AUTHOR REPLY

The rise of social media (SoMe) as a new mode of communication in the urology match has been swift in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the shift to virtual programming. While professional SoMe use has many benefits, in the context of the match and its communication rules there are certainly potential pitfalls that must be addressed.

In response to Wise's editorial, we would like to highlight the nuances of SoMe interactions and make suggestions regarding its use in the match. First, we would like to highlight our survey question “Did you ever tag or interact with the program (program account, program director, or attendings) you matched with on social media?” We did not define or distinguish between different types of SoMe interaction in this question. However, the difference in statements referenced by the editorial “66% of applicants followed their matched program on SoMe prior to match day, but only 26% of applicants reported that they interacted with their matched program on SoMe.” ¹ suggests that applicants do not view following an account as an interaction. This highlights the nuances of communication on SoMe and its differences compared to traditional verbal and written communications referenced in the Urology Residency Match Program guidelines. New guidelines are needed to clearly define which SoMe interactions constitute an attempt to influence an applicant's rank list. In our opinion, direct messages (DM) are more akin to the traditional communications previously referenced, while following accounts and “liking” their posts are more benign interactions and less likely to influence an applicant's rank list.

While we agree that there are challenges regarding post-interview use of SoMe in the match, full avoidance of SoMe after the interviews as suggested in the editorial is not practical. Professional SoMe accounts are not only for the match process, but also for professional purposes in general. Applicants and programs alike should be able to promote their research and other endeavors during this period, and they should be able to tag or reference other professional accounts for this purpose. Additionally, it may be difficult to enforce new rules on SoMe as an “attempt to influence” may be subjective and DM between users are private communications. Since posts and interactions on SoMe take place in a public forum, it may be more reasonable for the community to self-police these interactions in accordance with recommendations rather than strict prohibitions on SoMe use.