key: cord-311906-i5i0clgq authors: Salik, Jonathan R. title: From Cynic to Advocate: The Use of Twitter in Cardiology date: 2020-08-04 journal: J Am Coll Cardiol DOI: 10.1016/j.jacc.2020.06.050 sha: doc_id: 311906 cord_uid: i5i0clgq nan The Use of Twitter in Cardiology While the majority of Americans continue to use social media for personal communication, individuals have increasingly begun to utilize social media as a primary source of news. As of 2018, more than twothirds of Americans (68%) report that they access news on social media, and 20% state that they do so "often" (3) . Though Facebook remains the dominant social media platform globally, Twitter has gained particular traction within the medical and scientific community. In large part, this may be attributable to Twitter's "microblog" format, which limits posts to 280 characters instead of the free-text formats found on other platforms such as Facebook and Instagram. Twitter's streamlined and rapid interface is thus uniquely suited to stimulate academic discussion and promote the circulation of ideas and information. In addition, Twitter users can affix hashtags to their tweets, allowing posts to be collated, grouped, and Single tweet that contains a high-yield piece of medical information or "pearl" Tweet that provides real-time updates during an academic conference or meeting A U G U S T 4 , 2 0 2 0 : 6 2 3 -7 faculty mentor who will be presenting at the confer- true positive is that everyone has an opportunity to speak out and voice an opinion. And SoMe has provided much needed social contact and a bit of humor to ease our stress and relieve combat fatigue. Today, SoMe is no longer an optional tool for cardiologists. It is an essential resource. In addition to being a vital tool for teaching, research, mentoring, and advocacy, it also serves as a lifeline for providing the best and most timely care to our patients. By being directly connected to the global cardiovascular community, SoMe makes us better physicians, team members, leaders, and activists for our patients and colleagues. Reviewing social media use by clinicians News Use Across Social Media Platforms Improving the Safety of PCI: Tribulations, Trials, Transfusions, and Twitter. Presented at: Cardiology Grand Rounds The Kardashian Index of cardiologists: celebrities or experts? How do researchers use social media and scholarly collaboration networks (SCNs)? Nature.com Of Schemes and Memes Blog Social media and emergency preparedness in response to novel coronavirus Can tweets predict citations? Metrics of social impact based on Twitter and correlation with traditional metrics of scientific impact More than likes and tweets: creating social media portfolios for academic promotion and tenure The Kardashian index: a measure of discrepant social media profile for scientists