Background: There exists a complex and ever-evolving relationship between social media and medicine. This study investigates the usage of X (formerly Twitter) among neurosurgeons and explores how virtual engagement potentially impacts this specialty.
Methods: The researchers examined X posts from the top fifty influential neurosurgeons over 6 months. Demographics and practice information were collected. Posts were categorized into 9 predetermined coding definitions. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize user characteristics. χ2 tests and two-tailed T-tests were employed to examine patterns of posting behavior.
Results: Most influencers practiced in an academic setting (89%) and 43% of them were age fifty or older. Only 15% identified as female. Cerebrovascular subspecialists accounted for 39% of the cohort. Reposting was the most popular type of posting, constituting 61% of all posts. The most common postcategory observed was "Professional Events" (31%), while "Patient Education" was the least common (0.8%). Private practice and general neurosurgeons infrequently posted about "Professional Events" (5.1%, P < 0.01 and 3.2%, P < 0.01, respectively). "Personal Thoughts" constituted the second most common category, with a notable increase among users younger than 50 (25%, P < 0.01), individuals who identified as female (62%, P < 0.01), those in private practice (69%, P < 0.01), and general neurosurgeons (86%, P < 0.01).
Conclusions: Neurosurgeons of all ages use X to advance their careers and stay updated. However, the utilization of this influential platform likely varies depending on the current practice setting and individual career goals. Neurosurgeons on X appear to have the greatest influence within an academic context, particularly when promoting professional events.
Keywords: Career advancement; Influencers; Networking; Professional events; Social media; Twitter; X.
Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier Inc.