From Academia to Social Media, Blog Post 6.7

Being on social media can help a researcher dissipate his or her notes rather effectively. On social media, however, the general public knows little of the technical jargon featured in most scientific journals. Therefore, a researcher might have a different style of writing for social media.

1. What is the name of the author (from the academic journal) that you selected and which social media networks were you able to find her/him on?

I chose the author Dr. Fukashi Maeno from his article in the latest edition of Geology. 

I found Dr. Maeno quoted on a YouTube video about the volcanic islet he is studying. As well, he has a webpage from the University of Tokyo. There is a page on Facebook under his name, but no info is given and he only has one like.

2. How would you describe the author's social media presence? What kinds of things are they talking about or sharing on social media? Write a brief description of what you learned about them through the listed social media feeds.

In the YouTube video, Dr. Maeno is quoted as saying, "The ideal way to monitor and avoid a natural disaster is to set up a new tsunami and earthquake detection system near the island, but it's impossbile for anyone to land on the island in the current situation." This quote shows that while in his papers Dr. Maeno certainly is technical, in any interviews with the media, he may have to be less than technical.

His webpage shares his education and work experiences.

3. Now return to the piece that this author published in the academic journal (from Blog Posts 6.5 & 6.6). How does their persona on social media differ from their persona in the pages of the academic journal? Be specific and cite details from both the journal and the social media posts you discovered.

In the journal, Dr. Maeno et al.talk about morphological evolution of the volcano in question. All authors use a great deal of technical jargon to explain their research.

In the YouTube video, however, Dr. Maeno is quoted as being significantly less technical. He talked about a new tsunami and earthquake warning system; a common topic discussed when dealing with disaster prevention in the Pacific Ocean. He had to explain the current volcano situation and ensure that the general public had a sense of understanding.

Like many scientists, Dr. Maeno writes incredibly technical and detailed papers and articles. When speaking to the media, however, he must be more broad and general.

Idea Torres. New islet from volcanic eruption melds itself to nearby island. December 27th, 2013 via Japan Daily News. Terms of Use.