Thanks for sharing it Barry!

Oh yes, thanks Philip for the link!

There is bonus material + other interviews that didn't make it into the book on my website here: mikeyoungacademy.dk/book-social-...
My co-author @bogers.bsky.social book webpage is here:
www.marcelbogers.com/social-media...

🦀As a niche medium, iNaturalist does EXTREMELY WELL what mainstream platforms like LinkedIn + Facebook (remember that?) only do well. Not by 'going viral' — but by enabling participation. Thanks Trond for the conversation. You can read more about our book here: www.routledge.com/Social-Media...

Our argument: researchers should (also) use platforms that are:
a) already integrated in their field (like iNaturalist), or
b) designed for other tasks but have a social layer that fits one thing researchers do really well.

📘I spoke with Trond while working on 'Social Media for Research Impact', a book that I’m co-authoring with @bogers.bsky.social (coming with @routledgebooks.bsky.social early 2026). We dig into cases like this — where a platform supports doing the work, not just talking about it.

🪼On iNaturalist, people outside academia aren’t an outreach audience. They’re part of the research infrastructure. That shift has boosted the field of marine biology in ways that a platform like, say, LinkedIn would not be able to do.

🪸Marine biologist @trondoskars.bsky.social calls iNaturalist the 'Twitter for species' (let us call it Bluesky for species 😆! ) Amateurs post photos + locations of organisms. Researchers and other skilled amateurs then help ID them. The result: verified, open data on #biodiversity.

Hi Leah, thanks for taking it seriously! Your suggestion would give you a science feed if all scientists used the #sciencesky hashtag. But they don't. So as far as I understand, the problem still persists if you want an alternative Bluesky feed focussing on your scientific interest / best Mike

💡3/ Spoiler alert: This phenomenon is not just because ALL scientists on Bluesky are from the US, and not because all scientists are into politics. In my post, I give my interpretation.
DISCLAIMER: Goes without saying, I am not making any political statement one way or the other.

💡2/ I was inspired to write this by an analysis by my colleague @lassehjorthmadsen.bsky.social . It shows that among 200 highly influential scientists on Bluesky worldwide, the posts with the most reposts and likes are overwhelmingly about US politics:
lassehjorthmadsen.github.io/blueskyanaly...

Yes I agree completely. And this is 'kind' behaviour that social media algorithms specifically do NOT reward!

Oh yes, I would love to know if this turns out to be the case!!

4/ These are the questions I am pursuing, and I'd love to hear my followers' take! I think that @trineb.bsky.social might like this. Here is there paper: www.nature.com/articles/s43...

3/ So how would their theory apply to scholarly social media?
• Do kind actions really proliferate on social media?
• How do algorithms help or hinder them?
• Do scholars' generosity on the platforms make academia a better place?

2/ Their claim: It is a REALLY good idea for society to promote voluntary acts of kindness. It costs little, is socially just, and is available to (and within) every one of us.