Twitter for Aspiring Academics: How Do You Work This Thing?

I am only 26 years-old and I am completely exhausted by the onslaught of social media tools that are available in the world today. Prior to taking this class, I did not have a Twitter account. I think I may have had one briefly when I was an undergraduate, but I deleted it in order to eliminate unnecessary distractions (as for where I stand with the other parts of the social media holy trinity, Facebook and Instagram: I would love to delete Facebook, but I have to keep my account open for volunteer work that I do and I actually immensely enjoy Instagram because I get to see the life updates/travels/pets/children of friends and family as well as stay in touch with brands that I admire.) Now that I find myself back on Twitter for this class, I see that I am in a new environment entirely, one in which I am expected to act in a completely different manner. As an undergrad, I could post dumb memes, taunt Gator fans, talk about how much fun I had at football tailgates, behave in the way that anyone expects of a sorority girl in her early 20's. However, now that I have opened this new account and begun to follow professional organizations that I would like to be a part of and they actually followed me back, it is an entirely different ballgame. Although this is just an initial impression, I suspect that Twitter will end up being very similar to LinkedIn for me except not quite as "buttoned up."

I identify with this London School of Economics blog post by a sociologist at Cambridge. I have not had to manage as many Twitter accounts as he has had to, but I have been participating within the realm of social media since I was a teenager and I understand where he's coming from when he talks about life bleeding into work and work bleeding into life. Is this the way it's always going to be? Will Twitter die out eventually? Will it go away entirely, or will it be replaced by something else? When I become a professor somewhere down the line, will my students still respect me if they search my name and find a post on Twitter with that Pikachu meme? I guess only time will tell.



Comments

  1. LeahMay 15, 2020 at 7:47 AM

    While reading this post I could help but relate to the sentiment you make about social media. I once had a Twitter account but stopped using it many years ago because I didn't see the point. I have gone on long breaks from Facebook in the past and have felt so much better about myself, but I always come back. It's hard to get rid of when I use it as a tool for my volunteer work as well. It'll be interesting to see how my opinion about Twitter changes once I start using it in a professional manner.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Debra TateMay 17, 2020 at 3:39 PM

    I opened a new Twitter account, and was pulled about using my personal name. I just have some reservations, so I chose a pseudonym with a parrot image. I think it's OK. There are some very articulate people I follow on my old Twitter account, and also on Instagram, and they use pseudonyms as well. It is the quality, not so much the identify.

    ReplyDelete
  3. KendylMay 17, 2020 at 6:41 PM

    I had a similar experience in creating my "professional" Twitter this week for class! While I have been active on Twitter on and off for the better part of 11 years, I did not think it best to attach a professional presence to a profile that detailed the melodramatics of high school and undergrad. While amusing (biased), not necessarily what I wanted to be associated with as a first impression.

    I have to say that I don't always leave Twitter in a good mood. Between the news outlets and complaining that I often see on the app, it can be a downer. In creating my second account which has only followed classmates, professors in the field and companies that focus in education I find myself excited to scroll and scroll and scroll.

    I think that Twitter will eventually be replaced by a new platform, but hopefully Pokemon memes never go out of style.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Jodie DoodleMay 20, 2020 at 4:05 AM

    I created my first Twitter account for this class, I even created a new email! The idea of mixing my "work/education" with my personal social identity scares me. I do not post the same stuff as I used to when I was 16-25, but that information is still there. And then I think about my friends/family and what they might put on my page (face palm). I did use my personal instagram account for the class though. The idea that we cannot have a private life outside of our professional one shows just how blurred our work and home life have become!

    As far as the Pikachi meme, I think they will respect you more!

    ReplyDelete

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