Editorial: The continued importance of mental health nurses engaging with social media and related emerging technologies

As the new Social Media Editor for the International Journal of Mental Health Nursing (RW), I would like to pay respect to my predecessor, the inaugural Social Media Editor, Mr. Paul McNamara. We are grateful for his 10 years of social media leadership with this journal and of the impact that has been apparent (McNamara, 2022). Social media has proved to be a vital platform for amplifying the voice of mental health nurses worldwide and in sharing our scientific and practice knowledge (McNamara & Usher, 2019). As mental health nurses, we have engaged with social media strategically for some time through establishing professional networks that extend beyond the local and regional, enabling and reinforcing a wider global dialogue (Wilson et al., 2014; Wilson & Armstrong, 2016). We have used it to strengthen our practice as educators, scientists, and clinicians (Cronin et al., 2020; McNamara, 2021; Usher et al., 2014; Wilson & Usher, 2017). As technology continues to transform, it reveals expanded capacity and capabilities, and it is inevitable that we will continue to see innovative implementation, and leadership evolving within our discipline. In today's digital age, social media is an integral part of our lives. Even if we are not aware of it, our mobile phones listen to us and track our online activity, frequently resulting in unsolicited tailored advertisements and offers aligned to our interests (Wilson et al., 2023). Social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter have been around for nearly two decades, while the rise of wearable technology and the Internet of Things has enabled our devices to be more integrated and convenient to use (Higgins et al., 2023a). Additionally, integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) with social media has revolutionized communication, accommodating instant language translation and human-like chatbots (Higgins et al., 2023b). Perhaps, there is no better example of the speed at which technology has seen expansive popular uptake than through the introduction of ChatGPT [a service within the OpenAI software brand] in November 2023, who themselves tweeted that they achieved 1 million users in just 5 days (see Figure 1). It is apparent that social media is entering a new transformative era, and that AI will rapidly accelerate the continued digital evolution. The discipline of mental health nursing should position itself to be ready to take advantage of the benefits on offer, and to address any limitations that may arise as a consequence. As mental health nurses, it is imperative that we understand the strengths and risks associated with social media and technology use, as occasionally, the people we care for may experience problematic technology use that can adversely impact their mental health (Luengo-González et al., 2022). Our own experiences with social media, as end-users, allow us to participate in the public discourse surrounding mental health, with Usher and Jackson (2023) providing us with a recent example, noting their observations about the way social media had been used in the public grieving context. As social media users, mental health nurses have an opportunity to promote accessibility and equity to reach vulnerable or priority populations that may otherwise be digitally disadvantaged. Thus, we can ensure our voices of advocacy are represented in the digital and wider community, amongst developers, and across policy and political domains to support our service users' needs (Wilson et al., 2023). AI services, for example ChatGPT (2023), will offer opportunities to extend and enhance our practice. One of the major advantages of this technology is its ability to understand natural language interactions (Aljanabi et al., 2023). There are pros and cons to consider, and as such, human critical clinical judgement by mental health nurses will always be essential as an implementation consideration. With this caveat in mind, who better to explain the benefits of technology, such as ChatGPT, than ChatGPT itself. We asked ChatGPT to: ‘write an instructional guide demonstrating the pros and cons of using ChatGPT in the mental health nursing practice context’. The response generated is shown in Figure 2. It is noteworthy that even ChatGPT ‘confesses’ that it is not a substitute for human expertise and should not be used as a sole source of information. A person-centred approach to mental health care requires us to meet people wherever they are situated, and this must increasing include virtual or digital environments, in addition to familiar and traditional physical environments (Wilson, 2020). Many mental health nursing services can be delivered in a range of modes: face-to-face, virtually and/or a hybrid mixed-mode format with the integration of video, audio, and text-based communication. As mental health nurses, we must ensure that our perspectives as technology end-users are not omitted from the ad hoc training and discussions surrounding AI and social media implementation in our settings, because our advocacy (or lack of) can positively and/or negatively impact the quality of life for mental health service users (Wilson et al., 2023). As always, the wellbeing and safety of our service users must be our priority. In conclusion, social media is already an integral part of our lives and within many aspects of mental health policy and practice. As mental health nurses, we must carefully reflect on our biases, dominant sentiment, decisions, actions and narrative about our engagement (or not) with social media, and emerging technologies, to ensure that our considered perspectives and expertise are included, and amplified, in ongoing public discourse. It is important that we contribute to discussion about the adequacy of design and continue to influence ongoing development, and clinical solutions that are suitable for contemporary mental health care for people who require it. I (RW) look forward to interacting with our International Journal of Mental Health Nursing readers and followers across our social media channels. Together we will continue our discourse to strengthen the voices of mental health nursing scientists, scholars, practitioners, and peers globally. Website www.wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/INM. Twitter twitter.com/IJMHN. Facebook www.facebook.com/IJMHN. LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/company/IJMHN.