Social media is revolutionizing how scientists interact with the public
“One of the goals for my science communication, and my career, is to help people connect with sources of information that they can trust.” – Sarah McAnulty
Source: Andrew Tarantola, @terrortola , engadget.com
https://www.engadget.com/2019/07/03/social-media-revolutionizing-scientists-interact-public/
The field of science communication — the practice of informing and educating people about science-related topics — arose just after the start of the Enlightenment when Francesco Algarotti published his first edition of Newtonianism for the Ladies in 1737. While that bit of 18th century mansplaining doesn’t really hold up by today’s standards, in the nearly three centuries since, the pace of scientific progress has only accelerated — with science communication evolving alongside it. The advent of social media, in particular, is an unprecedented, powerful tool for science communicators.
“It was right after the election and I noticed that there was all this energy in the community, thinking about how we could better communicate our science to the public,” University of Connecticut PhD student Sarah McAnulty told Engadget. “I thought we needed some way to engage scientists, in a low time-commitment, high-impact, kind of way.”
The field of science communication — the practice of informing and educating people about science-related topics — arose just after the start of the Enlightenment when Francesco Algarotti published his first edition of Newtonianism for the Ladies in 1737. While that bit of 18th century mansplaining doesn’t really hold up by today’s standards, in the nearly three centuries since, the pace of scientific progress has only accelerated — with science communication evolving alongside it. The advent of social media, in particular, is an unprecedented, powerful tool for science communicators.
“It was right after the election and I noticed that there was all this energy in the community, thinking about how we could better communicate our science to the public,” University of Connecticut PhD student Sarah McAnulty told Engadget. “I thought we needed some way to engage scientists, in a low time-commitment, high-impact, kind of way.”