The Impact of Social Media on Applicants’ Perceptions of Plastic Surgery Training Programs

•Plastic Surgery Instagram accounts continue to be an outlet of social learning and reputation building for their followers and do influence ranking decisions.•Most desired social media content requested from applicants depicts “resident life” and team dynamics.•Applicant responses denoted a “negative impression” of a program when they perceived a lack of diversity reflected in the program team and corresponding social media content. Given recent COVID-19 restrictions on in-person visiting subinternships and interviews, this study sought to evaluate the program information that was most influential to future plastic surgery applicants as they researched residency programs on social media. An electronic survey targeting medical students interested in plastic surgery was deployed to assess the importance of various information sources in forming perceptions of residency programs. Applicants were invited to participate through an Instagram "Story" (where the survey was embedded) and through an electronic survey link sent via email to interested program applicants and interviewees. There were 83 respondents, among which 92% were current medical students planning to apply to Plastic Surgery. The most utilized resources that informed program interest were: mentors (86%), peers/partners (60%), and geographic location preference (55%). Among social media content, applicants most desired posts about resident life (66%) and team bonding activities (61%). Overall, 72% of respondents agreed/strongly agreed that social media played a role in informing their interest to apply to a specific residency program. The study demonstrated that prospective plastic surgery applicants expect programs to have a social media presence, and thus, programs should invest time and thought in their social media strategy. While electronic sources are not the most important sources of information rated among applicants, social media plays an influential role in guiding interest in specific programs. To best inform applicant perspectives during the recruiting process, programs should prioritize content that gives a picture of "resident life" and team dynamics.