But social media is messy, and not everyone fits neatly into a box. Enter the hybrids, where archetypes mix, creating unique combinations that mirror today’s chaotic banter. Let’s explore these archetypes and their dynamic hybrids to understand the playground of modern discourse. Let’s take a look and have some fun.

The Original Archetypes: Single-Track Voices

1. The Rabble-Rouser

• Core Trait: Disruption for attention.
• Purpose: To ignite emotions—anger, excitement, outrage—without much depth or direction.
• Example: The protester shouting slogans, more interested in noise than nuance.

These are the attention magnets of social media, drawing eyes with sheer volume and emotional appeal. They may lack a roadmap, but they know how to make a scene.

2. The Instigator

• Core Trait: Calculated provocation.
• Purpose: To manipulate circumstances for a specific, often hidden agenda.
• Example: The political strategist who turns outrage into votes.

Instigators are the chess players of social media, moving pieces with purpose, often to divide and conquer.

3. The Provocateur

• Core Trait: Intellectual disruption.
• Purpose: To challenge norms, provoke thought, and foster dialogue.
• Example: The philosopher whose tweets make you uncomfortable but wiser.

They’re the rare gems of the internet—voices that cut through the noise and make us stop, think, and reconsider our world.

The Hybrids: Where the Fun Begins

Social media is rarely black and white. Voices mix, blending archetypes into new combinations that dominate the discourse. Here are some of the more intriguing hybrids:

1. The Rabble-Gator (Rabble-Rouser + Instigator)

Emotion meets strategy. These are your viral agitators who seem impulsive but have a hidden playbook. Think of the influencer who stirs outrage over an issue only to plug their merch at the end.

In Action: “Can you believe this injustice?! Also, check out my new line of activist T-shirts.”

2. The Provoca-Rouser (Provocateur + Rabble-Rouser)

Intellectual chaos. Provoca-Rousers thrive on stirring emotions but with an underlying message. They want to make you angry, not for chaos’ sake, but to drive critical thought.

In Action: “Your job doesn’t love you. Your landlord isn’t your friend. Let’s talk about systemic reform.”

3. The Prova-Gator (Provocateur + Instigator)

Strategic enlightenment. Prova-Gators use their intellectual clout with precision, planting seeds of change that bloom into meaningful action.

In Action: “This report will make you rethink everything you know about [hot topic]. Stay tuned for what we can do next.”

4. The Chaos Connoisseur (Rabble-Rouser + Instigator + Provocateur)

Master of all trades. The Chaos Connoisseur blends emotion, strategy, and intellect into a perfectly orchestrated storm. They ignite debates, drive agendas, and leave you questioning everything.

In Action: “The receipts are here. The consequences are coming. Let’s break this down.”

5. The Meme Theorist (Rabble-Rouser + Provocateur)

Laugh and learn. The Meme Theorist hides profound insights within humor, using memes to simplify complex ideas while sparking dialogue.

In Action: “When AI takes your job but still can’t fold a fitted sheet. Let’s talk about automation and labor economics.”

6. The Strategic Firestarter (Instigator + Rabble-Rouser)

Calculated chaos. They thrive on emotional disruption but always have a clear goal. Think of a brand dropping a controversial ad that gets everyone talking (and buying).

In Action: “How did this ad get approved? Oh, wait…marketing genius.”

7. The Enlightened Agitator (Instigator + Provocateur)

Disruption for growth. These voices provoke discomfort to foster change, combining strategy with intellectual depth to challenge entrenched norms.

In Action: “This isn’t just a trend; it’s a wake-up call. Let’s rethink how we approach this issue.”

Why Understanding These Archetypes Matter?

Social media isn’t just noise—it’s a reflection of our collective psyche. Recognizing these archetypes helps us navigate the digital landscape, decipher motives, and engage meaningfully. Are you reacting to a Rabble-Rouser, manipulated by an Instigator, or inspired by a Provocateur? And more importantly, where does your own voice fit in?

So, next time you post or engage online, consider your role in the conversation. Are you stirring emotions, driving agendas, or fostering thought? By embracing the power of archetypes (or their hybrids), you can become a more intentional and impactful participant in the digital dialogue.

The post Voices of Chaos: The Archetypes of Social Media Banter appeared first on Medika Life.

The perpetual fear of being re-harmed or fear of harming others in any way, stemming from child abuse and violence, or any other trauma or issue, can exist either consciously or unconsciously. These particular type of symptoms occur from the compromise or loss of the sense of the goodness/stability of our self and loss of personal and human identity. 

Christina Vaughn

Harm OCD is a common subtype of OCD that causes intrusive, unwanted thoughts, images or urges to harm oneself or others.

My Experience of The Results Of Early Trauma

A Breeding Ground For OCD

After experiencing sexual abuse in 1983 at age 14, I began having symptoms of panic in my everyday life, fight or flight responses that worked to keep me in a constant state of terror and an urgency to try to control my environment.

A few weeks after being sexually abused by a fellow (adult, age 19) student in my high school, I became acutely aware that I had begun aggressively shaking my knee as I sat in each class, distracting myself from the chaos I felt inside. I began to recognize that I felt on edge all the time. I then began making decisions that put me further in harm’s way, such as hanging out with the girls I had met who had also been abused by the same person. Other boys I met in this crowd began to prey on me as well, as the unaddressed vulnerability from trauma often attracted the attention of other abusers.

The most detrimental, long-lasting effect of the abuse that I still struggle with today was the overwhelming feelings of “foreboding” and heaviness (guilt). I had no words or definition for the blanket of dark and suffocating terror that would creep over me.

Upon revealing to my parents what had happened to me, I was guided to my high school counselor for “talking” about the incident and subsequent harmful occurrences in my life.

Tragically, this man had the habit of taking advantage of vulnerable students and further traumatized me and my situation by asking overtly inappropriate sexual questions and making lewd suggestions to me regarding the abuse. This was all said after he got up and locked his office door in that first and only appointment before executing these violations against me.

I received no other help for the abuse nor sought help until recently, 40 years after the original incident of abuse. Manifestations of abuse will erupt sometime, somewhere in life and more so erratic and abstract without therapy.

Symptoms Begin To Manifest

I first experienced a year-long bout with OCD symptoms in 1989 at age 20 during my first pregnancy and for the first year of my newborn son’s life. I can say with confidence that the symptoms evolved with a definition of Postpartum Syndrome. Still, I believe the issue was more related to an initial acute presentation of Harm OCD.

Because of the urgent nature of harmful thoughts, sensations, and impulses toward my newborn, I believed I was a murderer and only told my father what was happening a year after the experience began because I thought I was going to lose control, commit a violent act, and be sent to prison. To me, the threat was very real. The impact remains with me. The overwhelming vulnerability and incredible sense of loss of self-control were tormentous and paralyzing.

Today, I still have strong memories of several other random thought processes related to my children’s safety that occurred in the past 33 years and provoked life-long terror, guilt, and shame.

The ever-present foreboding feelings caused me to almost completely shy away from intimate playtime with my children as they were growing up. I did not know that these feelings I was having were defined as anything except scary. I was terrified of committing a criminal act involuntarily so I just distanced myself in that way.

I saw and felt that it confused and hurt them. I did not know what to do and deeply grieved the loss we were all experiencing and felt such deep sorrow and shame that subsequently drove most of my life decisions forward.

I experienced a second extended bout of intrusive thought processes and symptomatic Harm OCD several years later:

One Thanksgiving holiday, I made plans to travel from our home in Austin, Texas to Dallas to be with family. After many setbacks in the plans, including having the brakes on our car suddenly go out and finagling repairs near a Holiday, we set out. Just before we reached the highway, a commercial truck hit us head-on. My 8-year-old daughter smashed her face into the back of my seat. Everyone was crying and upset, especially me.

All the frustrations of single-parenting and years of being alone in our needs as humans and family void of any support just seemed to capitalize that day emotionally.

Our car was towed, and we went home. I pressed the insurance company for a rental and we went on to Dallas the next day, but not without experiencing a terrifying incident the night of the crash at the kids’ bedtime.

While putting my two youngest children to bed, I turned my head to speak to them and distinctly heard the words with overpowering impulse “Kill them, kill them, now!”

I was startled and terrified. My body had a neuro-receptive response and I felt “shaky” inside and felt the urgent need for immediate cover or safety, but there was none. Again, because I had no reference point or explanation for any of these feelings, I just condemned myself as crazy and innately murderous.

From that point on, I continued to suffer from harmful thoughts, sensations, and impulses for almost 3 years. One particular day, I had enough and as I was driving somewhere I finally verbally “evicted” what I perceived as demons (and there is truth to this) from my life and thoughts. What changed was that I actually shifted my thought processes and decided to “stop believing the problem was character-related” and to “pay them no attention.”

These two belief mindsets are the bedrock of OCD therapy, as I have learned in my extensive research during the last couple of years.

This thought process is challenged constantly in my life with the symptoms and various nuances of OCD and I do not always have victory over it in the moment, but I am aware of its incongruencies, now, at least.

In employing these changes in my attitude toward the thoughts at the time, the intensity of the symptoms was relieved. Although I experienced relapses of them, they were very brief in comparison.

I endured a few more intense encounters over the following years. Notably, it has only been the last year that I have gained any understanding of and even the definition for OCD and how it is intricately connected to the root origins of C-PTSD I see my therapist.

How Can Sexual Abuse show up as (Harm) OCD Symptoms?

The correlation between childhood abuse (and other traumas) and OCD are noted as often congruent occurrences. Although psychotherapy does not directly source the two at this time, it is well-documented that the sudden and invasive loss of one’s personal boundaries works immediately to compromise an individual’s trust of themselves, others, their surroundings, the perception of their safety, and that of others in their world.

These and many other dysregulated responses create an environment of uncertainty in the mind that seeks from conception to reassure itself. Fear becomes a leading emotion, one from which most of life’s subsequent choices are made, including reactions, responses, and emotional states of being. Autonomic body responses (sensations, impulses, unexplained physical symptoms — the feeling that your response to the symptoms is involuntary.) occur and can cause a great deal of confusion concerning one’s personal “desires” vs. OCD symptoms.

The perpetual fear of being re-harmed or fear of harming others in any way, stemming from child abuse and violence, or any other trauma or issue, can exist either consciously or unconsciously. These particular type of symptoms occur from the compromise or loss of the sense of the goodness/stability of our self and loss of personal and human identity.

Unconsciously, there is the question sometimes asked of oneself “If someone could do those things to me, what stops me from doing the same to others?”

This begins a tormentous, scrupulous investigation into one’s innate morals and decency, true intentions in interactions with others, and a condemning defamation of our person.

Convoluted thought processes that occur as the mind tries to make sense of both the trauma experienced and what to do and how to be afterward can produce thoughts focusing on potential similar threats to those we love and others we value, as OCD capitulates many times on the themes and values we hold dearest to us: such as children, family, certain populations (children, parents) reputation, body functions and perception and others.

Feeling like you could harm someone you love or others physically, sexually, or otherwise (this includes children, which is deeply distressing to experience) detaches a person from healthy physical and emotional interactions with those around us.

As we focus on the horror of those type of thoughts we seclude ourselves further emotionally and physically second to the tormenting shame and guilt associated with those thoughts. One can begin to question every physical or emotional encounter, ruminating relentlessly on one’s “true intentions” for touch, especially any response to normal human interactions.

This is crippling and debilitating.

What To Do:

The primary route to wellness in and from Harm OCD is obtaining help. Therapy for Harm OCD and any other OCD theme includes many methods, with ERP showing the most positive and effective treatment.

Obtaining proper intervention prevents and treats the resultant state of mind that can evolve from initial concerning symptoms to the absolute terror, panic, and dark, chaotic existence that can happen from isolation. Trying to “figure it out” on your own will not bring success, the same way a heart attack or a broken leg will not fix itself without proper intervention.

Many people suffer in silence as guilt, shame, and humiliation prevent them from speaking about their OCD experiences. Being human with a creative mind means we are going to encounter bizarre and sometimes problematic mind processes.

You are not crazy, murderous, pedophilic, or losing your sanity. You have OCD and you need help right now.

Disclaimer: This article focuses on the relationship between Harm OCD and (child) sexual abuse. This type of OCD is not specific to an abuse victim of any particular violence and can occur in anyone for many reasons other than abuse. There is always a core fear(s) that needs to be addressed in any subtype of OCD to treat it effectively.

The post How Past Sexual Abuse Can Show Up As (Harm) OCD appeared first on Medika Life.

Teenagers and young kids use their smartphones a lot to browse social media, particularly Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. The average age of first use is decreasing to 12 to 13 years, indicating the necessity of establishing a personal social identity before using social networks. Due to their screen size, interactive features, and capacity to stream information like video games, films, photographs, and applications, smartphones are gradually replacing desktop computers as the devices of choice for younger people.

When we consider that the brains of children are not fully formed until about the age of 25, we can appreciate that teens and younger children are not equipped to see the risk of excessive media devices like smartphones. If parents discourage this abuse, especially around bedtime or in the morning when they arise or during school hours, it may not address the “addiction” to the media. And the word “addiction” is being used, but is it really the proper word to use?

The risk factors of excessive use of social media are numerous. They include overuse, uncontrollable behaviors like checking for alerts all the time, mental health issues including sadness and anxiety, and physical issues. Even the physical problems are a result of this behavior. When using cell phones, youth with smartphone addiction had considerably flexed cervical posture and reduced cervical range of motion, according to measurements made using an inclinometer.

10,000 questionnaires in total in Italy were filled out for a study on cell phone use. Youngsters reported using their phones for more than 3 hours (41%), more than 2 hours (29%), more than 1 hour (21%), and less than 1 hour (9%) per day. Children using the devices right before bed (38%), during class (24%), and right when they wake up in the morning (21%), were found to be using them problematically.

Fourteen percent of teenagers had addictions that had been recorded. Low academic results, impaired concentration (24%), neck and back pain (12%), insomnia (10%), and mood changes (7%) were among the effects that were noted. The results, therefore, confirmed that there are both psychological and physical issues associated with the excessive use of these digital devices. This was true in other European countries where research has been initiated, such as Croatia, the Czech Republic, Germany, Estonia, Italy, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, and Serbia, where over 80% of children aged 9–16 use a smartphone to access the Internet at least once a day. One problem with most of these studies, however, is that they are based on self-report, a potentially highly biased means of research.

Is there any positive use of cell phones by adolescents? Teenage boys and girls are nearly equally likely to say they use their gadgets frequently or occasionally to interact with others (85% vs. 83%, respectively), pass the time (both 90%), or learn new things (79% vs. 87%), according to a survey. But it may also be a means of avoiding face-to-face communication, and we have to wonder what might be behind that. Fifty-four percent of the girls in this survey said that they use phones to avoid physical interactions, while boys use the phone in this way a bit more than thirty percent. Half of the sample believed they used cell phones too much and wanted to cut back. But in a culture that is heavily geared toward their use, is it possible to cut back? When more than half of the teens said they used the phones to avoid feeling lonely or anxious, especially girls, it presented challenges for them.

University students, too, expressed heavy use of cell phones. They, too, have both physical and mental difficulties associated with it, complaining of chronic neck and back pain, eye strain, weight gain, depression, and loneliness. The alternatives recommended were more physical activities planned for students and activities that could cut down on the use of phones. In a world of more than 6.5 billion users, one has to wonder how the decreased use of phones might play out when stress and loneliness appear to drive their use.

How can parents, guardians, or schools help to offer solutions to excessive cell phone use? Hobbies, social interactions, and physical activity can all influence a more balanced lifestyle for teens and younger children. Urge the young person to take part in social activities, make genuine connections with friends, and spend time with family in person.

A cell phone can be an important tool in our worldwide culture, but it can also disrupt lives in negative ways in terms of mental health, isolation, and physical problems, too.

The post Unhappy or Depressed Teens and Social Media’s Involvement Isn’t So Simple appeared first on Medika Life.

Imagine a medical grand rounds, where doctors and healthcare professionals from around the world come together to discuss cases, share insights, and learn from each other. Now, imagine being able to attend this grand round from the comfort of your own home, using nothing but your phone and a Twitter account.

This is the potential of Twitter Spaces.

Traditionally, grand rounds have been in-person events, often held at hospitals or medical schools. They can be an invaluable source of education and collaboration for medical professionals, but they can also be difficult to attend due to time and location constraints.

Twitter Spaces allows anyone with a Twitter account to host or participate in an audio conversation, bringing the benefits of a grand round to a wider audience. It’s easy to use and requires no additional software or downloads.

In a medical context, Twitter Spaces could be used to discuss cases, share research findings, or even provide continuing medical education. It could bring together experts from different specialties, enabling them to share their knowledge and experiences with a global audience. Further, the “event” can be held at any time or in association with breaking medical and scientific news or urgent matter.

Of course, there are potential challenges to using Twitter Spaces for medical discussions. Ensuring the accuracy and reliability of information shared is crucial, and it will be important for hosts to carefully moderate their Spaces to ensure that only credible sources are cited. But that’s the nature of an open dialogue—expect conflict and controversy.

Overall, Twitter Spaces has the potential to be a valuable tool for medical professionals looking to share knowledge and collaborate with their peers. By bringing the grand round experience to a digital platform, it has the power to connect doctors and healthcare professionals in a way that was previously impossible. So, it can be a new medical grand rounds where facts meet, insights collide, and medicine is advanced.

The post Is Twitter Spaces The New Medical Grand Rounds? appeared first on Medika Life.

The challenges that our world faces are grim, immense, and numerous. From climate change threatening to irrevocably alter the habitability of our planet to the resurgence of fascism across the globe, from a still-churning global pandemic with new viral variants appearing regularly to overt racial injustice rearing its ugly head, there is no shortage of worldly problems that could drive even the most optimistic person to despair temporarily. But for those who are already struggling to keep their heads above the proverbial water, the burden can become too much to bear.

When even day-to-day life seems insurmountable, how can someone struggling to cope with the negativity in the world find the strength to carry on? How do you safeguard your mental health and well-being in a world that constantly threatens to chip away at it?

Strategically Disengage

For all its potential to bring us together, social media can also be a driver of negativity at a volume that few other mediums can match. Suppose you spend enough time on Twitter or Facebook. In that case, the respective algorithm of whatever platform you’re on will, at some point, inevitably surface something that might drive you deeper or heighten your anxiety. Similarly, staying glued to the news will overwhelmingly remind you only of what’s wrong in the world and can often create a feeling of helplessness in the face of its enormity. If you cannot tear yourself away, doom scrolling instead of sleeping, delete the apps. Silence the alerts. Turn off the television or computer. Focus on what’s right in front of you – your health, your family, and your friends.

Fight Small Battles, Achieve Small Victories

When it seems like you as an individual are incapable of changing the trajectory of society at large, it might be time to think smaller—volunteer for a cause you deem worthy. Become a mentor. Start or join a club centered around a favorite hobby. Do something small with a high chance of success that will increase your self-esteem and make you feel accomplished. Exercise control where you can and make a positive change that’s tangible and meaningful to you. Making a difference for others, your community, or yourself can narrow your focus and give you the perspective you need: you can make a difference, you can do good, and the world is better off for having you in it.

Share the Burden

Commiseration can be the best therapy. Finding like-minded individuals with whom you can openly and honestly converse can reduce feelings of isolation and helplessness. You’ve undoubtedly heard the old axiom they tell you in school, “Don’t be afraid to ask a question. If you want to ask it, odds are someone else does too.” The same is true when the world seems overwhelming. Though it may feel like it, you’re not the only one struggling. Despair comes for us all from time to time, and when it hits, conversing with someone with equal concerns, even if neither of you have solutions, can make a difference in your mental state. At a minimum, you’ll know you’re not alone.

Ultimately it comes down to control: what you can and can’t do. Focusing on what you can’t control, like the political machinations of megalomaniacs or the destructive potential of fossil fuel companies, can legitimately rock the stability of any conscientious person. Conversely, focusing on what you can control within your sphere of influence, however narrow or seemingly insignificant, can help you achieve the victories you need to keep going.

Find a reason to wake up and get out of bed tomorrow. The world can’t always provide that reason for you. Sometimes you need to create it yourself.

The post Carrying On in a World That Can Seem Beyond Repair appeared first on Medika Life.

Almost three billion people now use messaging apps, which will also rise. Much of this lucrative marketing information is in selling products or services, not simply messaging among friends. How much of the information related to healthcare transferred over our cells and our computers is accurate? And should we be skeptical of all of it?

Less than a decade ago, when the Internet was still in its explosive growth stage, any patient who went into a physician’s office and asked about material found on the Internet might not have received a warm welcome. The response while looking askance would have been something like, “Oh, you consulted Dr. Internet or Dr. Wikipedia?”

In my experience, there was little to no room for consideration of such health information, even from reputable sources. Were the physicians fearful of losing status or concerned about faulty healthcare facts? Perhaps it was a little of both.

Concerns regarding misinformation of health information on the Internet are being raised in the professional literature. Studies are beginning to investigate how professionals intend to correct health misinformation on social media by using various methods such as private and public conversations and private and public rebuttals using social media. If the media is the message, to quasi-quote Marshall McLuhan, that’s where the message must reside.

And the quantity of health misinformation may be shocking to some. The prevalence of health misinformation was the highest on Twitter and on issues related to smoking products and drugs. However, misinformation on major public health issues, such as vaccines and diseases, was also high.

One of the significant obstacles to countering this health misinformation is the enormous quantity of material that must be assessed and the methods to correct it. Should we depend on healthcare watchdogs that have this one task as their mission, or should all consumers be active in the pursuit of truth? But what is truth to one is abhorrent to another whose beliefs do not meet our standards. This, then, is where one of our most significant duties lies; correcting misinformation.

The World Health Information, when considering misinformation on Covid-19 and vaccines, recognized the enormity and seriousness of the problem. A double-edged sword faces all healthcare. As WHO indicated…technology and social media are being used on a massive scale to keep people safe, informed, productive, and connected. At the same time, the technology we rely on to keep connected and informed is enabling and amplifying an infodemic that continues to undermine the global response and jeopardizes measures to control the pandemic. But social media is also aimed at ALL health and healthcare activities and products and isn’t limited to vaccines.

We are faced with a situation that requires governments, healthcare organizations, politicians, and psychologists to enlist all their resources to provide health information correctly. But when we have social media activities creating an environment of fear and disbelief, how do we handle it?

If we attempt to stifle the voices, we are seen as against the free dissemination of information and free speech or backward thinking. Stepping up with correct information can also be seen by non-believers as a campaign of disinformation in the service of individual corporate and political goals around control and profit.

The United Nations in 2020 did begin an effort toward providing health information in a disinformation war. A grassroots initiative was established and they stated its aim as follows: The initiative is calling on people around the world to sign up to become “information volunteers” to share trusted content to keep their families and communities safe and connected. Described as digital-first responders, the volunteers will receive a daily feed of verified content optimized for social sharing with simple, compelling messaging that either directly counters misinformation or fills an information void.

How many of us are aware of this effort two years into this project, and is it mainly directed toward third-world nations? I hadn’t seen any media on it. I was unaware of the group action called Purpose and its collaboration with major corporations. Not solely an effort against healthcare misinformation, the group’s efforts are comprehensive in scope and work toward creating safe, healthy environments for all worldwide.

We must learn to evaluate healthcare information and not swallow it whole as anyone presents. You have resources at your disposal, and you need to use them. When you hear something about an illness, medication, or procedure, search for information on healthcare and use multiple sources.

When you read about research, what questions should you ask? How about who funded it, how many patients were involved, and what did it do regarding what they set out to research?

Confining your efforts to one source (and Wikipedia is not THE source) is insufficient. You have an obligation to your health and that of those in your immediate group and your country to ensure information is being adequately verified.

How many of you know that, at one time, cocaine was in cigarettes and soda and considered an excellent medication for sore throats and one way to escape from the clutches of morphine addiction? Freud, physicians, and even a Pope used cocaine for their ills or anxiety. Freud did write about his adventures with cocaine. If he had only had access to more information and less ego, perhaps Emma would not have almost died from his nasal surgery for her masturbation.

Questioning is a good thing. Keep that thought in mind whenever you’re confronted with a healthcare situation.

The post Is Social Media to Be Trusted for Health Information? appeared first on Medika Life.

Tweet, retweet, and tweet again. A single tweet is fine, but you need to retweet your own post too.  Typically, I’ll retweet my post in about two hours.  It’s also very effective to tweet the post again over the course of days as long as the information is still relevant or part of emerging news or discussions.  

Content over timing. I like to post in the morning EST, and I try to keep a flow during the day. But I don’t think timing is nearly as important as content. Craft your tweet carefully and make sure your thought is clear and well-articulated.

Use your analytics page.  Twitter offers powerful analytics to help you see what tweets are getting activity.  I use this page to see what tweets are getting traction.

Remember hashtags.  This will help define you and your brand.  As a health tech influencer, I commonly use #digitalhealth.  But sometimes I’ll include #AI, #technology, #healthtech, #IoT, #HIT, etc.  It’s important to select key hashtags that “connected” you with a topic—from #rockandroll to #elonmusk. This will help focus your tweet and even begin to trend in some of the hashtag lists. But remember, the hashtag must connect you with an audience or topic.  Using a campaign or slogan (that no one knows about) is generally ineffective.

Don’t forget to add people / profiles to the tweet. You can tag people or add their name to the body of the tweet.  Compliments and friendly comments always get a big engagement.  But you can also add people for their legit opinion or to “cc them.”  

Brilliant tweets are rarely noticed.  Sad but true—but keep doing them because it’s a reflection of your brand and can sometimes punch into the mainstream conversation.

Visuals can be critical.  Cut and paste images to your tweets.  There are also various free sources, like Pixabay, that I used for the image in this blog post.

Use DMs to build relationships.  Connecting directly to other people can be powerful.  These messages can help evolve and focus a discussion.  They can also build relationships.  But, don’t overdo it.

Read it.  Post it.  I read articles all day from various sources.  If I like it—even a little—I’ll usually post it.  Make sure you read the entire article, check the date (sometimes articles can be years old!), and post it.  For twitter, the article headline usually works for the tweet, but think about making it more interesting by putting it in your own words or reframing the topic closer to your topic of interest. 

Remember to include those hashtags!  This process helps you “read” and educate yourself on current topics. Also, when you see a good link on a tweet, go to the story, read it yourself, and tweet it as a new tweet in your timeline. A good trick is to cut and paste a few sentences from the actual story and add it to the body of the tweet.  This adds direct content and gives you a bit of an “author’s authority” rather than simply a retweeter.

Customize and find your voice!  Develop some key words and language that can help evolve your twitter style.  CAP, “My POV” or other stylistic components can be helpful.  Use these devices regularly to reinforce your brand.

Silly posts commonly get more engagement. I get more traffic with a silly cartoon or photo.  People like this.  And as long as you use hashtags, it will help drive your stats and mindshare. Remember, it’s your brand.  So, excessively funny or silly posts will establish you in this context.

Twitter can be a daunting exercise.  But building a voice and an audience should follow these basic steps. After a while, you can see what works best for you and establish a routine that optimizes your workflow and resonates with your audience.  And remember, follow me on Twitter and say hello!

The post The Secrets Of A Twitter Influencer appeared first on Medika Life.

it’s imperative that we see that emerging value of technology is to bring humanity together. Technology will become the connective tissue of humanity to build the bonds that may otherwise never be made. It will help us navigate around the all-too-human issues of ignorance, bias, and prejudice and pave the path of understanding.

In particular, healthcare, medicine, and digital health are areas where social media and social media networks can play a valuable role.  From insights derived from the often muted and subtle voices of patients and caregivers to the robust debate on scientific issues, social media platforms offer a crucible of discussion and debate that can drive important changes. We all know the power of medical congresses, patient advocacy groups, and journals. 

I thought it would be interesting to give you a sense of my perspective on social media with a focus on one of my favorites, Twitter.  And remember, we all start off in that lonely place with zero followers.

Relationships and engagement matter.  From my perspective, social media isn’t a simple broadcast channel, like a TV spot.  It’s a two-way street when you have direct access to both lanes.  Some “influencers” use social media as a tool to simple broadcast something without any real engagement. That’s really more of a myopic advertising strategy than leveraging the robust potential of social media where two-way engagement is optimal

It’s the follow…and the follow back!   It’s important to take some time and follow people that interest you and are active in your field.  It’s a bit of a hunting expedition and leveraging  what you see and learn from other media channels is the perfect fodder to grow your list.  And remember, it’s good form to follow back, especially those with whom you share interests.  Personally, I find it a bit off-putting that some “influencers” follow very few people.  Their lopsided numbers don’t really reflect a level of engagement that I find most valuable.

It’s the power of your idea. For better or worse, your word or images can catalyze a discussion. When a post goes viral, it’s the power of the idea and not the source that can often ignite this dynamic. Twitter provides a surprising flat playing field and that’s a significant advantage for you.

Twitter is a powerful and top search engine. If you use Google, you should use Twitter to get a sense of what’s going on now!  One of the unique aspects of this channel is that it can give you a strong sense of what’s going on at this very moment.  From a breaking clinical paper to a convention, Twitter provides a temporal aspect to search that is often overlooked.

Remember those hashtags.  Hashtags anchor your posts in a context and drive search engine optimization. This will help define you and your brand.  I use #digitalhealth a lot and that’s were much of my discussions live.  But sometimes I’ll include #AI, #technology, #healthtech, #IoT, #HIT, etc.  This can help focus your tweet and even begin to trend in some of the hashtag lists.  My suggestion is to use #digitalhealth as it’s a smaller cluster of total tweets (than things like #health or #medicine).

Humorous and friendly posts get lots of eyeballs.  Sometimes, I get more traffic with a silly cartoon or friendly comment.  People like this.  And as long as you use hashtags to define and focus your message, it’s fine.  These “fun diversions” will help drive your stats and mindshare.  But it also will help to define your brand.  So, be careful and remember, you are what you tweet!

Post can include people. You can simply tag people or add their name to the body of the tweet.  This will drive the post directly to their timeline and foster some level of engagement.  This is a powerful way to drive a conversation with your followers or other content experts. Sometimes, you can get a reaction from very prominent voices. But remember, don’t wear out your welcome.

Read it.  Post it.  This is one of my best secrets! I read articles all day from various sources.  If I like it—even a little—I’ll simply post it.  Read the article, check the date (sometimes they are years old!), and post it.  For twitter, the article headline usually works, but think about making it more interesting by putting it in your own words or reframing the topic closer to your key topics and areas.  Remember to include those hashtags!  This process helps you “read” and educate yourself on current topics. 

The retweet or the repost.  Our inclination is often to just retweet something interesting.  But often, there’s a link to a paper or story.  It’s important that you follow up and check out the link, even if you just read the abstract or first paragraph.  Go to the story and tweet it for yourself as a new tweet. For LinkedIn, you always get the “text box” to add your comments to the story.  A good trick is to cut and paste a few sentences from the actual story.  This adds direct content and makes it look like you’re doing more work than you really are.

Brilliant tweets can go unnoticed.  This is sad but true and can be a source of frustration.  But keep doing it because it’s a reflection of your brand and can sometimes punch into the mainstream conversation.  Nothing is as powerful as an idea whose time has come.  And that’s something you can’t accurately predict

Visuals add a punch!  Cut and paste images to your tweets to give them more punch! Visuals always increase likes and retweets. There are lots of free stock art sites that can be searched by topic.

Use direct messaging to build relationships.  These can be amazing “behind the scenes” conversations that build relationships. From a simple “thank you” to a serious question / comment, a DM is a power tool.

Analytics always help. Go to your analytics page on twitter or LinkedIn and see how well your posts are doing.  I retweet my posts all the time—even the ones that aren’t getting any traction. It’s good to see what work and which ones get little or no attention.  This provides an iterative process to help make your posts more resonant with your audience.

Customize and find your voice!  Develop some key words and language that can help evolve your typographic and linguistic style.  CAP, “My POV” or other stylistic components can be helpful and memorable and make your posts resonate.

Social media is a very powerful tool that helps you listen, learn, and become a part of today’s digital world.  Traditional media will have a role, but social media adds another layer that gives the individual an empowered and democratized voice.  I’ve worked hard to craft smart and interesting content, and this has developed into powerful business connections and also close personal friends.   It’s your network, and in many ways, it’s your net worth too!

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