title: Social media and impression management: Veterinary Medicine students' and faculty members' attitudes toward the acceptability of social media posts.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  While social media has the potential to be used to make professional and personal connections, it can also be used inappropriately, with detrimental ramifications for the individual in terms of their professional reputation and even hiring decisions. This research explored students' and faculty members' perceptions of the acceptability of various social media postings.
  
  
  METHODS
  This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2015. All students and faculty members at the College of Veterinary Medicine were invited to participate. The sample size included 140 students and 69 faculty members who completed the Social Media Scale (SMS), a 7-point semantic differential scale. The SMS consisted of 12 items that measured the extent to which a variety of behaviors, using social media, constituted acceptable and unacceptable behaviors. Items appearing on the SMS were an amalgamation of modified items previously presented by Coe, Weijs, Muise et al. (2012) and new items generated specifically for this study. The data were collected during the spring semester of 2015 using Qualtrics online survey software and analyzed using t-tests and ANOVA.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results showed that statistically significant differences existed between the students' and faculty members' ratings of acceptable behavior, as well as gender differences and differences across class years.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings have implications for the development of policy and educational initiatives around professional identity management in the social sphere.
authors: Communication, Department of Clinical Sciences, NC State University, Raleigh, USA.
authors: April A
authors: AA
authors: Kedrowicz
authors: Educational Assessment and Outcomes, Department of Clinical Sciences, NC State University, Raleigh, USA.
authors: Kenneth
authors: K
authors: Royal
authors: Academic Affairs, Department of Clinical Sciences, NC State University, Raleigh, USA.
authors: Keven
authors: K
authors: Flammer
keywords:  Medical education ;  Medical faculty;  Medical students ;  Professionalism ; Social media 