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6 September 2017 Engaging for a Good Cause: Sophia's Story and Why #BugsR4Girls
Morgan D. Jackson, Sophia Spencer
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Abstract

Scientists, particularly those involved with nonapplied or “basic” science, are often asked to justify the broader impacts of their work, or more acutely, how they and their work contribute to society. Although it may be difficult to articulate the immediate importance of providing names for new flies, the inherent value of knowledge is undeniable. At times, however, the positive impact scientists have on society, or even on a single individual, can burst into reality in real-time. Here we examine one such example: a tweet and hashtag that circled the globe in support of a young girl being bullied for her entomological passion. We explore the responses to the tweet, within Twitter and in the larger media landscape, and what they mean for entomology, scientific societies using social media, and the promotion of women in science, and provide recommendations for increasing engagement on social media to improve representation of science.

© The Authors 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com
Morgan D. Jackson and Sophia Spencer "Engaging for a Good Cause: Sophia's Story and Why #BugsR4Girls," Annals of the Entomological Society of America 110(5), 439-448, (6 September 2017). https://doi.org/10.1093/aesa/sax055
Received: 21 February 2017; Accepted: 9 June 2017; Published: 6 September 2017
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KEYWORDS
entomology
outreach
social media
Twitter
women in science
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