The study also explored the diversity of authors whose work was highlighted by influencers, considering factors such as geography, gender, and institutional affiliation. The results underscore the growing influence of social media in academic communication and the importance of adapting to the evolving digital academic landscape.
Key takeaways:
- The study investigates the role of social media influencers in enhancing the visibility of machine learning research, particularly the citation counts of papers they share.
- A dataset of over 8,000 papers was compiled, spanning tweets from December 2018 to October 2023, alongside 1:1 matched controls based on publication year, venue, and abstract topics.
- The analysis reveals a significant increase in citations for papers endorsed by these influencers, with median citation counts 2-3 times higher than those of the control group.
- The study also delves into the geographic, gender, and institutional diversity of highlighted authors, highlighting the expanding influence of social media in scholarly communication and the importance of an evolving ecosystem in today's digital academic landscape.