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Shaping Social Media: Is Twitter an Equitable tool for Professional Development?

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Abstract

Purpose: Twitter has become a powerful tool for professional development in academia. However, studies from the general population suggest that racialized and gender biases disproportionately empower male and white users. We characterized the demographics of Twitter influencers in Canadian healthcare. Methods: We used the Right Relevance Insight API algorithm to identify Twitter influencers in the healthcare, healthcare research, and health policy domains, and to generated normalized influencer scores based on user connections and engagement. We used facial recognition software to approximate the influencers’ race and sex. Results: The majority of influencers identified were white (84%) and/or male (60%). Males had significantly higher influencer scores than females (65.1 ± 8.0 vs. 61.2 ± 6.2, P < 0.05) in health policy. We did not identify any sex- or race-associated disparities among influencers in healthcare or healthcare research. Conclusion: Male users have significantly higher levels of influence in health policy on Twitter. Given the importance of Twitter as a tool for professional development, it is crucial that institutional leaders and policymakers are aware of potential inequities in user reach. Future studies should evaluate additional factors shaping user influence in healthcare on Twitter, with a focus on equity, diversity, and trustworthiness.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, Canada

    Thibacg Sivayoganathan

  2. Department of Paediatrics, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, Canada

    Amrit Kirpalani

  3. Division of Nephrology, London Health Sciences Centre, Children’s Hospital, 800 Commissioners Rd E, N6A 5W9, London, ON, Canada

    Amrit Kirpalani

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  1. Thibacg Sivayoganathan
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  2. Amrit Kirpalani
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TS and AK participated in study design, data collection, analysis, and manuscript preparation. All authors reviewed and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Amrit Kirpalani.

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Sivayoganathan, T., Kirpalani, A. Shaping Social Media: Is Twitter an Equitable tool for Professional Development?. J Med Syst 47, 117 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10916-023-02013-3

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