Objective: To map areas of discussion about use of seclusion and restraint in healthcare, as expressed in motifs posted on Twitter.

Materials and method: We adopted a qualitative approach with an archival and cross-sectional observational design. 188 images from Twitter postings were analyzed.

Results: Five categories were identified: Informative and educational messages; Equipment as artifacts; Spatiality; The restrained subjects; Sociopolitical connotations of restraint.

Conclusions: Based on our results we conclude that restraint and seclusion images posted on Twitter included several aspects; the intention to educate others, show the spatiality in relation to restraint, imagining characterized by objects and persons, and a sociopolitical connotation. This in turn means that Twitter posts offer nurses a chance to engage in social marketing and connoting an ethical dimension to a person associated with measures used to exert power over others. This is because communication surrounding certain controversial issues in healthcare is free from hierarchies on Twitter.