An increasing number of geoscientists are using social media such as blogs, Twitter, Facebook, and Ustream to exchange information and express opinions. Particularly in the US, academic organizations such as AGU and GSA enthusiastically utilize social media. Although social media are becoming popular in Japan, they are usually considered hobbies, and only a limited number of academic societies have been using them officially. In this session we will discuss the implication, usage, technical aspects, and future applications of social media in geoscience from an academic viewpoint. We welcome various presentations related to social media such as reviews, introduction of cases, and expression of opinions.