Media Studies and the Pitfalls of Publicity

Bibliographic Data

ID12756608
AuthorsArthur Marwick (0000-0002-0837-6999, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, corresponding author)
Year2020
Volume21
Issue6
Pages608-615
Publication date2020-07-26
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueTelevision & New Media (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1527-4764 • E-ISSN: 1552-8316
PublisherSAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/1527476420919702
OpenAlexW3046166928
LanguageEN
Citations received6
References cited19

For many academics, using social media has both drawbacks and advantages. Social media may allow connection with colleagues, scholarly promotion, and public engagement, and may also open researchers up to criticism and even possible harassment. This essay argues that we must think critically about logics of self-branding and attention-seeking given these two sides of the coin of social media publicity. First, publicity can easily be weaponized against scholars engaging in projects that may be socially or politically controversial by individuals or organizations who disagree with their premises. Universities are often unprepared to deal with this negative publicity and fail to protect researchers from the consequence. Second, self-branding may undermine one’s ability to be viewed as a serious scholar and requires rigorous self-censorship, particularly for those far from the white, male ideal of the professoriate. I conclude with some recommendations for academic social media use at different career stages

Criticism · Harassment · Ideal (ethics · Political science · Politics · Promotion (chess · Public relations · Publicity · Social media · Sociology · Discourse Analysis in Language Studies · Law · Media Studies and Communication · Rhetoric and Communication Studies

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Open DOIOpen Access