DEMANDS FOR ACADEMIC LITERATURE ON MASTODON #ICANHAZPDF

Abstract

This study examines the demand for scholarly publications on Mastodon and the characteristics of its sharing communities. It investigates how a segment of the scientific community accesses academic literature after migrating from Twitter. For this analysis, 336 posts featuring the hashtag #ICanHazPDF were collected during the first semester of 2026. Data regarding creation date, language, subject, and the inclusion of a publication URL were extracted from these posts. The second stage of the research investigated the links provided in 222 of these posts, resulting in a total of 178 analyzed publications. The findings indicate growth in this practice starting in 2022, peaking in 2023, which is associated with structural changes on Twitter during that period. Posts in English predominate (74.1%), with demands concentrated in the Life and Health Sciences (41.5%), and publications linked to the Big Five commercial academic publishers. This study confirms trends identified in previous research and expands the understanding of paywall bypass practices by academics on social networks.