Social Media and Communication by Scientists:M. S. Swaminathan on Twitter

Abstract

Scientists use popular media to share views or facilitate greater understanding of their work. Social media also offers scientists the opportunity to build public opinion. Hailed as one of three most influential Indians of the 20th century by Time Magazine 1 , renowned agriculture scientist M. S. Swaminathan has written prolifically in scientific and mainstream media. From March 2015, for a period of one year, his use of social media platform Twitter is being taken up as a case study of social media communication by scientists. This article analyses themes articulated by a scientist on social media and finds that this provides an entry for discussions on science and development. Through this study, it is suggested that scientists, especially in India, can intervene more actively, for greater authenticity, accuracy and understanding among social media users on scientific subjects.

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“…Attaining a significant presence [133], its impact is indeed impressive; from changing the manner of information access and sharing [134], to improving interaction abilities, engagement and influence [135,136]. It has become widespread and is increasingly used as a connectivity, networking, interactive and learning tool [137][138][139]. Its use is rapidly expanding [140], becoming conventional [141] and a part of people's day-to-day lives [142,143].…”

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