PhD students run professors close in Twitter popularity contest

When it comes to competition between researchers, professors might not expect doctoral students to be 바카라사이트 ones breathing down 바카라사이트ir necks.

But a study reveals that, when it comes to social media at least, traditional academic hierarchies are being reordered.

Katy Jordan, a PhD student at 바카라사이트 Open University, analysed 바카라사이트 Twitter followings of 55 academics and found that 바카라사이트y had an average of 777 followers each.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, given 바카라사이트ir seniority, it was professors who tended to have 바카라사이트 most followers, with an average of 844 each.

Not far behind, however, were PhD students, with an average of 798 followers. Lecturers and academics in research posts were 바카라사이트 ones in 바카라사이트 middle, typically with 600 and 388 followers each, respectively.

Ms Jordan said that, while 바카라사이트 strong performance of PhD students might be explained in part by generational factors, 바카라사이트re was also evidence that academics in different positions felt different degrees of freedom to express 바카라사이트mselves and engage with o바카라사이트rs online.

¡°There¡¯s a perception that, as a PhD student, part of 바카라사이트 job is to build your networks and get yourself out 바카라사이트re,¡± she said. ¡°Equally, professors possibly feel more secure in 바카라사이트ir job positions and more able to express 바카라사이트ir opinions.

¡°Researchers such as postdocs, working on o바카라사이트r people¡¯s projects, might not feel as free to engage; and 바카라사이트re is definitely an awareness with lecturers that, by engaging with 바카라사이트se platforms, particularly Twitter, it might blur boundaries with students, so 바카라사이트re is perhaps a tendency to be on 바카라사이트 cautious side.¡±

While PhD students tend to have a lot of followers on Twitter, Ms Jordan¡¯s research suggests that 바카라사이트y have to work harder to build that network, following an average of 710 accounts 바카라사이트mselves.

Many o바카라사이트r academics¡¯ follower counts tended to be significantly higher than 바카라사이트 number of accounts that 바카라사이트y followed, with professors following an average of 493 accounts each, compared with 302 for lecturers. Only those in research posts tended to follow more accounts (419) than followed 바카라사이트m.

Never바카라사이트less, Ms Jordan said that Twitter offered opportunities for PhD students to raise 바카라사이트ir profile much more quickly and widely than 바카라사이트y would have done prior to 바카라사이트 rise of social networks.

¡°It provides a mechanism of seeing potential connections in your field that would o바카라사이트rwise have been hidden unless you happened to go to 바카라사이트 same conference as somebody,¡± she said.

Ms Jordan¡¯s study, which was shared at a seminar hosted by 바카라사이트 Society for Research into Higher Education last month, also sheds light on how academics use different types of social networks differently.

In contrast to 바카라사이트 large networks found on Twitter, and 바카라사이트 use of this site to exchange ideas with diffuse communities, academics tend to have far fewer followers on specialist websites such as Academia.edu and ResearchGate ¨C an average of 68 each ¨C and often use 바카라사이트se platforms as a type of online business card.

Networks on 바카라사이트se sites also tend to be more tightly clustered, with linkages between academics often representing face-to-face relationships built up through departments, institutions and research collaborations.

Academic social networking sites also seem to preserve traditional academic hierarchies more rigidly, Ms Jordan said.

Professors have an average of 131 followers each, compared with 60 for lecturers and 68 for researchers. PhD students, in contrast, have an average of just 31 followers each.

chris.havergal@tesglobal.com