Nicole RustDec 16, 2022

I've been thinking that there are a few different ways to engage in social media:

1. I want to hear the news (fine).
2. I want to be the news (yuck).
3. I want to contribute to and benefit from the community (yes!).

For anyone who is 1-ish and hasn't yet converged onto 3, I'd like to plant a seed. #3 requires a bit of thought around what you want to be surrounded by, and then a bit of commitment to help make that happen (through follows, posts, boosts, & likes). It's a bit more of an intentional process than #1. But I really do believe that it transforms social media into a more positive experience (at least that's been true for me).

As we all think about our intentions for 2023, want would you like to see us surround ourselves with? I'd love to hear!

Show threadEumenesDec 16, 2022
@NicoleCRust And certainly the science writers, who I learn so much from. But I love even more the everyday life stuff. I'm just as interested in your favorite reality show as I am in facts that you learned in your profession. So the short answer is that I'm all over the place!
Show threadNicole RustDec 16, 2022
@Eumenes Nothing wrong with that! One of the things that I really appreciate about social media is how you can individualize the experience via some combination of who you follow, your mute/block list, and what you just scroll by. Contrast that to, say, a radio or TV news program in which you are stuck with whatever pops up for as long as it's there.
Show threadEumenes
@NicoleCRust I sometimes wonder if by doing that, you're creating an echo chamber crafted by your own biases. Do we have to make a conscious effort to engage with way different opinions that may be equally valid? I think I just gave myself a headache...
Dec 16, 2022 at 1:58pmWeb
Show threadNicole RustDec 16, 2022

@Eumenes It's a great question. I think that's where it's important to be really intentional about it. For example, I want to hear a diversity of ideas about how the brain works - even the ones I disagree with. But now that I've worked through it, I'm no longer interested in discussing an individual with the initials E.M. and I've blocked those words; I'm largely over that discussion.

I really do think that our experience here needs to be net uplifting or we can't engage. In my early experience with social media, I just found it all so draining; being exposed to so many issues. We simply can't expose ourselves to the heap of problems in the world every time we log on; it needs to be measured! And thankfully, we all get to select the things we champion. (We also get to admire and applaud everyone doing good things).

Show threadEumenesDec 18, 2022
@NicoleCRust Even on here it can be information overload. It just reminds me how much there is to learn. I've enjoyed all of my interactions so far, while on my other platforms, I usually don't interact or comment. Honestly, I look forward to seeing more discussions on here where we don't agree but end up learning something new. And I look forward to seeing what you and others in your field have to share about things you've learned.