PoLiTiPeTScientists predominantly use X and LinkedIn for professional scientific networking, but with Bluesky and Mastodon in recent years hoping to break through as alternatives.
https://mikeyoungacademy.dk/communities-of-scientists-are-emerging-on-bluesky/
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Scientists can gain an advantage from forming tight-knit communities of like-minded colleagues in specific fields. The fact that they are a small distinct community allows scientists to surveil and monitor their field, with less likelihood of their feeds being swamped by irrelevant posts.
And they are more likely to take the step to a smaller platform so long as a smaller community within their field already exists there.
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To use a metaphor, scientists are like particles of dust at the beginning of our Solar System. As they ‘collide’ (or are introduced by colleagues to a new social platform within their field) they gradually form larger bodies like planets. These ‘planets’ are the communities that we now see.
This might be what is happening on Bluesky.
Our extraction of data shows a series of distinct communities. Within each of these communities the users tend to follow each other
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