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Astrophysicists' conversational connections on Twitter
Kim Holmberg1, Timothy D Bowman2, Stefanie Haustein3
1School of Mathematics and Computing, University of Wolverhampton, Wolverhampton, United Kingdom; Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland.
Plos One
|August 26, 2014
Summary
Astrophysicists use similar language across diverse professional groups on Twitter but rarely interact directly. Frequent tweeting correlates with neutral sentiment and information sharing, not conversations.
Area of Science:
- Astronomy and Astrophysics
- Social Media Analysis
- Altmetrics
Background:
- Social media platforms like Twitter are increasingly vital for altmetrics-based research.
- Understanding astrophysicists' tweeting behavior is crucial for analyzing scientific communication patterns.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate factors influencing astrophysicists' Twitter engagement.
- To analyze how tweet content and platform features affect their online interactions.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of tweeting frequency, content (hashtags, language, emotion), and network connections.
- Examination of noun phrases and hashtags used when addressing different professional groups.
- Sentiment analysis of tweets based on tweeting frequency within ego networks.
Main Results:
- Astrophysicists interact with diverse users (colleagues, communicators, educators).
- Similar terminology is used across professional groups, but direct mentions are infrequent.
- Higher tweeting frequency is associated with neutral sentiment, suggesting information sharing over conversation.
Conclusions:
- Astrophysicists' Twitter communication is segmented, with limited cross-group dialogue despite shared terminology.
- Frequent tweeting indicates a focus on disseminating information rather than engaging in opinion-based discussions.
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