Scandinavian nurses’ use of social media to position themselves as nurses and the nursing profession during the COVID-19 pandemic – a Berger and Luckmann inspired qualitative study

Based on a study of nurses’ social media uses during the pandemic, this article aims to illuminate how nurses used social media to position themselves as nurses and safeguard the nursing profession. Thirty semi-structured interviews were conducted with nurses in the three Scandinavian countries. Data were thematically analysed, with theoretical inspiration from Berger and Luckmann (1966). The findings revealed that nurses used social media as a showcase to illuminate their working conditions and to support their unions’ struggle. However, nurses were also cautious regarding social media uses. Conclusively, nurses used social media as a mouthpiece to reach an audience, which could include colleagues, the general public, and possibly a wider audience, while balancing their professional role and associated ethics, so as not to cross the line of internalised values pertaining to the nursing profession. This motivates further studies on nurses’ professional uses of social media.