Over the course of this semester, we have seen and read different sources and practicums designed to take history into the digital world. Slowly but surely, historians are embracing this new platform and using it to connect with different audiences. The practicums we studied showed me how vast the field of digital history is and the different tools that exist. As museums, institutions, schools and other forums for history start to embrace the digital world these tools are available to help curate content and reach broad audiences.
I found Twitter to be a fascinating realm for digital history. Professionals are starting to use social media to communicate with each other and the general public. I had not seen this trend on social media until I started graduate school. It was continuously communicated that Twitter is a great step for emerging professionals.
After I interviewed the nine Twitterstorians, I made my own professional Twitter. I wanted to start making connections and developing my own network of historians. My interviewees also addressed how they handle trolls and hate speech on Twitter. They recommend using the block feature to create a respectful community, which I intend to use as well. I am excited to become a Twitterstorian and start to establish myself among peers. Though, I will note that I am using mine to listen, watch, and seek occasional advice. I have already asked for advice and gotten really helpful feedback, Twitterstorians are a supportive community. After this project and my brief time on professional Twitter, I would recommend if you have not already you make a professional Twitter.
Digital history is a more accessible and oftentimes more engage forum for audiences. As the field embraces the digital world, it is our job as emerging professionals to use the resources available to us.
Thank you all for a great semester! If you are on Twitter follow me @agallagherhist 🙂
Amanda, I think your poster is a) rad and b) very well designed. It is easy to comprehend the scope of your project while also being unique and creative. I think both of those words actively sum up your project as well. As we move forward as historians, it is becoming quite clear that Twitter and especially Twitterstorians will likely become a center piece in the communication of scholarship on the web. I think you did a great job interweaving these narrators into a great narrative that shows the power of using Twitter in our discipline. Great job!
Amanda, thank you for asking the questions that the rest of us wanted to ask but didn’t know how to. Your essay is insightful and helpful in so many ways. Looking forward to all of your future tweets. Great job!
Amanda, thank you for taking a look into the realm of professional historians online! I think this is such a struggle for those of us working to become professionals, in terms of how we should be interacting online and be engaging with history on a social media platform, and engaging in these types of questions with successful Twitter historians is such an insightful look into what works, what doesn’t, and how current social media platforms can lead to really valuable community building, increased understanding, etc. Thanks for all of your work!