By Julie Stefanski, PAND PR & Social Media Co-Chair
What do you envision when you think of being bullied as child? Maybe for you it was hair pulling on the school bus or unkind words in gym class. Bullying hurts. One would imagine as adults and as dietetics professionals we could leave that type of behavior behind along with dodge ball. It seems not to be the case when it comes to social media.
Personally I have a passion for social media. Enough that I’ve volunteered countless hours as the social media manager for the PA Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics for the past five years. I love the interaction, I love the up to date news and getting to know colleagues far and wide.
What I don’t love is the negativity that can occur when opinions don’t align. Have you witnessed a colleague being bullied on social media?
Kelly R. Jones MS, RD, CSSD, LDN, owner of Kelly Jones Nutrition in Bucks County, PA recognizes that having a presence on social media or a blog opens the door for inviting comments on her opinion. The real surprise for Kelly came when the most serious and personal attacks on her work came not from the general public, but from members of our profession.
When Kelly received multiple negative messages on social media attacking not only her opinion, but also her professionalism, it was disheartening, “It is hard to put into words how I felt, but I mostly was worried if my followers would doubt my authority as a dietitian. I had to remind myself I have a Master’s Degree, have published research, and am an Assistant Professor. I welcome criticism and love to speak with my colleagues about differences in opinion so that we can learn from one another and be more open-minded as professionals.”
Malorie Blake, MS, RDN, LDN agrees, “When we are divided, the profession suffers.” Malorie, owner of Wholesome 365 in Hanover, PA shared, “I realize we are in an evidence-based profession, but the evidence we are presented with can be interpreted in different ways. When we lose sight of this and bully those that don’t conform to a certain mold, especially behind the mask of social media, it makes our professional credibility tank.”
So what can we do to address this issue? Well, a brand new initiative was unveiled at the opening session of FNCE!
To help foster comraderie among our professional community and encourage constructive engagement among peers, Food & Nutrition Magazine® —— has created a voluntary Pledge of Professional Civility. We are encouraging everyone to take the pledge to offer respect through our actions on social media.
Here is part of the pledge we can all get behind:
The Pledge of Professional Civility
- I pledge to demonstrate respect to my colleagues and all others.
- I pledge to support constructive dialogue and positive engagement.
- I pledge to discourage the public belittling of my colleagues, even when we do not agree.
- I pledge to model professional conduct in all my public communications and actions.
Read more about it at : https://foodandnutrition.org/professionalcivility/
Click here to show your support for professional civility. We’re all in this together!
