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Twitter Firestorms, Media Attention and Workload: Challenges of Impact Scholarship Revisited

Dobusch Leonhard
Dobusch Leonhard

Talk together with Anna Jobin at a workshop of the DFG Network Grand Challenges & New Forms of Organizing, September 20, 2021, Humboldt Institut for Internet and Society, Berlin

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Twitter Firestorms, Media Attention and Workload: Challenges of Impact Scholarship Revisited Leonhard Dobusch & Anna Jobin
Challenge: Context Collapse They say context is king but public scholars communicate simultaneously with peers, other disciplines, the public at large. Experience with the challenge State banalities at an industry conference Make implicit disciplinary conventions explicit Confronting the challenge Clarify roles The sociology of expertise Demand more coherence from institutions (I know!)
Challenge: Non-Policy Research in Policy Circles Policy-makers love to reference science, data, and evidence. They see value in translatable research. How to defend other projects and disciplines? Experience with the challenge Present qualitative research and why it matters Justify the existence of critical theory Confronting the challenge Narratives are compelling. Share anecdotes about usefulness. Advocate for independent research.
Challenge: Surprise Questions by Journalists You may be prepared for a particular topic or set of questions but are asked something provocatively, or about a different topic. During a live broadcast. Experience with the challenge Receiving an interview guide that was completely ignored Questioned on different expertise Asked to introduce the topic Your talking points are brought up by the interviewer Confronting the challenge No more discussions beforehands Be a politician: set the agenda and answer the question that should have been asked
Challenge: Balancing Instant and Delayed Grati鍖cation Publishing on social media and blogs produces instant grati鍖cation due to immediate publishing and audience response. Research is the polar opposite. Experience with the challenge Instant feedback on social media can be very motivating.. ..but also become addictive. Confronting the challenge Secure writing/reading time-slots Prioritize outreach if your core area of expertise is in the news
Challenge: Your Own Wikipedia Article Some are unhappy because they dont have a Wikipedia article. Others are unhappy because they have one - de鍖ning the 鍖rst thing others learn about you. Experience with the challenge Very lucky to know the author of my Wikipedia article Odd decisions on relevance (books beat journal articles) Confronting the challenge Find or become a Wikipedian Wikipedia needs new rules for articles on living people
Challenge: Accidental Social Media Firestorm Sometimes social media frenzy 鍖nds you unprepared and you end up in the eye of a 鍖restorm. Experience with the challenge It will soon be over, research 鍖nds little lasting effects.. ..solidarity and attention may be an unintended consequence of a 鍖restorm Confronting the challenge Blocking and muting features are your friends Remember: responses are for the gallery of observers only Keep calm and carry on
Challenge: How Do Journalists Recognize Your Brilliance? Journalists dont read research papers. Becoming an expert in news media requires extra efforts so that journalists can 鍖nd you. Experience with the challenge Journalists love researchers they know from Twitter Its all about the news cycle If you do a good job, journalists will come back to you. Confronting the challenge Use Twitter to comment on the news-cycle Offer op-eds
Challenge: Speaking Beyond Your Own Research Journalists questions are driven by the news cycle, not your core areas of research. Experience with the challenge What you teach is also where you are an expert The problem is not the lack of knowledge, but how to present it Confronting the challenge Ask for questions/topics upfront Prepare talking points Reference the expertise of other disciplines
Challenge: How to Deal with Radicals & Trolls? Some topics attract organized trolls and radicals, which have experience in online harassment. Experience with the challenge Dont mess with the Bitcoin people. The chilling effect. Confronting the challenge Blocking and muting is mandatory Its okay to ask friends for help
Challenge: Give a Damn about Your Reputation? Taking a stance on controversial issues makes a difference and you interesting from a media perspective. But what about your (academic) reputation? Experience with the challenge Bene鍖ts of prominence outweigh the downsides (as long as you are not notorious.. ;-) Positivists will never get it. Haters gonna hate. Confronting the challenge Make sure you put your feet in the right place. Then stand 鍖rm.
Contact Leonhard Dobusch Universit辰t Innsbruck @leonidobusch Anna Jobin Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society @annajobin

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Twitter Firestorms, Media Attention and Workload: Challenges of Impact Scholarship Revisited

  • 1. Twitter Firestorms, Media Attention and Workload: Challenges of Impact Scholarship Revisited Leonhard Dobusch & Anna Jobin
  • 2. Challenge: Context Collapse They say context is king but public scholars communicate simultaneously with peers, other disciplines, the public at large. Experience with the challenge State banalities at an industry conference Make implicit disciplinary conventions explicit Confronting the challenge Clarify roles The sociology of expertise Demand more coherence from institutions (I know!)
  • 3. Challenge: Non-Policy Research in Policy Circles Policy-makers love to reference science, data, and evidence. They see value in translatable research. How to defend other projects and disciplines? Experience with the challenge Present qualitative research and why it matters Justify the existence of critical theory Confronting the challenge Narratives are compelling. Share anecdotes about usefulness. Advocate for independent research.
  • 4. Challenge: Surprise Questions by Journalists You may be prepared for a particular topic or set of questions but are asked something provocatively, or about a different topic. During a live broadcast. Experience with the challenge Receiving an interview guide that was completely ignored Questioned on different expertise Asked to introduce the topic Your talking points are brought up by the interviewer Confronting the challenge No more discussions beforehands Be a politician: set the agenda and answer the question that should have been asked
  • 5. Challenge: Balancing Instant and Delayed Grati鍖cation Publishing on social media and blogs produces instant grati鍖cation due to immediate publishing and audience response. Research is the polar opposite. Experience with the challenge Instant feedback on social media can be very motivating.. ..but also become addictive. Confronting the challenge Secure writing/reading time-slots Prioritize outreach if your core area of expertise is in the news
  • 6. Challenge: Your Own Wikipedia Article Some are unhappy because they dont have a Wikipedia article. Others are unhappy because they have one - de鍖ning the 鍖rst thing others learn about you. Experience with the challenge Very lucky to know the author of my Wikipedia article Odd decisions on relevance (books beat journal articles) Confronting the challenge Find or become a Wikipedian Wikipedia needs new rules for articles on living people
  • 7. Challenge: Accidental Social Media Firestorm Sometimes social media frenzy 鍖nds you unprepared and you end up in the eye of a 鍖restorm. Experience with the challenge It will soon be over, research 鍖nds little lasting effects.. ..solidarity and attention may be an unintended consequence of a 鍖restorm Confronting the challenge Blocking and muting features are your friends Remember: responses are for the gallery of observers only Keep calm and carry on
  • 8. Challenge: How Do Journalists Recognize Your Brilliance? Journalists dont read research papers. Becoming an expert in news media requires extra efforts so that journalists can 鍖nd you. Experience with the challenge Journalists love researchers they know from Twitter Its all about the news cycle If you do a good job, journalists will come back to you. Confronting the challenge Use Twitter to comment on the news-cycle Offer op-eds
  • 9. Challenge: Speaking Beyond Your Own Research Journalists questions are driven by the news cycle, not your core areas of research. Experience with the challenge What you teach is also where you are an expert The problem is not the lack of knowledge, but how to present it Confronting the challenge Ask for questions/topics upfront Prepare talking points Reference the expertise of other disciplines
  • 10. Challenge: How to Deal with Radicals & Trolls? Some topics attract organized trolls and radicals, which have experience in online harassment. Experience with the challenge Dont mess with the Bitcoin people. The chilling effect. Confronting the challenge Blocking and muting is mandatory Its okay to ask friends for help
  • 11. Challenge: Give a Damn about Your Reputation? Taking a stance on controversial issues makes a difference and you interesting from a media perspective. But what about your (academic) reputation? Experience with the challenge Bene鍖ts of prominence outweigh the downsides (as long as you are not notorious.. ;-) Positivists will never get it. Haters gonna hate. Confronting the challenge Make sure you put your feet in the right place. Then stand 鍖rm.
  • 12. Contact Leonhard Dobusch Universit辰t Innsbruck @leonidobusch Anna Jobin Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society @annajobin