Social media has revolutionised the way we access and share information online. Once considered frivolous and purely ‘social’, academics are now using social media as a fast and interactive way to develop deeper engagement with their audiences.
In a world where it’s ‘publish or perish’, the key to successful grant applications, promotions and conference invitations might be the number of Twitter followers you have or the hits on your blog.
Director of Postgraduate Nursing Studies Caleb Ferguson (@calebferg) says, “The changing role of an academic means there’s more importance being placed on community engagement and research dissemination.”
Caleb Ferguson. Photo by Joanne Saad.
Ferguson uses Twitter to raise awareness of cardiovascular health by tweeting about his research and re-tweeting other important publications and news items, and to engage with like-minded academics in his area of expertise.
For Senior Lecturer in the School of Education Dr Nick Hopwood (@NHopUTS), using social media and blogging about his work is as much for his students as it is for himself.
“Anybody can come and look at my posts and take some value from them,” he says, “but if I’m doing a class or workshop on that subject, the post then becomes a tool for my students where I can incorporate a flipped learning component.”
Hopwood’s blog makes the research process transparent for early career academics and doctoral students through instructional articles, project updates and podcasts. With over 85 000 hits since 2013 and an average of 150 hits per day, Hopwood says it’s essential to keep his blog up to date because it’s the part of his work that’s publicly available.
Nick Hopwood. Photo by Joanne Saad.
“Self-promotion might be seen by some as dirty,” he says, “but if you’re not doing it, other people are. The more visible you make your work, the more impact you can have.”
Maintaining an online presence through Twitter, blogging or even writing for The Conversation acts like a digital resume for many academics; opening doors to collaborations and opportunities that would never have existed pre-internet.
Ferguson recently collaborated with a fellow academic from the Charles Perkins Centre in Sydney who works in a similar field after they met through Twitter at a research conference.
“There’s this ability to connect with someone you would never have had the chance to meet before,” he says. “Social media offers vital background conversation and critique during conferences, and it’s a great way to network.
“Social media is breaking down physical barriers, geographic barriers, and cultural barriers as well – you can follow and tweet at highly credible, elite academics. Just putting something out there and joining that conversation is amazing.”
Hopwood agrees, “I get a lot of emails asking if I’m going to a certain conference, or invitations to universities to do workshops – all thanks to my blog.”
While social media has traditionally been considered a waste of time, the benefits of having a consistent online presence are becoming more tangible.
“Traditionally, we’ve looked at peer- reviewed literature as being the pinnacle of academic publishing,” says Ferguson. “But now people are looking at other platforms. Having good metrics around Facebook likes and who tweeted about your work is really important.”
“It does require some investment in technological know-how and time to make your online profile meaningful,” admits Hopwood. “It doesn’t have to be up-to-date to the minute, but once it’s done it kind of ticks over, and it’s really being kind to yourself in the long run.”
“Even academic journals are employing dedicated social media editors now,” says Ferguson. “And they’re making investments to boost their reputation through these platforms which means academics will do so too.”
While many academics still blanch at the idea of engaging with social media, one look at the thriving Twitter communities around hashtags like #PhDchat or #acwri (academic writing) shows social media in academia isn’t a trend – it’s a necessity.
Says Hopwood, “You suddenly get that sense that globalisation is happening to academia as well.”
Tweet Ferguson (@calebferg) and Hopwood (@NHopUTS) or visit Hopwood’s blog at nickhop.wordpress.com
To register for UTS’s next (free) media training session on Thursday 11 June, email terry.clinton@uts.edu.au
- Academics, like Caleb Ferguson and Nick Hopwood, are now using social media to develop deeper engagement with their audiences
- They argue an online presence acts like a digital resume, opening doors to opportunities that would never have existed pre-internet