Social Media, Healthcare, and Medical Ethics

Catalog description

It is difficult to overstate the impact of the internet and social media on our lives. Individuals, families, communities, and societies have been transformed. People now relate to and communicate with one another in ways previously unimagined. Social media platforms have redefined our understanding and expectations about friendship, citizenship, individual privacy, and, most fundamentally, reality. In this course, we will examine the conceptual and ethical challenges posed by the use of artificial intelligence, social media, and the ‘internet of things’ in healthcare contexts. We will begin with selections from the philosophy of technology and then explore ethical issues in the application of social media and artificial intelligence across health care. The course will combine both didactics and discussion to engage students on these issues.