science and social media
DESCRIPTION
Talk slides for talk presented at the University of Washington on February 13th, 2012. https://depts.washington.edu/coenv/news-blog/tag/cosee-olc/#.T0VNznJWrR8TRANSCRIPT
Presented at the University of Washington, Feb 13th, 2012Christie Wilcox
Science and Social MediaWhy Every Lab Should Tweet
Twitter Hashtag:
#UWsmfs
28%
28%... the percentage of Americans which
pass a basic science literacy test.
"The scientific community needs to understand what ethical
practitioners of public relations have long known: trust is not about
information; it’s about dialogue and transparency"
- Rick E. Borchelt, Lynne T . Friedmann, & Earle HollandManaging the Trust Portfolio: Science Public Relations and Social Responsibility
The Paywall
The Paywall
The Jargon Wall
TextText
“When I was in high school, if you were in the "so-called" pre-college curriculum, you had to take four years of science and four years of math - a waste of my time, a waste of my teacher's time and a waste of space.”
- Former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott
"Right now, this is an anti-intellectual country in which the media and politics constantly bombard us with the message that science is uncool, the
domain of geeks and nerds."
- PZ Myers, Associate Professor at University of Minnesota, Morris
Can you name a living scientist?
Marie Curie?Albert Einstien?
Stephen Hawking!
What the public thinks scientists look like...
... what scientists actually look like!
"Every scientist reading this has a deep passion for science. I implore you: let your passion out. Share it with us. Warmly, with stories, imagination, even with humor . But
most of all, in your own voice."
- Alan Alda
57% of Americans say they talk to people online more
than they do in real life.
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
2001 2005 2010
TV Newspaper Internet Radio
Where do you get most of your news about national and international issues?
PEW Research Center, Dec 2010
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
2001 2005 2010
TV Newspaper Internet Radio
Where do you get most of your news about national and international issues?
PEW Research Center, Dec 2010
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
2001 2005 2010
TV Newspaper Internet Radio
Where do you get most of your news about national and international issues?
PEW Research Center, Dec 2010
The Internet is the main source of information for learning about specific
scientific issues such as global climate change or
biotechnology
University of Chicago, National Opinion Research Center, General Social Survey (2008)
Don’t know 2%
Family/Friends/Colleagues 2%
Radio 1%
TV 21%
Newspapers & Magazines 10%
Books 7%
Internet 54%
Where do you get information on specific scientific issues?
"Younger generations aren’t going to look for your company or society in print—they’re going to go directly to your Web site and then maybe
your Facebook page, and, if interested, they will follow you on Twitter.
If you’re not there, neither will they be—and you’ve lost them at a critical point of contact."
- Kea Giles Managing Editor at the Geological Society of America
0
22.5
45
67.5
90
2005 2008 2009 2010
% th
at u
se S
ocia
l Med
ia
18-29 yrs 30-49 yrs 50-64 yrs 65+ yrs
0
22.5
45
67.5
90
2005 2008 2009 2010
% th
at u
se S
ocia
l Med
ia
18-29 yrs 30-49 yrs 50-64 yrs 65+ yrs
US
Scis
0
22.5
45
67.5
90
2005 2008 2009 2010
% th
at u
se S
ocia
l Med
ia
18-29 yrs 30-49 yrs 50-64 yrs 65+ yrs
US
Scis
0
22.5
45
67.5
90
2005 2008 2009 2010
% th
at u
se S
ocia
l Med
ia
18-29 yrs 30-49 yrs 50-64 yrs 65+ yrs
US
Scis
Don't think you need to be on Facebook?
72%
Don't think you need to be on Facebook?
of internet users are.
72%
Don't think you need to be on Facebook?
of internet users are.
use it as their primary news
source
48%
72%
Don't think you need to be on Facebook?
of internet users are.
use it as their primary news
source
48% 3
million links shared every
hour
"The qualities that make Twitter seem inane and half-baked are what makes it so
powerful."
Jonathan ZittrainHarvard University Law professor and Faculty Co-Director, Berkman
Center for Internet and Society
"The essentials of what twitter does is an integral
part of the news system of the future."
David WinerHarvard University Research Fellow and former Wired Magazine Editor
Don't think you need to be on Twitter?
Don't think you need to be on Twitter?
1
billion new tweets every
5 days
Don't think you need to be on Twitter?
1
billion new tweets every
5 daysmillion users
per day
500
Don't think you need to be on Twitter?
1
billion new tweets every
5 daysmillion users
per day
500 5,530
tweets per second during the Japanese earthquake &
tsunami
Don't think you need to be on Google+?
Don't think you need to be on Google+?
"... blog or be blogged."
- Paul Knoepfler, UC Davis, in a comment in NatureNews
You want broader impacts?
You want broader impacts?
I got yer broader impacts right here.
5,106 Tweets Per Second
>80,000 pageviews...in 48 hours.
>12,000 pageviews... in a week.
Low/No Tweets Highly Tweeted
Hig
hly
Cite
d
Low/No Tweets Highly Tweeted
Low/No Tweets Highly Tweeted
Hig
hly
Cite
d
Low/No Tweets Highly Tweeted
Globally...
...and locally
Reach New Audiences
(you should practice your mad skillz, too)
Personal Branding.
Two words:
“One of the things I hear most frequently about a new hire is how disturbing it is that he doesn’t have a web presence.
Something must be wrong, right?”
- Danah BoydAssistant Professor, NYU; Visiting Researcher, Harvard Law
Graduate Students
Why am I talking to you?
Why am I talking to you?
You're the best choice for the job
"The in depth knowledge of their system and details of field observations, experiments,
conversations with colleagues and an extraordinary breadth of literature gives the
scientist a pool of knowledge to draw from that often is unmatched by most science
communicators."
- Kevin Zelnio, blogger for Scientific American
Don't take my word for it...
In 2007...• 50% of life scientists saw blogs, discussion groups, online communities,
and social networking as beneficial to sharing ideas with colleagues• 85% thought social media affected their decision-making
Within 5 Years...• > 50% “play a key role in shaping nearly all aspects of research workflow”• < 25% “have a major influence on grant application and funding”• > 25% “have a major influence on finding jobs”
Find Me Online!
Twitter: @NerdyChristie
Website: http://christiewilcox.comFacebook: http://facebook.com/christie.l.wilcox
Blog: http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/science-sushi