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\begin{document}

\title{What Lady Gaga didn't have for lunch}


\author[ ]{Laura Roberts}
\author[ ]{Authorea Reddit}

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``Honestly, I think you'll like it!'' said my then boyfriend (now
husband), when trying to persuade me to join Twitter back in 2011. The
baffled, confused expression on my face was followed by ``why on Earth
would I want to waste my time following celebrities? \emph{Who cares}
what Lady Gaga eats, drinks and wears? It's not for me.''\\

~\\

Famous last words.\\

~\\

Like many academics, I was blind to the potential of social media. Yes,
you can choose to use it to follow celebrities, TV programmes, amusing
memes and your friends \& family (nothing wrong with that, I do it
too!). But, as an academic, you also stand to gain so much from it if
you are willing to invest a little time.\\

~\\

When I eventually took the plunge and joined Twitter I was coming into
the second year of my PhD and quickly realising the importance of
growing my academic network. Of course, I fostered relationships at
conferences, but my research budget was tight and international travel
limited. My strongest links were, naturally, developing with scientists,
in my broad field, in the country I was working in. In the competitive
world of academia, I was all too aware that if I wanted to progress my
career I needed to expand my horizons.\\

~\\

Twitter was a game changer.\\

~\\

Unbeknownst to me there was this invaluable, (quickly growing) online
community of fellow scientists. All of a sudden, I was able to connect
with researchers across the globe, regardless of geographical location
and career stage. Not only that, they were having interesting and
valuable conversations, which I was now privy to. I learnt about
ground-breaking research and discovered a world of supportive PhD
students who shared useful tips on how to survive the early days in the
research world.\\

~\\

I went from simply listening to conversations, to taking part in them
and eventually sharing content which, to my surprise, people found
interesting and useful. It took time, but I slowly carved out my small
corner of the twittersphere. One where my opinion was sought and where I
was known -- I was successfully growing that all important network!\\

~\\

But I didn't approach social media exclusively with a `what's in it for
me' attitude. Throughout my PhD, being a researcher, paid to do my work
by public funds, I had a strong sense that it was important to give
something back. Science forms the basis of so much of our daily lives,
yet it goes unnoticed by so many. Social media became \textbf{the}
platform where I (and many others) could reach out about my work, about
the importance of science in general and about why it is important to
communicate it.\\

~\\

Since that fateful conversation back in 2011, not only have I changed my
tune about Twitter, I've built relationships that now form the basis of
a number of working collaborations (past and present). My network of
contacts far exceeds anything I might have been able to cultivate
otherwise. I draw on these contacts often and sometimes I can even
return the favour! On a very personal level, it is heartwarming that I
now call some of my followers, friends.\\

~\\

Importantly, the time I invested in nurturing my social media presence
and building my network has, and continues to, open many doors.~ My work
as a science communicator, particularly using social media platforms,
slowly got noticed. Since, I have been invited to speak on panels about
using social media as an academic, to join a blog network and I've been
asked to deliver workshops to PhD students on how to use social media in
a research context. Above all, had I not pursued science communication
using social media and blogging, even when my supervisors weren't
supportive, I wouldn't have landed my current job.\\

~\\

Things are changing, slowly, but there is (still) hostility towards
those in academia who chose to devote, even a small fraction of their
time, to outreach via social media (and other forms of outreach too).~
Social media is not for all academics. I understand and respect that.
Even if you only dabble in it, it requires you to dedicate time to it;
time, which you might decide is better spent on other activities. That
is ok.\\

~\\

Still, regardless of whether you choose to embrace it or not, social
media \textbf{is} a powerful tool that researchers can use to reach out
to others less familiar with their subject, as well as make their work
open and accessible. It isn't, or doesn't have to be (like I once
thought and many still do), about what Lady Gaga had for lunch. Just
because it's not your bag, doesn't mean it is not worthy and valuable.

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