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To Tweet or Not to Tweet: A Longitudinal Analysis of Social Media Use by Global Diabetes Researchers.
- Source :
-
Pharmaceutical medicine [Pharmaceut Med] 2021 Nov; Vol. 35 (6), pp. 353-365. Date of Electronic Publication: 2021 Dec 07. - Publication Year :
- 2021
-
Abstract
- Background: Engaging influential stakeholders in meaningful exchange is essential for pharmaceutical companies aiming to improve care. At a time where opportunities for face-to-face engagement are limited, the ability to interact, learn and generate actionable insights through digital channels such as Twitter, is of considerable value.<br />Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate digital engagement among global diabetes mellitus researchers.<br />Materials and Methods: We identified every global tweet (20,614,515) and scientific publication (44,135) regarding diabetes mellitus from 1 August 2018 to 1 August 2020. Through author matching we combined datasets, resulting in a list of digitally active scientific authors. Generalised linear modelling identified factors predicting their digital engagement.<br />Findings: Globally, 2686 diabetes researchers used Twitter to discuss the management of diabetes mellitus, posting 110,346 diabetes-related tweets. As Twitter followers increased, so did tweet frequency (p < 0.001), retweets (p < 0.001) and replies (p < 0.001) to their content. Publication count (overall/per month) and proportion of first/last authorships were unrelated to tweet frequency and the likelihood of being retweeted or replied to (p > 0.05). Those with the most  academic co-authors were significantly less likely to tweet than those with smaller networks (< 50; p = 0.001). Finally, those publishing most frequently on specific themes, including insulin (p = 0.041) and paediatrics (p < 0.001), were significantly more likely to tweet about these themes.<br />Conclusion: Academic expertise and seniority cannot be assumed as proxies for digital influence. Those aiming to promote science and obtain digital insights regarding condition management should consider looking beyond well-known 'key opinion leaders' to perhaps lesser known 'digital opinion leaders' with smaller academic networks, who are likely to specialise in the delivery of highly specific content to captive audiences.<br /> (© 2021. The Author(s).)
- Subjects :
- Child
Humans
Diabetes Mellitus epidemiology
Diabetes Mellitus therapy
Social Media
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 1179-1993
- Volume :
- 35
- Issue :
- 6
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- Pharmaceutical medicine
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 34874534
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s40290-021-00408-6