Can Health Professionals Be Influencers?
Influencer. A term that many, myself included, have pretty mixed feelings about.
Social media being bad for us isn’t exactly “news”. Many people often criticize the effect social media can have on us; on how it can lead to a game of comparison, or how it might affect one's mental health. However, whether we like to admit it or not, I think it’s pretty safe to say that social media holds a certain level of importance in our lives.
Why? Because it allows us to have a voice, a presence — it gives us the chance to feel seen, to feel like we matter. Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit...these open-ended platforms allow us to share information in both creative and educational ways. However, the fact that they are open-ended leaves a lot of room for misinformation to flourish due to the lack of moderation on the part of these companies.
When I had first started Colour My Palate back in 2015 (oh man, where does the time go?), it was simply a place for me to share my many interests ─ a platform for me to convey the different parts of my personality. As a self-proclaimed artist, it has also allowed for me to express my creativity all the while still keeping my content relevant to the field of health & wellness.
Today, Colour My Palate has become a safe haven for me to be myself, to share my love for food & nutrition, to encourage people to apply the knowledge taught from my series of Instagram posts, videos and stories (i.e to cook!!) from the comfort of their own homes, as well as to share my opinions as a now registered dietitian.
Moreover, with today’s current obsession of sharing their lives on social media, many people’s aspirations have gone from wanting to simply become a doctor, a lawyer or an engineer, to wanting to become an **insta-famous** doctor, lawyer or engineer (there is a difference).
Whether it’s for the fame, to express one’s opinions to a larger audience or to simply just fulfill our human need for external validation, I think we can all agree that reaching the so-called “influencer” status comes with its fair share of perks ─ thereby making it all the more appealing to the majority.
Remember: You are a free-thinking individual !
You are entitled to your opinions on various topics. However, when it comes to important topics like politics, health, wealth, etc... it’s important to get your information from trusted sources (and to make sure to look at more than one source when looking for the answers.)
While you might enjoy watching your favorite influencers live their best lives online and scroll through their A E S T H E T I C feed, it’s important to realize that most influencers play an important role in modern marketing. You may not realize it, but your favorite fitness influencer could just be peddling the newest in “branch chained amino acid supplements” to pad their Christmas bonus. While not all “health & wellness” influencers take advantage of their communities in this way, making sure your advice comes from accredited professionals helps minimize harmful misconceptions from spreading unchecked.
“So Laura, why should health professionals start making an effort to become micro influencers?”
Well thank you for asking. Here are a few reasons:
To provide up-to-date and evidence-based science information — so that users can trust that the information presented to them is factual and backed up by the right research.
To make scientific knowledge more accessible and engaging to the general public ─ we live in an extremely wired generation; it’s important that as health professionals, we use it to our advantage and make an effort in becoming more tech savvy !
To communicate health information in a way that is simple & easy-to-digest — remember that medical journals and scientific articles are written by professionals, which means that they are meant to be... for the professionals! Nonetheless, when it comes to communicating information to the general public, most people respond a lot better when things are kept short and sweet.
To have your voice be heard through another medium — you can only get so much through to someone within the clinical setting! Social media platforms allow you to present your information in a different, more creative way.
All of this to say, if you are a health professional looking to share your expertise in your area of study, but are reluctant to using social media; remind yourself that it’s only your online persona. Simply view it as using it as a way to give back to your community, and remember what the main goal and purpose of your platform were in the first place!
Finally, despite us being aware of how social media can easily breed comparison (p.s. remember to never compare yourself to others !), social media does have its positive traits; notably, by providing users with basic prompts to start practicing healthier habits ! From listening to music, to reminding us to call a friend or family member, engaging in some retail therapy, going on a nature walk or to just taking a vacation — the list goes on and on...