“On Social Media Science Seems to Be More Human”: Exploring Researchers as Digital Science Communicators
Autor(a) principal: | |
---|---|
Data de Publicação: | 2020 |
Outros Autores: | , |
Tipo de documento: | Artigo |
Idioma: | eng |
Título da fonte: | Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos) |
Texto Completo: | https://doi.org/10.17645/mac.v8i2.2812 |
Resumo: | In contemporary media discourses, researchers may be perceived to communicate something they do not intend to, such as coldness or irrelevance. However, researchers are facing new responsibilities concerning how popular formats used to present science will impact science’s cultural authority (Bucchi, 2017). Currently, there is limited research on the microlevel practices of digital science communication involving researchers as actors. Therefore, this qualitative study explores how digital academic discourse practices develop, using the tweeting and blogging of researchers involved in a multidisciplinary renewable energy research project as a case. The results of a thematic analysis of interviews with researchers (n = 17) suggests that the researchers’ perceptions form a scale ranging from traditional to progressively adjusted practices, which are labelled ‘informing,’ ‘anchoring,’ ‘luring,’ and ‘maneuvering.’ These imply an attempt to diminish the gap between science and the public. The interviewees acknowledge that scientific facts may not be interesting and that they need captivating means that are common in the use of new media, such as buzzwords and clickbait. It appears that trials and experimentation with hybrid genres helped the researchers to distinguish the contours of digital academic discourses. The implications support suggestions to broaden the trajectories of expertise and communication, including issues of culture and identity, trust, and the relevance of science. It is argued that scientists’ embrace of new media channels will refine some articulations of the mediatization processes, and these findings support recent suggestions that mediatization could also be conceptualized as a strategic resource. |
id |
RCAP_dcdbce4dd363bf6184d8e99d6c677621 |
---|---|
oai_identifier_str |
oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/2812 |
network_acronym_str |
RCAP |
network_name_str |
Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos) |
repository_id_str |
7160 |
spelling |
“On Social Media Science Seems to Be More Human”: Exploring Researchers as Digital Science Communicatorscommunication; media research; new media; science communication; social mediaIn contemporary media discourses, researchers may be perceived to communicate something they do not intend to, such as coldness or irrelevance. However, researchers are facing new responsibilities concerning how popular formats used to present science will impact science’s cultural authority (Bucchi, 2017). Currently, there is limited research on the microlevel practices of digital science communication involving researchers as actors. Therefore, this qualitative study explores how digital academic discourse practices develop, using the tweeting and blogging of researchers involved in a multidisciplinary renewable energy research project as a case. The results of a thematic analysis of interviews with researchers (n = 17) suggests that the researchers’ perceptions form a scale ranging from traditional to progressively adjusted practices, which are labelled ‘informing,’ ‘anchoring,’ ‘luring,’ and ‘maneuvering.’ These imply an attempt to diminish the gap between science and the public. The interviewees acknowledge that scientific facts may not be interesting and that they need captivating means that are common in the use of new media, such as buzzwords and clickbait. It appears that trials and experimentation with hybrid genres helped the researchers to distinguish the contours of digital academic discourses. The implications support suggestions to broaden the trajectories of expertise and communication, including issues of culture and identity, trust, and the relevance of science. It is argued that scientists’ embrace of new media channels will refine some articulations of the mediatization processes, and these findings support recent suggestions that mediatization could also be conceptualized as a strategic resource.Cogitatio2020-06-25info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersioninfo:eu-repo/semantics/articleapplication/pdfhttps://doi.org/10.17645/mac.v8i2.2812oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/2812Media and Communication; Vol 8, No 2 (2020): Health and Science Controversies in the Digital World: News, Mis/Disinformation and Public Engagement; 425-4392183-2439reponame:Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)instname:Agência para a Sociedade do Conhecimento (UMIC) - FCT - Sociedade da Informaçãoinstacron:RCAAPenghttps://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/2812https://doi.org/10.17645/mac.v8i2.2812https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/2812/2812Copyright (c) 2020 Kaisu Koivumäki, Timo Koivumäki, Erkki Karvonenhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessKoivumäki, KaisuKoivumäki, TimoKarvonen, Erkki2022-12-20T10:58:44Zoai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/2812Portal AgregadorONGhttps://www.rcaap.pt/oai/openaireopendoar:71602024-03-19T16:21:07.396182Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos) - Agência para a Sociedade do Conhecimento (UMIC) - FCT - Sociedade da Informaçãofalse |
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv |
“On Social Media Science Seems to Be More Human”: Exploring Researchers as Digital Science Communicators |
title |
“On Social Media Science Seems to Be More Human”: Exploring Researchers as Digital Science Communicators |
spellingShingle |
“On Social Media Science Seems to Be More Human”: Exploring Researchers as Digital Science Communicators Koivumäki, Kaisu communication; media research; new media; science communication; social media |
title_short |
“On Social Media Science Seems to Be More Human”: Exploring Researchers as Digital Science Communicators |
title_full |
“On Social Media Science Seems to Be More Human”: Exploring Researchers as Digital Science Communicators |
title_fullStr |
“On Social Media Science Seems to Be More Human”: Exploring Researchers as Digital Science Communicators |
title_full_unstemmed |
“On Social Media Science Seems to Be More Human”: Exploring Researchers as Digital Science Communicators |
title_sort |
“On Social Media Science Seems to Be More Human”: Exploring Researchers as Digital Science Communicators |
author |
Koivumäki, Kaisu |
author_facet |
Koivumäki, Kaisu Koivumäki, Timo Karvonen, Erkki |
author_role |
author |
author2 |
Koivumäki, Timo Karvonen, Erkki |
author2_role |
author author |
dc.contributor.author.fl_str_mv |
Koivumäki, Kaisu Koivumäki, Timo Karvonen, Erkki |
dc.subject.por.fl_str_mv |
communication; media research; new media; science communication; social media |
topic |
communication; media research; new media; science communication; social media |
description |
In contemporary media discourses, researchers may be perceived to communicate something they do not intend to, such as coldness or irrelevance. However, researchers are facing new responsibilities concerning how popular formats used to present science will impact science’s cultural authority (Bucchi, 2017). Currently, there is limited research on the microlevel practices of digital science communication involving researchers as actors. Therefore, this qualitative study explores how digital academic discourse practices develop, using the tweeting and blogging of researchers involved in a multidisciplinary renewable energy research project as a case. The results of a thematic analysis of interviews with researchers (n = 17) suggests that the researchers’ perceptions form a scale ranging from traditional to progressively adjusted practices, which are labelled ‘informing,’ ‘anchoring,’ ‘luring,’ and ‘maneuvering.’ These imply an attempt to diminish the gap between science and the public. The interviewees acknowledge that scientific facts may not be interesting and that they need captivating means that are common in the use of new media, such as buzzwords and clickbait. It appears that trials and experimentation with hybrid genres helped the researchers to distinguish the contours of digital academic discourses. The implications support suggestions to broaden the trajectories of expertise and communication, including issues of culture and identity, trust, and the relevance of science. It is argued that scientists’ embrace of new media channels will refine some articulations of the mediatization processes, and these findings support recent suggestions that mediatization could also be conceptualized as a strategic resource. |
publishDate |
2020 |
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv |
2020-06-25 |
dc.type.status.fl_str_mv |
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion |
dc.type.driver.fl_str_mv |
info:eu-repo/semantics/article |
format |
article |
status_str |
publishedVersion |
dc.identifier.uri.fl_str_mv |
https://doi.org/10.17645/mac.v8i2.2812 oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/2812 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.17645/mac.v8i2.2812 |
identifier_str_mv |
oai:ojs.cogitatiopress.com:article/2812 |
dc.language.iso.fl_str_mv |
eng |
language |
eng |
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv |
https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/2812 https://doi.org/10.17645/mac.v8i2.2812 https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/2812/2812 |
dc.rights.driver.fl_str_mv |
Copyright (c) 2020 Kaisu Koivumäki, Timo Koivumäki, Erkki Karvonen http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
rights_invalid_str_mv |
Copyright (c) 2020 Kaisu Koivumäki, Timo Koivumäki, Erkki Karvonen http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 |
eu_rights_str_mv |
openAccess |
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv |
application/pdf |
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv |
Cogitatio |
publisher.none.fl_str_mv |
Cogitatio |
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv |
Media and Communication; Vol 8, No 2 (2020): Health and Science Controversies in the Digital World: News, Mis/Disinformation and Public Engagement; 425-439 2183-2439 reponame:Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos) instname:Agência para a Sociedade do Conhecimento (UMIC) - FCT - Sociedade da Informação instacron:RCAAP |
instname_str |
Agência para a Sociedade do Conhecimento (UMIC) - FCT - Sociedade da Informação |
instacron_str |
RCAAP |
institution |
RCAAP |
reponame_str |
Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos) |
collection |
Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos) |
repository.name.fl_str_mv |
Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos) - Agência para a Sociedade do Conhecimento (UMIC) - FCT - Sociedade da Informação |
repository.mail.fl_str_mv |
|
_version_ |
1799130658113585152 |