Janet Stemwedel (San Jose State University)
In the 12 years since its launch in 2006, the social media service Twitter has risen to prominence not least because of its use by elected officials and political candidates, by celebrities, and by journalists and media outlets. Among Twitter’s hundreds of millions of active users are a significant number of students and faculty members, including in philosophy. As of June 1, 2018, the website TrueSciPhi.org lists the Twitter accounts of 452 individual philosophers with at least 1000 Twitter followers (1), and of 136 philosophy organizations with at least 500 Twitter followers (2).
At present, “tweeting” is still a new enough practice that there are not standard guidelines for how academics might best use Twitter, whether to advance their professional activities or at least to avoid getting in trouble with their employer, school, or professional community. This poster offers such guidance, tailored specifically to philosophers of science.
The poster addresses particular benefits philosophers of science can get from tweeting, including finding the best audiences for one’s work, expanding the reach of conference presentations, cultivating networks and collaborations, and building synergies between research, pedagogy, and outreach. It presents practical strategies for philosophers of science who are new to Twitter and for those who are active users looking to increase their impact. This poster also considers some of the pitfalls of Twitter use (including trolls and risk-averse institutions) and offers advice on avoiding or mitigating them.
