Why Ph.D. Students Should Use social media Right Now

Doing a Ph.D. can be truly hard. There are a lot of experiences such as uncertainty about the future, Lack of work-life balance, harassment, isolation, and discrimination, and with the rise of COVID-19, those challenges become even more exacerbated. 

Recently, many students and even professionals in that field started talking about the importance of social media for academics, and a big part of them looks at social media as essential tools for all Ph.D. students, which is not completely true.

What is essential to the Ph.D. students is to not miss their college classes, study, meet their deadlines when assigned to write papers, and what can also be considered essential is to feel free to ask for writing help when not able to come up with a perfect thesis, which can be done by hiring an Edubirdie’s thesis writer or ordering the whole paper from online services like it. Because the most important thing for any Ph.D. student is to get the proper education and good grades.

 Although that doesn’t mean that social media is completely useless to them, it may not be essential, and students would be able to achieve the same results without the use of it, but still, who doesn’t want a bit of help?

Social media platforms provide the students with an important space for connection, and many benefits come from engaging with academic social networking, so keep reading to find out some of the main reasons why Ph.D. students should use social media now, more than ever before. 

Benefits from Ph.D. in social media 

Support from Others 

Due to COVID-19, many colleges are under lock down, and many students must work from home. And due to that, the informal support that comes from working as a part of a community has disappeared. Although peer support is strongly presented on social media, for example, there are various hashtags such as #AcademicTwitter, #PhDChat, #AcademicChatter, etc., and using them provides pathways to resources and chances to meet people with a similar mindset like you. 

Navigating your Academic Discipline 

Hashtags can also be used to find academic communities. Many academic communities have social media accounts from which you can find useful points and news for a specific discipline. Also, many communities often provide tailored advice on their accounts. All in all, social media is a surveillance network, so you may not be able to engage with the academics that you are following, but you will be able to see their work and develop a deeper sense of their research and interests. Doing this can lead you to academic projects and communities that your university may not represent. And sometimes can even lead to future collaboration. 

Up to Date with the Latest Research 

Not all research and thesis are published in academic papers but simply posted on social media. Also, social media platforms are central to sharing non-standard research outputs like databases, infographics, and Ph.D. student blogs. This can be very useful because it gives the students a chance to constantly follow the new developments in their chosen field. 

Life After PhD 

Academics and institutions often share information about different job openings and following them can help you and provide you with the latest information about a new job opening. Also, you can learn a lot from researching the work of others, and of course, networking with experts that work in your chosen field.  

Useful Social Media Sites for Prospective Ph.D. Students

There are many social media platforms out there that will allow you to enjoy the benefits mentioned above, but the following ones are the best ones that you can sign up for. 

•             ResearchGate- is a more research-based platform in which you can post presentations, posters, papers, or any kind of research materials. Everyone can see the projects that you are working on, but you are also able to research and learn from other writers and their projects. The key part of this platform is the “Question” feature that allows the users to share any questions that they have. Also, it is great for networking.
•             ORCID — by signing up to this platform, you will receive a unique number identifier that will distinguish you from everyone else. And that ID allows you to link between other social media platforms. It is a platform for building your CV and online presence. 
•             LinkedIn — creating a profile on LinkedIn allows you to create a portfolio of your experience, skills, publications, and work, which is an amazing way to offer your specialized services to a potential employer. It is used by many people in the UK, not just researchers, and besides the chance to get a job, you also have the chance to follow and learn from institutions and businesses that interest you. 
•             Twitter — Many have a personal Twitter account but having a professional one can be a huge plus. This is also an amazing platform that can be used for research, communication, and drawing attention to your work. It can sometimes be hard to explain your research topic in only 280 characters, although if you can do it, it will surely draw a lot of attention to you. 

It is really easy to create those social media profiles taken together. They can be used to develop your personal profile, share your work, learn from the work of others, and network. And the best part is that they won’t require you more than a couple of minutes a day.