Spring is finally here! So beautiful to see the cherry trees blossoming – in fact, it’s so beautiful that I almost can’t wait for all the hanami parties to start. And this is actually a lousy segue to my topic today, but let’s go with it anyway: academics blogging and tweeting.
I know, it does feel a bit archaic; while almost every other profession around our ivory tower is already toying around with various social media platforms, it seems that academics aren’t too keen on engaging with new (and old) audiences. In fact, it seems some educators are more inclined to using their computers in rather unorthodox ways…
To be fair, academics blogging or tweeting is not a new issue, and it has been covered before:
In 2008: Why Academics Should Blog
In 2014: Why you should use Twitter during your PhD
In 2015: Why all #academics should have professional @twitter accounts
But let’s continue with a real life anecdote ca. 2010 (or so):
I was talking to one of my senior colleagues about my idea of discussing interesting research ideas on YouTube. You know, a series of those short talking head video clips. Her reply: don’t do it – someone will surely steal your ideas.
I disagreed with her then, and still do. To a large extent. Sharing underdeveloped ideas is not only silly but also potentially harmful for your career. But stealing ideas sounds a bit far-fetched – who can claim ownership to ideas anyway?
Anyhow, the point being: experiment with Twitter! Blog about your research! Engage!
Benefits? Not only will you participate in shaping the future of academia, but you will also illustrate how we academics can contribute to solving societal issues.
(Thanks to Tutkijat Maailmalle funding mechanisms for making it possible for me to think about issues like this)