The Double Edged Sword of Physicians on Social Media

"Confidence and humility are strongly related, but one arises when we focus on self, and the other arises when we focus on others. However, each attribute can become unhealthy when it becomes too extreme, or when we lose the perspective of the other attribute. In the case of confidence, we focus on our worth as a remarkable human being—the fact that we have tremendous potential and deserve compassion and opportunity. But when we lose the perspective of the importance of others, confidence can veer into arrogance—the belief that our needs and value are somehow more important than everyone else's.

In the case of humility, we recognize that we are just one person within a much bigger world and that all people have value and importance. But the risk here is that, if we lose the perspective of our own value and worth, healthy humility can devolve into self-loathing.

What does all this philosophizing have to do with social media?"

Brian A. Primack is a physician and author of You Are What You Click: How Being Selective, Positive, and Creative Can Transform Your Social Media Experience.

He shares his story and discusses his KevinMD article, "How to balance confidence and humility online."