A CRITICAL REFLECTION ON HEALTHCARE WORKERS’ ONLINE SHAMING DURING COVID-19.

Photo credit: Alamy 

As a young man who noticed a lot of online shaming of frontline health workers during the covid-19 lockdown in Nigeria, I questioned myself why the society would call doctors and nurses “lairs”, for allegedly reporting high covid-19 cases, to use the number to get funds from health organizations. I also asked why the society would continually stigmatize these health officials as spreaders of the coronavirus disease despite their sacrifices in serving as frontline workers in fighting the virus. The speakers’ series of Dr luna Dolezal further revealed to me, the depth of online shaming, health workers experience during periods of pandemic, especially covid-19.  Kwaghe et al (2021, p. 2) in support of Dolezal (2021) said, “Several health workers faced backlash that resulted into emotional and psychological trauma for them.” These observations made me sad, made me ask myself why people are involved in online shaming, and inspired me to write a critical reflection on this topic. 

Dolezal (2021) notes that Online shaming refers to the act whereby individuals partake in social policing of others, by humiliating people on the internet with hashtags like covidiots, over perceived violations of social norms and other wrongdoing. Online shaming of health workers on the other hand, is the use of social media to judge, call out, and attack health officials because of several reasons. Several individuals have been victims of online shaming, and healthcare workers around the globe are not exempted, especially during the Ebola, HIV-Aids, and Coronavirus pandemic. The cases of U.K (United Kingdom) health workers, Dr Higgins, Dr Nicola, and Dr Rokita who are from Australia, Poland, and Canada respectively, during the first wave of covid-19 pandemic, are examples of this act. These health workers, and many others were attacked, bullied, avoided, stigmatized, and shamed for allegedly being negligent about the safety of others during the pandemic, for having fallible standards, and for being seen as major spreaders of the coronavirus disease (BBC 2020; Dolezal 2021; Dolezal., Arthur, and Cooper 2021, p. 482). 

Although online shaming began to police the wrongful acts of others, it has been flawed severally for its excesses. This is because online shaming victims become depressed, discouraged, defenseless, aggressive, and even suicidal because of the shaming they experience (Dolezal 2021). These things reveal that online shaming usually has adverse effects on health workers, which affects every aspect of their lives. I also see the act of online shaming as a bad one that needs to be stopped in global society. We, as society members, should practice empathy and come together in encouraging health workers, rather than discourage or shame them for any reason. In addition, health workers who have been victims of online shaming should become strong and overcome the effects of the shaming on them. In all, we should all collectively provide a mentally safe space for all health personnel to work. 

REFRENCES

Alamy, 2016. Online or public shaming graphic [image]: Sanders, A. Available from: https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-online-0r-punlic-shaming-graphic-138189718 [Accessed: 20 January 2022].

BBC, 2020. Coronavirus: Indian doctors’ spat at, and attacked[online]. Available from: www.bbc.com/news/world/asia-india [Accessed: 21 January 2021].

Cambridge Dictionary, 2021. Covideots [online]. Available from: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/covidiot [Accessed: 21 January 2021].

Dolezal, L., 2021Healthcare workers & online shaming during covid-19. Media communication & covid-19 [speakers’ series video, online].  Available from: https://brightspace.bournemouth.ac.uk/d21/ie/content/249644/viewcontent/1514149/view   [Accessed: January 20 2022]. 

Dolezal, L., Arthur Rose. and Cooper, F., 2021. Covid-19, online shaming and health care professioners. The Lancet Journal[online], 398 (10299), 482-483.

Health Protection Surveillance Centre, 2021. Health care worker.  Available from: https://www.hpsc.ie/notifiableddiseases/casedefinition/ [Accessed: January 20 2022]. 

Kwaghe, A.V., Kwaghe, V.G., Habib, Z.G., Kwaghe, G.V., Ilesanmi, O.S., Ekele, B.A., Umeokonkwo, C.D. and Balogun, M.S., 2021. Stigmatization and psychological impact of COVID-19 pandemic on frontline healthcare workers in Nigeria: a qualitative study. BMC Psychiatry [online], 21 (518), 1-17.

Parentzone , 2022.  Understanding Online shaming. Available from: https://www.parentzone.org.uk.article/understanding-online-shaming-guild-parents  [Accessed: January 20 2022].

Psychology Today , 2019. Medical Shaming and Mental Illness. Available from: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/two-takes-depression/201905/medical-shaming-and-mental-illness%3famp. [Accessed January 20 2022].

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