Radiologists and Social Media: Do Not Forget About Facebook

Area of Science:

• Social media analytics
• Medical professional communities
• Radiology informatics

Background:

• Facebook is a leading social networking platform globally.
• Facebook groups serve as virtual communities for shared interests.
• The Breast Imaging Radiologists Facebook group (BIRFG) was established for professional interaction.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the membership growth and activity patterns of the BIRFG.
• To assess the engagement levels within the BIRFG over its first two years.
• To understand the utility of Facebook groups for radiologists.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of BIRFG activity from Feb 2015 to Feb 2017.
• Utilized Grytics and Sociograph analytic engines for data collection.
• Extracted member demographics from public profiles and professional networking sites.

Main Results:

• Membership increased from 1 to 774, with 84% female members.
• Significant engagement observed: 493 posts, 3,253 comments, 1,732 reactions.
• Activity metrics, including comments per post and member participation, increased from year 1 to year 2.

Conclusions:

• Radiologists derive value from Facebook groups for networking and breast imaging information exchange.
• Findings suggest Facebook groups can be beneficial for other radiology subspecialties.
• Social media offers a comfortable platform for professional interaction among radiologists.