Scientists are getting more and more away from X (Twitter) after buying Elon Musk, why on earth?

Many users are confused and thinking about transitioning to social media as Twitter was acquired by Mr. Elon Mask and changed its name to 'X', and various systems have changed significantly. The academic journal Nature reports that scientists who have been using Twitter for many years are also starting to leave X after Mr. Mask's acquisition.

Thousands of scientists are cutting back on Twitter, seeding angst and uncertainty
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-02554-0

Twitter is free and easy for anyone to use, and has the advantage of being able to share a lot of information quickly. This advantage helps scientists get their research results out beyond the journals and into the world.

For example, Cristina Dorador, a microbial ecologist at the University of Antofagasta in Chile, said, ``Twitter has helped me to promote my research to the world,'' saying that universal social media platforms like Twitter Without it, scientists have no way to make their research more visible.

However, Earon Mask acquired Twitter, changed the name to 'X', changed the account authentication system to a paid membership system, and adopted a system that gives paid members influence and privileges. As a result, the number of tweets that free users can view is also limited, greatly reducing the chances of scientists to make their research widely known.

When Nature contacted more than 170,000 scientists who are X users, about 9,200 responded. More than half of them reported spending less time on X in the past six months, and just under 7% reported quitting X altogether. We also found that about 46% of responding scientists participate in other social media platforms such as Mastodon, BlueSky, Threads and TikTok.

``Many scientists are concerned that the changes in the social media landscape have undermined Twitter's contribution to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in academia,'' Nature said. says.

When Nature asked, 'Have you ever created a social media account other than X in the past? 27.6% said they created an Instagram account and 24.9% said they created a Threads account.

In addition, according to Jonathan Dudek, a communication researcher at the Leiden University Science and Technology Research Center in the Netherlands, he investigated the profile information of 400,000 researchers who use X and found that URLs of social media other than X When I examined the percentage of posting links, it seems that about 3% posted a Mastodon account.

Inger Mewburn, an education and technology researcher at the Australian National University, points out that the proliferation of platforms is disrupting the scientific community and communication. “With Twitter, you could see tweets from people talking about a particular interest just by visiting a hashtag,” Mewburn said. It's hard to know where people are hanging out.'

In addition, Nature asked thousands of scientists who have tweeted a paper for which they were the corresponding author, ``Have you changed how you use X in the past six months? What is the reason?'' , Many of those who have reduced their activity on X or quit altogether said, ``There is an increase in the amount of fake accounts, trolls, and hate speech on X.''

There are groups that are actually researching the rapid increase in hate speech on X, but X claims that it is ``a groundless hoax intended to damage Twitter's digital advertising business,'' and has taken legal action. I'm showing a stance that I won't give up.

X (former Twitter) threatens a lawsuit against a non-profit organization that pointed out that ``hate speech is rapidly increasing on Twitter after Mr. Mask's acquisition''-GIGAZINE

On the other hand, Mewburn said, ``I don't think science has become overly dependent on social media,'' and he doesn't think losing X will be a fatal blow to the science business. is shown. Also, paleontologist Emilia Jarochovska, who has stopped using X, said, ``Scientific content appearing between cat videos is a good way to promote yourself in a professional field anyway. I can't say it's a medium,' and said that he was glad he quit X.