Is There Such a Thing as a Scholarly Publishing Influencer?

YES. Full stop. Period, as the kids would say. Who is an influencer? Merriam-Webster's description defines this noun as "one who exerts influence: a person who inspires or guides the actions of others… often, specifically: a person who is able to generate interest in something (such as a consumer product) by posting about it on social media." It's no secret that I love social media. I enjoy it on a personal level, sure—I'm currently loving the cucumber guy1 on TikTok (if you know, you know) and the Olympians on Instagram. Over time, I've had many personal choices influenced by individuals prominent on social media. I've also been influenced NOT to behave in certain ways. I've seen people sell their homes and turn their minivans into houses on wheels (although I do have a pretty sweet GlamVan), cover their keyboards with Elmer's glue and then douse them with rainbow glitter, and even very publicly quit their jobs in viral posts. Will I choose to do any of these things? No. Was it interesting and informative to interact with these posts? Heck yes. What does any of this have to do with scholarly publishing, though? As I considered social media influencers and their impact on my personal life, I started thinking about how valuable certain individuals and organizations have been to me in recent years on my career journey. If not for social media, I would not have had access to or awareness of most of these resources. I have learned so […]