Whatever value Twitter might have, it is not my opinion that it is not particularly useful as a service for meaningful conversation. I have commented on this opinion in previous posts. As twitter chats have been a popular format among educators for professional development, I have recommended that an analysis of the tweets during such chats would make a great grad student research project.
This type of analysis is beginning to emerge. Social media discussions have been proposed as a way for researchers to interact concerning published research. The study cited in “Inside Higher education” was not particularly positive.
Much of the activity about academic journal articles posted on Twitter is “mechanical and devoid of original thought,” according to a new study that calls into question the value of some alternative metrics used to evaluate research.
Twitter may be a way to increase awareness, but not to promote productive discussion.