“I never want to have surgery.” The first time I heard those six words come from a
surgeon, which I've now heard unprompted many times, it was shocking. Yet, it makes
sense: surgery is a tool wielded to fix a detrimental problem for which there is conceivably
no alternative solution. With this tool comes the distinct possibility of negative
consequences ranging from cost, to pain, to unintended complications. The surgeon
is not alone when it comes to desire to avoid one's own product – there is a tool
that is being utilized by surgeons at an exponential rate whose creators speak with
similar sentiments: designers of social media. They often avoid their own inventions,
even campaigning against these tools that are “exploiting a vulnerability in human
psychology” and designed to “consume as much of your time and conscious attention
as possible.”
Over the years there has been significant growth in the use of Twitter as a tool
for communication by surgeons. But just as surgery can come with unexpected consequences
the use of Twitter can come with hidden costs that need to be stated.
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: April 13, 2022
Accepted:
April 4,
2022
Received in revised form:
April 1,
2022
Received:
March 9,
2022
Identification
Copyright
© 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
