ESW Open Seminar Series Department of Social Work & Social Care Monday 2nd February, 5pm Room 104, Fulton Speaker Dr Denise Turner, Lecturer in Social Work, Gema Hadridge, MA in Social Work, and Rachel Larkin, Doctor of Social Work: Social Media Ambassadors, Department of Social Work & Social Care, University of Sussex, present: Connected and/or protected? Exploring opportunities and challenges when social work encounters social media ____________________________________ The last few years have seen a rapid expansion in the use of social media sites, with Facebook alone now embracing over one billion subscribers. In this seminar, Denise, Gema and Rachel will argue that the rapid expansion of social networking platforms presents a moment in time for social work, where traditional practice and notions of boundaries are undergoing ‘context collapse’. Denise will draw on psychosocial perspectives to explore the challenges and opportunities offered by social media within social work education and practice. Gema will bring her perspective as a social work student and ‘digital native’, and Rachel will provide important examples from the field where old and new ways of networking are introducing particular practice challenges. You can contribute to the debate via the #uscopro addressing the question: “Social media is neither good, nor bad, nor is it neutral.” It is hoped that this seminar will identify research questions and potential co–researchers interested in taking this work forward. ____________________________________ This seminar can be joined remotely by logging on to: https://connectpro.sussex.ac.uk/sw_connected2feb15 A recording of this event will be available to view retrospectively at: www.sussex.ac.uk/socialwork/seminarseries