Social Media in Lichenology

Social Media in Lichenology: Roles, Impact, and Engagement

Social media has become an essential tool for science communication, collaboration, and outreach across disciplines. In lichenology, social platforms are reshaping how knowledge is shared, how communities are built, and how public awareness is fostered about these ecologically significant but often overlooked organisms.

Roles of Social Media in Lichenology

1. Scientific Outreach and Education
   Social media platforms allow lichenologists to explain their research to broad audiences, from school students to conservationists. Visual content (e.g., close-up photos, micrographs, field videos) is especially effective in stimulating curiosity about lichen biology, ecology, and systematics.
   
   
   

2. Networking and Collaboration
   Many professional lichenologists and early-career researchers use social media to connect across borders, share fieldwork updates, coordinate projects, and exchange knowledge on taxonomy, biogeography, or molecular techniques.
   
   
   

3. Public Engagement and Citizen Science
   Platforms like iNaturalist (with integrated social features), Twitter, and Facebook encourage citizen scientists to document lichen species and contribute to global biodiversity data, often with direct feedback from experts.
   
   
   

4. Event Promotion and Knowledge Dissemination
   Conferences (e.g., IAL, BLS events), webinars, workshops, and grant announcements are widely promoted through social media, enhancing visibility and participation in lichenological activities.
   
   
   

5. Most Active Social Media Platforms in Lichenology

6. 🌿 Instagram

7. Strengths: Visual storytelling; macro and micro images of lichens; hashtags such as #lichenology, #lichenlover, and #lichenphotography help to build community and visibility.
   
   
   

8. Users: Field biologists, hobbyists, naturalists, photographers, and science illustrators.
   
   
   

9. Notable Accounts:
   
   
   

10. @lichencanarias – personal field updates and ID challenges.
    
    
    

11. @nordic_lichens – personal field updates and ID challenges.
    
    
    

12. 🐦 Twitter (now X)

13. Strengths: Fast-paced scientific communication, live updates from fieldwork or conferences, links to papers, job postings.
    
    
    

14. Hashtags: #Lichenology, #MycologyMonday, #FieldworkFriday, #Biodiversity
    
    
    

15. Users: Academic researchers, students, societies, and journals.
    
    
    

16. Notable Communities:
    
    
    

17. @britishlichensoc (British Lichen Society)
    
    
    

18. @iLichenology (General lichen research news)
    
    
    

19. @MicrobeSociety (Includes biofilm, fungal, and lichen tweets)
    
    
    

20. 📘 Facebook

21. Strengths: Longer discussions, photo albums, community building.
    
    
    

22. Notable Groups:
    
    
    

23. Lichen Hunters – community-driven identification help and field finds.
    
    
    

24. Lichen Enthusiasts – sharing global diversity and discussion on taxonomy.
    
    
    

25. Lichenology – Research & Education – academic-focused group with posts on recent studies and student queries.
    
    
    

26. 📷 iNaturalist (Quasi-social platform)

27. Strengths: Species recording, mapping, identification, and crowd-sourced verification.
    
    
    

28. Use in Lichenology: Heavily used for uploading and identifying lichens worldwide, with growing datasets used in ecological modeling and taxonomic revisions.
    
    
    

29. Community: Professional lichenologists often verify records; amateurs contribute images and location data.
    
    
    

30. 🎥 YouTube

31. Role: Visual education, microscopy demonstrations, field tutorials (detailed in the earlier response).
    
    
    

32. Limit: Less real-time interaction; used more for formal content.
    
    
    

33. 📚 ResearchGate & Academia.edu

34. Role: Sharing of scientific publications, responding to research questions, and collaborating on manuscript development. Not "social" in the traditional sense, but essential for professional academic networking.
    
    
    

Where Are Lichenologists Most Active?

Platform

Engagement Type

Activity Level by Lichenologists

Twitter/X

Research sharing, live events

★★★★☆

Instagram

Field photos, community outreach

★★★★☆

Facebook

Discussions, ID help, outreach

★★★☆☆

iNaturalist

Citizen science, species data

★★★★★

YouTube

Educational content, outreach

★★☆☆☆

ResearchGate

Publications, academic Q&A

★★★☆☆