CSSC Brief · Dec 2022
Should scientists post about their personal lives?
Based on Behind the Lab Coat: How Scientists’ Self-Disclosure on Twitter Influences Source Perceptions, Tweet Engagement and Scientific Attitudes through Social Presence, published in New Media & Society.
The short version
Scientists who shared personal details were seen as more likable but less competent. Simply being present on social media still improved how people saw them.
What we did
Twitter isn’t just for memes and viral videos; it’s also where scientists and science communicators can share their work and, well, a bit of their personal lives…just like any other social media user. But does your Twitter game affect how people see you?
In this study, we looked at how scientists’ tweets—both professional and personal—shape what others think about them. Using an experiment, we recruited nearly 1500 people to check out different scientists’ Twitter profiles, each with varying levels of personal and professional tweets.
What we found
- We found, well, sort of a dilemma: people thought scientists who shared personal information were more likable, yet less competent than those who shared professional information. But we’re hesitant to say that that means scientists should tweet less about their personal lives and more about their scientific accomplishments. There’s still lots of room for more research, so we can find the right balance between sharing your latest research and posting about that awesome hike you just went on.
- The story doesn’t end there, though: our findings also suggest that simply the presence of scientists on social media can have important benefits for how people perceive and interact with them.
Why it matters
It’s, at the very least, an important tension to be aware of: how scientists (or really, anyone) present themselves holistically on social media can impact how people see them, and crafting an effective online presence requires thoughtful consideration of how content aligns with desired perceptions.
Cite the paper
Zhang, A. L., & Lu, H. (2024). Behind the lab coat: How scientists’ self-disclosure on Twitter influences source perceptions, tweet engagement, and scientific attitudes through social presence. New Media & Society, 26(10), 5784–5801. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448221141681