Social Media at Every Turn

Get your discoveries out there!

With the various forms of social media sites at our disposal, there is a plethora of platforms for companies and organizations to share their discoveries among the general public at just the click of a finger!

 The Internet has provided the means for countless of individuals worldwide to gain access to any sort of information available, as well as connecting these individuals through avenues that would otherwise be impossible. Social media in particular utilizes simple, yet attention-grabbing, methods of delivering messages to viewers and consumers- a system that was virtually untapped until just the last decade. Due to this  innovative stream, scientific organizations are able to share their discoveries to new audiences outside of their unique field seamlessly and in just a few basic steps.

 Articles have been published by successful parties in order to aid these scientists in conveying their insights on particular matters. Courtesy of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), here are some tips from their article “Communicating Science Online”:

• There has been a monumental shift of accessing information from by means of the television towards the Internet: publishers of scientific information should focus efforts onto the online avenue.
• Online formats prioritize methods:
  • Website: typically utilized as a credible source for the general populace to obtain information in thorough, in-depth manner.
  • Blog: communicates information concerning a particular range of topics in more of an informal manner.
  • Social Media: Facebook (FB) is best for self-branding purposes, while Twitter captivates a wider audience with real-time discussion.
• Implement strategies incorporating identity, conversations, sharing, relationships, and reputations.

Additionally, the Paw Research Center published a study involving 30 different scientific organizations/individuals to determined how their methods of sharing information fared online. The results of the study were detailed in their article “The Science People See on Social Media” and here are a few of the main takeaways:

• Average number of user interactions (likes, shares, comments) per post tends to be higher on Facebook-primary accounts than posts from multi-platform accounts.
  • More engagement for posts with more visuals and little info; calls to action
  • However, some science related accounts were more active on Twitter than FB
• Coverage of major scientific controversies were not mentioned/rare for FB pages => 8% of the 30 pages studied touched on environmental/energy issues
  • 1% mentioned genetically modified organisms (GMOs).
• The majority of posts among the 30 Facebook pages employ one of three frames: scientific discovery/development news, information concerning science “news you can use”, or a media program promotion.
• Video is a common feature on FB posts that grant high viewer interactions => due to explanation of content.
• Research-funding themed posts were incredibly interactive with users: 122,126 average => 3x more than next highest category
  • Instigated by Trump’s 2017 proposed budget, potential changes for science funding

For example, here is how the American Public Health Association (APHA) applies its social media to broadcast information:

• Social media followers: Facebook (100,680); Twitter (476,000)
• Account creation: Facebook (July 2009); Twitter (June 2007)
• Media Management: Megan Lowry (Media Relations)
• Based on the 3 frames presented in the Paw Research Center Study, the APHA social media sites tend to share promotional posts concerning their own events, like conferences and notable speakers. Additionally, the “news you can use” posts are present as well, sharing information from other sources or self-published related to upcoming events- supplemental articles in a manner.
  • Similar to the observations in the study, the “news you can use” posts receive the most viewer interactions.
• These sites are pretty standard for a major association, nothing too innovative. However, a healthy variety exists in the formatting of the post; such as a mixture of large trendy pictures, links, event photos, and text one after another.
  • One thing that would aid the site would be to add post containing videos in order to delve further into detail without wasting screen space.

Hopefully these tid-bits of information will aid scientists, present and future, in tailoring their scientific achievements towards the enjoyment of the general public!