Faculty Utilization of X (Formerly: Twitter): What,Why,and How Many

Abstract

Introduction

Social media platforms, particularly X (formerly Twitter), play an influential role in professional networking and information dissemination. This study aimed to examine X usage trends among faculty in a single department of surgery at a large academic institution.

Methods

Faculty X accounts were analyzed from January to June 2022. Metrics such as follower count, number of accounts followed, and post (formerly: tweets) types (original/quoted reposts) were studied. Themes of posts were categorized as personal, promotional, educational, or related to academic events/conferences. Associations between faculty rank, division, gender, and post metrics were explored using Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis tests.

Results

Of 133 faculty members, 53 (39.85%) had X accounts, with 3 excluded due to privacy settings. A total of 3476 posts were analyzed, averaging 0-34 posts/month per faculty. Categories included professional (63%, n = 2174), educational (19%, n = 653), and personal (13%, n = 436). No significant associations were found between faculty gender/division and posting rates. However, faculty rank correlated significantly with primary post categories (P < 0.01). Associate professors, and professors posted more about academic events (2% and 1%) than instructors or assistant professors (1%). The most followed faculty actively promoted colleagues’ work through reposting.

Conclusion

Less than half the faculty in a single department of surgery engaged with X. Those active predominantly used it for promotion, followed by education and personal use. Adoption remains limited, highlighting opportunities for growth in utilizing X for academic dissemination.