump!

85. People prefer to live in the age just behind them – it’s safer!
Marshall McLuhan, 1959
To live right on the shooting line, right on the frontier of change, is terrifying.

86. “you can’t stand in the same river once”
Cratylus,
student of Heraclitus

87. questions
discussion

88. suggested resources

89. Bettridge, L. (Fall, 2011). Practice Notes: Social Media and Practice: Protecting Privacy and Professionalism in a Virtual World. Perspective, OCSWSSW.
http://www.ocswssw.org/docs/practice_notes_-_fall_2011.pdf?LanguageID=EN-US
Bettridge, L. (Fall, 2012). Practice Notes: Communication Technology and Ethical Practice: Evolving Issues in a Changing Landscape. Perspective, OCSWSSW.
http://www.ocswssw.org/docs/practice_notes-private_practice_fall_2012.pdf?LanguageID=EN-US
Mishna, F. et al. (2012). “It just crept in”: The digital age and implications for social work practice. Clinical Social Work Journal.
http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10615-012-0383-4#page-1
Reamer, FG (2011). Eye on Ethics: Developing a Social Media Ethics Policy. Social Work Today. NASW.
http://www.socialworktoday.com/news/eoe_070111.shtml
Spalleck, H. et al., (2010). Paradigm Shift or Annoying Distraction: Emerging implications of Web 2.0 for clinical practice. Applied Clinical Informatics, 1(2):96-115. .
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23616830
CASW (2014). Social Media Use and Social Work Practice.
http://www.casw-acts.ca/sites/default/files/Social%20Media%20Use%20and%20Social%20Work%20Practice.pdf
suggested resources

90. thank you

91. @MarilynHerie
www.educateria.com