Earlier this year, a group of male vascular surgeons conducted a study by stalking the social media pages of their female colleagues, striking down on pictures of the women in unprofessional attire posted on their personal pages. Not only was this stalking uncalled for, its results were inaccurate, as the women had addressed their posts to the correct audience. In light of this obtrusive study that prompted the #MedBikini trend, it is crucial to learn how best to present oneself online. There are two main questions one should ask while building a profile or creating a post: what is the audience and what should be conveyed. For professional social media, one should cater their aesthetic and portrayal to present as appropriate for the opportunities they are seeking. For example, one should put their profile picture as themselves behind a podium to attract more speaking jobs and detail their speaking experience over perhaps experience in other fields like organizing events or unrelated things. For personal social media, the same questions should be asked but with the focus on protecting one’s personal information. The most important takeaway is to protect oneself while also posting whatever you want to. You don’t owe anyone anything!
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