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Maylyn Martinez, MD, recently rejoined Twitter to post about her first peer-reviewed publication and shared the advice one of us gave her: "@FutureDocs warned: as a Hispanic woman researcher, it's KEY to have a platform to amplify my work, making it more impactful, helping career/promotions."
We are not the only ones with this advice. A
New England Journal of Medicineperspective highlighted social media as a way to enhance professional and career opportunities for women.
JAMA
Network Open challenges these assumptions. Our research team examined differences in professional benefits that men and women physicians gain from using social media in a sample of over 500 physicians. Male physicians were more likely to report that they received invitations for speaking or scholarship opportunities on social media compared to women physicians. Physicians' motivations to use social media also differed. Women were more likely to use social media to build a supportive network, while men were more likely to use social media to learn about clinical or research topics. While one could argue that the professional benefits male physicians accrue on social media are related to their motivations, our study is consistent with prior research showing women health policy researchers had half the number of followers on Twitter and less influence compared to their male peers. In some ways, while it is intoxicating to think social media is a level playing field, it may in fact just perpetuate existing inequities "in real life."