SOCIAL NETWORK SITES AS INFORMATIONAL SOURCES IN SURROGATE DECISION-MAKING

[摘要] Much has been said on the proposed use of social network sites (SNS) as informational sources in the surrogate decision-making process. Since it was suggested by Jessica Berg in her article, 'Surrogate Decision Making in the Internet Age,” there has been a flurry of scholarly commentary debating the value of such information; considering the practicality and feasibility of its use; determining the myriad of ways social network sites could be involved in medical decision-making; and teasing out the possible moral concerns that arise out of the inclusion of information gleaned from SNS . This project critically analyzes the benefits and possible hazards of using social network profiles as informational sources for surrogate decision-making and outlines a framework within which one can evaluate the situational applicability of its use. Ultimately, I argue that in certain cases SNS are an appropriate and helpful informational source for use in surrogate decision-making. Furthermore, I argue that the information retrieved from SNS sites ought to be evaluated and considered in much the same way that other, more traditional sources of information are evaluated: for legitimacy, cogency, relevance, authenticity.. I discuss the clinical implementation of efforts to employ SNS in the decision-making process and the dilemma that this new endeavor may create. I also discuss possibilities for future research into the practice of using SNS as informational sources for surrogate decision-making.

[发布机构] the University of Pittsburgh