I have former academic coworkers who use it to promote their publications etc. It’s an odd thing because their (very left) politics definitely don’t belong on twitter anymore. The only reason I can think of why they stay is because they are still convinced that one day they’ll become famous. Twitter really seems to play on the idea that everyone can be a superstar. Sad really.
I have former academic coworkers who use it to promote their publications etc. It’s an odd thing because their (very left) politics definitely don’t belong on twitter anymore.
for mid-level people in a space or community there’s really not much better than twitter currently: it has–or, i suppose, had–a good equilibrium of random people and smart or influential people, a unique equilibrium of semi-privacy and public space, and a culture and barrier for entry that’s low and overall decent for getting eyes on your work (to a point).
if you’re an artist, for example? there’s simply not a better platform for your work. dedicated gallery sites are fractal and don’t have all the other stuff twitter comes with. (sometimes they don’t even have all the art, to extend the example!) probably the closest mass-media to twitter that emulates the benefits is instagram, but instagram also has a different clientele and a very different culture.
Exactly; Twitter and all the rest of the commercial social media sites trap a bunch of people who are all trying to get money out of each other, convinced that if they aren’t there and part of the ongoing spectacle, they’re missing out on business. Everyone else is there just to be a mark. Money pulls the strings and the puppets lurch about.
Whatever professional interests one has in it, I don’t think there are many valid human reasons.
Hey thanks for explaining this. Twitter’s not something I ever warmed to and still look at people with confusion when they use it. Like artists, there is a crazy work pressure for academics to get noticed. To the point of cruelty sometimes. It makes sense that Twitter would work because, like you said, it works well-enough and has a low barrier to entry.
