Thinking in networks: what it means for policy makers – PDF 2014
Brossard aaas 13 0214
1. Science and the Public
In New Information Environments
Dominique Brossard, Professor
Department of Life Sciences Communication
College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, UW-Madison
UW-Madison Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center (NSEC)
Holtz Center for Science and Technology Studies
AAAS 2013, Boston MA, February 14, 2013
2. This Talk: An Overview
• The online environment for science news
• The science information consumer
• Online content and science
• To comment or not to comment?
3. Science Communication is Redefined
“it’s not possible to talk about
science blogging without talking
about scientists blogging, or more
broadly about scientists writing.”
Franci, M. (2011). Nature Chemistry 3, 183-184
4. …Direct Communication Endorsed
Particularly By Younger Scientists
cohort shifts with more junior
scientists thinking that “[n]ew
findings of public interest should be
communicated to the public
immediately”
(Data based on: Corley et al. 2011)
4
5. … And (Science) Information Can Go Viral
Political news through indirect channnels
Penn Virality study
Berger & Milkman 2010
5
6. THE PROMISE OF THE
New Communication Environments …
NEW INATION COMEALTH
provide essentially unlimited
information
on a large number of issues,
which can be obtained anywhere
and
with relatively limited effort
and opportunities for citizens to
connect with others through social
media and other 2.0-type tools to
make sense of this information
10
7. This Talk: An Overview
• The online environment for science news
• The science information consumer
• Online conversations about science
• To comment or not to comment?
8. A New Active Online Science Audience Online
National Science Board 2012
15
10. But For Now, These Shifts Are Not Across The Board
BUT FOR NOW, THESE SHIFTS ARE
60 NOT ACROSS THE BOARD
(scale range partially displayed) male
55 female
Percentage
50
45
40
Traditional media Television Newspaper Online / Online-Only
mixed (20% of pop.) (16% of pop.) Traditional media (7% of pop.)
(23% of pop.) mixed (34% of
pop.)
Su et al. 2012
13
11. BUT FOR NOW, THESE SHIFTS ARE
But For Now, These Shifts Are Not Across The Board
NOT ACROSS THE BOARD
65
Education low
(scale range partially displayed)
60 Education high
55
Percentage
50
45
40
35
Traditional media Television Newspaper Online / Online-Only
mixed (20% of pop.) (16% of pop.) Traditional media (7% of pop.)
(23% of pop.) mixed (34% of
pop.)
Su et al. 2012
14
12. This Talk: An Overview
• The online environment for science news
• The science information consumer
• Online content and science
• To comment or not to comment?
13. What Do These New Information Environments
Look Like for the Science Information Consumer?
For nanotechnology, discrepancy between
Searches:
what people look for (tracked by
Nielsen online)
Results:
what search terms are suggested to
them (Google suggest data)
what they find (content analysis of
top ranked search results in Google)
Ladwig et al. 2010
17
14. What This Means for Science-Informed Audiences
Potential of “self-reinforcing informational spirals”
Page Google
ranks Suggestions
Traffic Searches
Are opinions formed based on how Google presents
results rather than on what individuals are searching?
Li et al. 2011; Brossard & Scheufele 2013
18
15. Information is Contextualized
Online newspaper articles or TV shows not
consumed in isolated fashion, but
contextualized
reader comments and feedback
Facebook posts/links with “Like” buttons
and comments from other users
Tweets - RT
…
… how are these formats impacting consumers
views?
19
17. Tone of Comments In Blogs Change
Our Judgments About Online Science Stories
Experiment involving a representative
sample of the American population (N=1,183)
Subjects randomly assigned to 2 types of
comments following a balanced news story
about nanosilver:
Rude blog comments
Civil blog comments
Anderson et al. (in press)
20
19. In a nutshell …
People who read the uncivil comments (which use the same
screen names and content and just differ on the tone) end up
walking away from the story with a much more polarized
understanding of the actual risks connected with nano
20.
21.
22. In Sum …
An evolving science communication environment, in
which the science information consumer constantly
encounters contextualized information in an online
world
How do we deal with comments?
Research in science communication needs to inform
online science communication practice
21