Static vs. dynamic methods of delivery for science communication: A critical analysis of user engagement with science on social media

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 16; no. 3; p. e0248507
• Main Authors: Habibi, Sarah A, Salim, Lidya
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 31.03.2021; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Biology and Life Sciences; Classrooms; Communication; Communication in science; Computer and Information Sciences; Digital media; Educational aspects; Evaluation; Learning; People and Places; Public participation; Science Policy; Scientists; Social aspects; Social media; Social networks; Social research; Social Sciences; Society; Student participation; Teachers; Technology application; User behavior; User statistics; Canada; Ontario Canada
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0248507

Science communication has been increasingly viewed as a necessity and obligation of scientists in recent years. The rise of Web 2.0 technologies, such as social media, has made communication of science to the public more accessible as a whole. While one of the primary goals of science communication is to increase public engagement, there is very little research to show the type of communication that fosters the highest levels of engagement. Here we evaluate two social medial platforms, Instagram and TikTok, and assess the type of educational science content (ESC) that promotes user awareness and overall engagement. Specifically, we measured the level of engagement between static and dynamic posts on Instagram, and lecture-style and experimental videos on TikTok. User engagement is measured through the analysis of relative number of likes, comments, shares, saves, and views of each post in the various categories. We found that users interact with ESC significantly more (p<0.05) when the content is presented in dynamic ways with a component of experimentation. Together, we took the findings of this study and provided a series of suggestions for conducting science communication on social media, and the type of ESC that should be used to promote better user outcomes.