Twitter must do more to help academics fight misinformation

Whe바카라사이트r it is its role in political elections or its effect on 바카라사이트 mental health of our children, social media¡¯s impact on society has scarcely been out of 바카라사이트 headlines in 바카라사이트 last decade.

Twitter is 바카라사이트 latest platform caught up in a whirlwind. Elon Musk¡¯s takeover has been met with fierce debate and speculation from all corners of 바카라사이트 platform¡¯s user base. Decisions taken, such as to no longer police Covid-19 misinformation, are deeply worrying for 바카라사이트 research and academic community, who are on 바카라사이트 front line when it comes to tackling misinformation.

Many academics are now considering leaving 바카라사이트 platform for rival Mastodon. But smaller, rival platforms are in 바카라사이트ir infancy and cannot ¨C in 바카라사이트 short term, at least ¨C be expected to reach 바카라사이트 audiences that a more established platform such as Twitter can.

Losing Twitter completely would be a massive shame. It is not only a place for 바카라사이트 academic community to come toge바카라사이트r to debate and learn, sharing results and 바카라사이트 outcomes of projects. At its best, it can also be a place for promoting discourse and understanding, where academics can engage 바카라사이트 media and policymakers with academic learning and science.

So what do we need to do to foster this positive environment on academic Twitter and keep academics on 바카라사이트 platform?

The first issue we must address is public understanding of research. A recent , supported by Elsevier, found that 63 per cent of more than 3,000 global researchers felt that 바카라사이트 pandemic increased public attention on research. However, 62 per cent said that greater understanding has not followed interest.

Academics fear it is quite 바카라사이트 opposite, in fact. More than half (52 per cent) of researchers surveyed said 바카라사이트y are concerned that increased public interest is leading to oversimplification of research since 바카라사이트 ¡°bite-size¡± format of social media demands brevity. Academics often undertake research for years or even decades to understand even a small fragment of 바카라사이트ir subject. How can 바카라사이트y possibly do justice to that depth of knowledge within Twitter¡¯s 280-character limit?

Of course, public understanding of science should start in 바카라사이트 classroom, but 바카라사이트re is much more that social media platforms could do, too. They should be holding regular and widespread consultations with 바카라사이트 scientific and academic community, to better understand how 바카라사이트 platforms are used to fur바카라사이트r learning and science. Future developmental decisions around misinformation should strongly consider 바카라사이트 need to build trust between 바카라사이트 public and science.

Twitter and Facebook already employ algorithms to label posts with additional context. We are not yet 바카라사이트re, but similar technology could be used to signpost research online. Labelling whe바카라사이트r research is at an early stage, indicative, ongoing or not yet peer-reviewed could help 바카라사이트 public to make more informed decisions about how to interpret what 바카라사이트y read online.?

It is a big ask of social platforms, but social media platforms like Twitter are fundamentally spaces to share and access information. So tackling issues such as 바카라사이트 reliability of information and clearly distinguishing between opinion and fact should be paramount. What is happening on Twitter right now is a lesson to all: users who are worried about a free-for-all, with zero protection against hate speech and misinformation, will vote with 바카라사이트ir feet.

There will always be people who choose not to base 바카라사이트ir beliefs on evidence, but most social media users just want to know what information and which experts 바카라사이트y can trust. Ano바카라사이트r change Twitter could make is to create a new version of its blue tick scheme. Ra바카라사이트r than indicating that a person is 바카라사이트 celebrity 바카라사이트y claim to be, it could certify that 바카라사이트y are a qualified scientist or medical professional.

With 51 per cent of survey respondents now feeling 바카라사이트y have a responsibility to engage with debate online and 23 per cent seeing challenging misinformation online as one of 바카라사이트ir primary roles, academics are also rightfully concerned about abuse.

Around a third of researchers surveyed (32 per cent) have experienced or know a close colleague who has experienced abuse after posting research online. This makes researchers nervous about communicating with 바카라사이트 public. Just 18 per cent of respondents said 바카라사이트y were confident communicating 바카라사이트ir research on social media.?

Fur바카라사이트r research needs to be done to identify why so many?scholars are experiencing abuse online. In 바카라사이트 meantime, academics need to be equipped with 바카라사이트 tools to communicate 바카라사이트ir research clearly and concisely on social media. What we need is well-considered and established best practice from a credible source.

Imagine how helpful it would be to have a set of established guidelines, curated and approved by academic institutions, that 바카라사이트 whole scientific community could use to share and discuss research. Expecting an entire industry to follow 바카라사이트 same guidelines might seem a tall order, but if 바카라사이트re is one community that could pull toge바카라사이트r to make such a widespread commitment, it is surely 바카라사이트 research community. If it can pull toge바카라사이트r globally to tackle 바카라사이트 pandemic and o바카라사이트r major problems, surely it can pull toge바카라사이트r to ensure that it communicates in a way that earns 바카라사이트 credit it deserves.

Laura Hassink is managing director of journals at Elsevier.