CSSC Brief · Oct 2025
Performing "the scientist," credibly and authentically
Based on Performing ‘the scientist,’ credibly and authentically: Understanding how scientists manage their self-presentation on social media, published in Information, Communication & Society.
Open accessThe full paper is free to read on the journal’s website.
The short version
Being a scientist online is ongoing identity work. Scientists perform for an imagined audience, balance authenticity against oversharing, and women and minoritized scientists pay extra costs for their visibility.
What we did
Social media has turned scientists into everyday public figures who are at once balancing multiple duties—teaching science, debunking misinformation, sharing personal updates, and fielding hot takes in the same feed. That visibility is powerful, but it’s complicated: multiple audiences collide (friends, colleagues, skeptics, policymakers), platform norms reward personality and speed, and lingering stereotypes about what a scientist should (or should not do) still shape how people respond.
I conducted semi-structured interviews with 24 highly visible scientists (10k+ followers across different social media platforms, including TikTok, Instagram, and X) in North America and Europe. Using reflexive thematic analysis, I examined how they imagine their audiences, present their public identities, and navigate tensions between professional norms and platform expectations.
What we found
- They write for someone specific. Each scientist had a target audience in mind, from peers to parents to skeptics, and adjusted their tone, jargon, and personal sharing to match.
- Context collapse is real. One post can reach many mismatched audiences, so many scientists self-censor, hedge, or write for the strictest audience, such as a future hiring committee.
- Authenticity builds trust. Being open about the process and owning mistakes builds credibility, though sharing more can invite one-sided, parasocial relationships with followers.
- Humanizing helps, within limits. Personal stories and humor counter the “cold scientist” stereotype, but some followers push back on posts that are not about science or that touch on politics.
- Representation matters, and it costs. Women and scientists from minoritized backgrounds use their visibility to mentor and to widen who belongs in STEM, while facing more harassment and emotional labor.
Why it matters
Being a scientist online is more than sharing facts. Clear audience targeting, calibrated authenticity, and support from institutions can make this public work safer and more effective.
Cite the paper
Zhang, A. L. (2026). Performing ‘the scientist,’ credibly and authentically: Understanding how scientists manage their self-presentation on social media. Information, Communication & Society, 29(8), 2353–2373. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2025.2565313