Thanks to the increasing popularity of social media, scientists have an unparalleled opportunity to share their discoveries with the world.
Thanks to the increasing popularity of social media, scientists have an unparalleled opportunity to share their discoveries with the world. And there has arguably never been a greater need, as science continues to move from "neat to hear about" to "need to hear about," given various shifts on the global stage.
Science journalists are becoming increasingly rare, reflective of the changes in the traditional media landscape. Funding agencies are encouraging scientists to share their own research findings. While the public is simultaneously turning to social media for scientific information, scientists are also increasingly invested in this communication. The rising prominence and influence of social media are democratizing science and scientific discoveries, taking knowledge formerly relegated to the formal academy and exclusive scientific journals out into the mainstream. Social media also offers an opportunity to humanize both scientists and the research they pursue.
When Bill Nye (@BillNye with more than five million Twitter followers) and Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson with nearly 10 million Twitter followers) say something, the social media world listens. But what about our University of Alberta scientists? How does social media factor into their scientific method?
"I think it's really important to popularize science, and social media is a great way to do it," says Chris Herd—better known to his Twitter followers as @SpaceRockDoc—professor and meteorite expert in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. "I've always been an advocate for popularizing research, whether my own or others', and Twitter and other social media make it that much easier. Neil deGrasse Tyson is like the epitome. He makes all these witty tweets highlighting a scientific study that he thinks is cool and raising awareness about a particular issue, and gets thousands of likes and retweets."
Reinforcing the need to engage the public in science, Michael Serpe (@SerpeGroup), associate professor in the Department of Chemistry, says, "If the public is engaged in science, they understand the importance of doing science. If they understand the importance of doing science, it can lead to better funding of science. And I think it's only through better funding of science that we'll really advance as a society."