Social media: the SNSF is now also on Mastodon
To ensure that we continue to reach as many people as possible, the SNSF is now also present on Mastodon. This social media platform functions similarly to the online messaging service Twitter, which is going through troubled times.
Social media is a fast-moving world – and the last few weeks, in particular, have been relentless. With Twitter currently undergoing major changes, the SNSF is seeking to ensure rapid and easy communication with its followers in the longer term. For this reason, we have also been present on the Mastodon platform since early November.
Like Twitter, Mastodon is a microblogging service aimed at the rapid dissemination of short messages. It was founded in Germany in 2016 as a decentralised network: unlike other social media platforms, Mastodon is not owned by individual people or companies; rather, the platform's servers are operated by different providers. Posts are displayed chronologically, without first being sorted by an algorithm. The number of users is currently 8 million and growing fast.
To reach as many people as possible
On Twitter, the research community is our most important target group. Our aim is to disseminate our own news as well as information on key issues as quickly as possible; in addition, we want to help researchers gain more visibility through retweets and likes. Like many other providers, however, we have been seeing a steady decline in reach and visibility for some time – despite a continuous increase in followers and interactions. At the same time, we have witnessed a strong increase in followers on Mastodon and also on LinkedIn.