• World Neurosurg · Sep 2016

    Social Media for Academic Neurosurgical Programs: The University of Toronto Experience.

    • Naif M Alotaibi, Nardin Samuel, Daipayan Guha, Farshad Nassiri, Jetan H Badhiwala, Joseph Tam, Mohammed F Shamji, Abhaya V Kulkarni, R Loch Macdonald, and Andres M Lozano.
    • Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Surgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Institute of Medical Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
    • World Neurosurg. 2016 Sep 1; 93: 449-57.

    BackgroundThere is a paucity of available strategies to increase visibility and engagement in social media (SM) within the neurosurgical community. The objective of this study was to investigate the possible factors for engagement and reach among SM users in neurosurgery.MethodsData from Facebook and Twitter accounts of our institution were collected. We extracted data on demographics and attributes of our current users, including sex, country, age group, device used, and language. Attributes of SM posts were also collected, including time of post, type and content of post, impressions, and engagements. Nonparametric analyses were conducted to evaluate differences in metrics.ResultsMetrics were obtained on 192 Facebook and Twitter posts, published online between October 1, 2013, and March 13, 2016. On both platforms, there was a greater representation of male users relative to female users. Facebook users were predominantly in the 18-34 years age range (83%), with most users being from outside of North America. Conversely, users from Canada and the United States comprised the highest proportion of Twitter users. On both platforms, posts containing photos or videos scored significantly higher in engagements and impressions (P < 0.05). Posts on weekdays and during work hours achieved higher visibility and engagements. Moreover, Facebook posts demonstrated higher SM metrics if they mentioned faculty with more than 16 years' experience (P < 0.05).ConclusionsThe current study demonstrates that our SM users predominantly comprise a younger demographic and that content optimization with media materials may lead to higher visibility and engagement. The impact of high SM reach on academic neurosurgical programs remains to be determined.Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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