Going rogue: what scientists can learn about Twitter communication from "alt" government accounts.

ABSTRACT: The inauguration of President Trump in the United States led to the active restriction of science communication from federal agencies, resulting in the creation of many unofficial "alt" Twitter accounts to maintain communication. Alt accounts had many followers (e.g., 15 accounts had > 100,000) and received a large amount of media attention, making them ideal for better understanding how differences in messaging can affect public engagement with science on microblogging platforms. We analyzed tweets produced by alt and corresponding official agency accounts to compare the two groups and determine if specific features of a tweet made them more likely to be retweeted or liked to help the average scientist potentially reach a broader audience on Twitter. We found adding links, images,

SUBMITTER: Wilson MJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8570174 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature