The medium is the message
From the Editor
Dr. Schwarzenberger is the former physician editor of DermWorld.
By Kathryn Schwarzenberger, MD, FAAD, May 1, 2022
It probably wouldn’t surprise many of our younger members if I admit that prior to reading our feature article this month, I had never actually looked at a TikTok video. Sure, I had heard of the challenges and even had heard of duets, but really had no idea what the videos looked like or how the platform worked. Despite what my college-aged son probably thinks, I am not a total Luddite; I think I have made the transition to the electronic world pretty smoothly with relatively little angst and hopefully not too much whining. However, my use of social media for the most part remains predictably age appropriate — Facebook posts, Instagram (a necessity with pets and grandkids), and an appreciative stalking of my favorite physicians and pundits on Twitter. However, the younger generation, including some of our dermatology colleagues, have found joy in the short-content videos on TikTok, where they can share their expertise in small bites with many thousands of viewers. You may be interested to hear how some of our members are using TikTok in their practices. It’s a different approach to education and made me think back to my college sociology class when I first heard the Canadian communication theorist Marshall McLuhan’s phrase “the medium is the message.” This phrase stuck with me over the years, and it seems relevant to consider if and how offering our information in different media formats might somehow influence what we are saying — or how what we are saying is being heard. Given a choice of text or video, I still gravitate toward the written word; I suspect this reflects many hours during my childhood spent reading (and often rereading) every book in our small-town library. Electronics came later in life. Things are different today, and electronic learning is part of life. It’s amazing to watch how quickly things are changing. I can’t promise to become a TikTok regular, but it’s great that we have dermatologists out there helping to share our expertise with the world!
In a separate, but perhaps not totally unrelated article, Assistant Managing Editor Allison Evans takes on a top AADA advocacy priority, the “slippery slope” of non-physician providers seeking authority to perform cosmetic medical procedures. In many states, non-physician providers, ranging from physician assistants and nurse practitioners to dentists to naturopaths, have lobbied their state legislatures, hoping to be allowed to perform procedures including cosmetic lasers, injection of neurotoxins, and dermal fillers, even surgical procedures independently. Some have been successful and, unfortunately, some of us have encountered bad outcomes that resulted from procedures performed by those without the training to manage potential complications. The Academy stands firm behind its assertion that board-certified dermatologists have the training and expertise to provide the best and safest care for patients undergoing cosmetic medical procedures. Read this article to see where we are on this important issue and, as always, may I suggest that this might offer some potential ideas for you to get involved and help fight on behalf of our patients?
I close by wishing hearty congratulations to the recipients of the new Academy HAIR Grant awards. An unfortunate situation for those injured by Wen hair care products may benefit individuals with cicatricial alopecia. The AAD received an unexpected windfall in the form of a cy pres award and, after an extremely competitive application process, will divide the proceeds among several dermatologists to research the etiology and management of cicatricial alopecia. Their proposals are very exciting, and we look forward to sharing their results in the hopefully near future!
