Beware of anti-social media, and the fast-changing social media landscape

Sign on the wall in the Emergency Department, Vancouver General Hospital, Vancouver, BC

Social media has become so integrated in our lives that we almost expect our daily activities to be documented and commented upon by friends and family. But for a hospital the use of social media is a rather risky area.

Do I want the nurses to take a photo of my severed leg because they think it is funny that I was so careless? What if a photo is posted of someone who is under court protection? (Witness protection, abused woman etc.) What about photographs of minors?

But perhaps more important, what about all of the other social media not in the sign? Can I share with Meerkat, Periscope, Snapchat and Vine? Shows how fast the social media landscape is changing.

And of course, this sign means that sharing on MySpace is perfectly acceptable. You're just sharing with a smaller and ever shrinking audience.