A recent article in the Journal of Oncology Practice describes benefits and drawbacks of people with cancer using social media -- such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram -- for support and to find reliable information. In this podcast, two of the study’s authors, Dr. Merry Jennifer Markham, MD, and Danielle Gentile, PhD, talk about their findings and share tips on effectively using social media. In this podcast, two of the study’s authors, Dr. Merry Jennifer Markham, MD, and Danielle Gentile, PhD, talk about their findings and share tips on effectively using social media. 

Highlights from the conversation include:

• Ways that social media can be helpful to people with cancer [3:44].

• What to be careful about when using social media, including privacy concerns [6:17].

• Tips for finding reliable information on social media [8:45].

• Effective ways to use social media for social support or information gathering [11:24].

• How to find support groups and relevant hashtags [14:21].

• The importance of talking with your health care team about information you find [16:10].

Dr. Markham is a hematologist at the University of Florida in Gainesville. Dr. Gentile is a researcher at Levine Cancer Institute in Charlotte, North Carolina.

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