Finally. The philosopher in me always wants to work up from first principles, so I felt like I had a lot of work to do before I could write this. I’ve written a bit about some ways to think about social media and online spaces, what engagement means to me, and what I look for in improving communication. Now, and only now (Thanks Kant, you big jerk), do I feel comfortable talking a bit about the value that social media has to higher education for teaching, research, outreach, and mentorship. This is just an overview, there’s a lot to say on the subject, and I hope to do more than scratch the surface, and share what I do every day, when I’m not creating pages, sitting in meetings, and taking care of assorted administrivia.
Universities have been involved in social media for a while now, chiefly as a marketing and promotional tool, and there’s a shift starting where more and more individual academics are getting involved on social media as well, whether connecting with colleagues and friends on Facebook, blogging about their research, or learning about conferences on Twitter. There are still a lot of questions about the value of social media though and, for academics, the success of various spaces is really up in the air. If you’re in digital humanities or computer science, you’re likely to find peers on Twitter or Academia.edu, but if you study 13th century literature, it’s a lot more challenging. Still, I maintain that even if no one in your field is using a platform, it has value. Here’s a few ways social media can benefit you as a scholar and as a teacher.
1. Reaching Students
Too often, students see teachers as the people who stands at the head of their class and lecture, or the people who grade their assignments, and little else. Connecting with students or former students on social media (be sure to consult your university’s social media policy, it’s important to protect not just yourself, but your students) can create a relationship that shows them what you do when not acting on syllabus-based deliverables. Getting to know their teachers as people can help inspire them and show them the other sides of academia, even the unattractive sides, so they can make more informed choices about their future. It gives you an avenue to connect students with opportunities, to get informal feedback on pedagogy, and too answer questions informally, even if that answer is “Email me about this.”
2. Reaching the Public
It helps you reach more than students, though. For any field, there are people outside of it who are interested in it, or could be interested in it if they had the opportunity to see it. Social media platforms are an incredible space to share your passion for your research, teaching, or Doctor Who. You can find people there to talk about it with, and it can make your research more visible. It’s an opportunity to generate interest by finding out what people are interested in and how it can relate to your research. This is something that only you can do, because you’re the expert.
3. Furthering Research
It won’t just make your research more visible, it can also help further it by connecting you with other scholars around the world. Academic societies, departments, and universities often have a presence on social media, and connecting with them can help you find articles and observe rising trends faster than reading journals, not to mention the opportunities for collaboration and meeting fun people to eat with at conferences. Join a Twitter chat, a Facebook group, or a Google+ community on your field. Listen to a podcast, watch videos, or read a blog about it. If these things don’t exist, and sometimes they won’t, then it’s an opportunity to create them and take the lead in giving opportunities to other scholars. Writing about your research is a thing you do anyway, blogging about it is a way to make it a lot more fun.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s not all sunshine and roses. There are plenty of social media fiascoes to go around from both individuals and organizations. Avoid those by following the same advice we always give to students. Be yourself, don’t be afraid to make mistakes or get things wrong, be ready to learn, and treat other people with respect. If you do that, you can’t go wrong. Also, be ready to laugh about it.
This is social media for teachers and academics. Next week I’ll talk about social media for students, and how it’s an asset to their education as well as professional and career development. But that’s for next week. Where do you find value in social media?
