Technology Support for Online Science Communication

Abstract

As researchers, we have an obligation to share our scholarship and act as advocates for scientific knowledge. Participatory platforms like social media have become an important way for researchers to connect with the public, but the shifting affordances, audiences, and roles on these platforms make such public engagement difficult. In my dissertation work, I make three primary contributions. First, I contribute the results of qualitative and quantitative studies to understand how the structure of social media platforms affects the flow of scientific information. Second, empirical knowledge showing that an analytics tool to help researchers understand their audiences better can motivate them to improve the framing of their work, and to make more informed decisions about how (and whether) to use Twitter. Third, methods of communicating large-scale, metascientific information to skeptical audiences online, an issue of pressing concern highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Finally, I discuss future directions for researchers, designers, and policymakers in this space. Ultimately, I show how understanding the dynamics of online platforms can lead to better technology support for various stakeholders in the science communication process.