Transformation of the media landscape: Infotainment versus expository narrations for communicating science in online videos

Davis, Lloyd S.; León, Bienvenido; Bourk, Michael; Finkler, Wiebke

doi:10.1177/0963662520945136

Cited by 33 publications

(54 citation statements)

References 34 publications

(35 reference statements)

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“…The increasing acceptance of social media as a source of information (Brossard, 2013;Liang et al, 2014;Fletcher, 2017) provides opportunities to integrate science communication, including in the form of online videos (Davies et al, 2020), in daily lives. Seeking "new information" was a primary motivator and engagement outcome from following Sophie's Wild Cornwall and social media offered opportunities to reach more diverse audiences, with only 50% of respondents holding an environmental or science-related degree.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Into the Digital Wild: Utilizing Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook for Effective Science and Environmental Communication

Pavelle

Wilkinson

2020

Front. Commun.

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Recent years have seen an upsurge in the digital environment and the reliance placed upon it by society. This case study reports on a project which sought to examine how the digital environment can be utilized for science communication, exploring the role of social media and particularly short online videos, as an effective means through which to engage the public with science, environment and conservation messages. Using as its focus a 300-mile trek around the coast of Cornwall (Sophie's Wild Cornwall) we examine how science was communicated real-time using online videos and social media over a 5-week period, as well as data from an online public opinion survey (n = 129). The observations gleaned identify a number of key themes for others wishing to adopt digital approaches within their science communication activities, including the role of web-based presenter-led narratives, the value of accessibility and interaction on social media platforms, and online videos potential for stimulating proactive, participatory engagement, and interest in an environmental context. Effective online video use requires a balance between crafting an informative yet entertaining narrative without compromising scientific accuracy; yet ultimately, social media platforms may represent a potential "stepping-stone" for practitioners to consider implementing in a journey toward "upstream engagement".

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Into the Digital Wild: Utilizing Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook for Effective Science and Environmental Communication

Pavelle

Wilkinson

2020

Front. Commun.

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“…However, the more traditional formats and narratives prevail largely. This can also be related to the fact that this kind of expository style is believed more (Davis et al, 2020). Also, the audience of this videos may be an engaged one, with peers and people with a university education, with whom the infotainment style is not so effective (Davis et al, 2020).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Audio-Visual Tools in Science Communication: The Video Abstract in Ecology and Environmental Sciences

et al. 2021

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In recent years, the use of videos by the scientific community has evolved continuously. Researchers, communicators, and other players are using audio-visual media to reinvent their stories, to deconstruct complex phenomena and to increase the outreach and impact of their scientific publications. An example of this trend is the video abstract: an audio-visual representation of the key findings described in the written abstract. Much of the research in this area is new and focused on content analysis and classification of online science videos. Furthermore, studies with videos and environmental communication are attached to specific topics like climate change. So far, a small fraction of publications has explored the study of the video abstract, its effects, and its potential, as one general scientific area. This paper provides the first characterization of video abstracts in the areas of Ecology and Environmental Sciences. We identified video abstracts in 29 scientific journals, based on impact, representativeness and visibility criteria. A database of 171 videos, from 7 publishers and 17 different video channels was created. Each video was analyzed for different parameters. The analysis considered not only characteristics of each video, but also characteristics from the corresponding scientific papers. Results indicate that between 2010 and 2018 the number of video abstracts increased sevenfold. Despite this growth, there was no solid strategy for disseminating the videos. While most of them are still associated with classic models, such as documentaries, disruptive formats such as animation are the ones that arouse greater interest. Professional shorter videos (2–3 min in length) showed a significantly higher number of daily views and their papers garnered a higher number of citations per day. This data, combined with future qualitative research, will help to develop a model for validating the quality of an Ecology video abstract and provide new insights into the global study of audio-visual communication of science.

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“…Likewise, there are other successful YouTube channels with educational videos for different school subjects from other countries, e.g., the United States-American YouTube channel "CrashCourse" has a total of 11.6 million subscribers (YouTube, 2020b). In general, YouTube among students is associated with fun (Davis et al, 2020). Further, the barriers to use YouTube are merely low: The language can be adapted, sometimes there are even subtitles.…”

Section: Educational Videos and Youtubementioning

confidence: 99%

Potentials and Limitations of Educational Videos on YouTube for Science Communication

Kohler

Dietrich

2021

Front. Commun.

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YouTube has become a complement learning platform which fosters learning on demand with educational videos. Educational videos are understood as a fruitful strategy to enhance the user’s knowledge and are applied in schools, as well as in science communication, e.g., to inform about climate change. This paper discusses two perspectives which become visible in the current research literature on educational videos on YouTube. First, studies assume that watching educational videos changes the attitude or behavior of the recipients. Second, studies question whether educational videos have a higher impact than other information materials such as texts. We frame both perspectives with regard to theories from media effect studies and learning concepts from education science and discuss their conclusions for educational videos on YouTube. We will first focus on students as a target group for educational videos, but in the further course, we will discuss the results for the public as targeted group of science communication as well. In the final section we will summarize which potentials and limitations educational videos have for educational purposes in science communication.

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Transformation of the media landscape: Infotainment versus expository narrations for communicating science in online videos

Cited by 33 publications

References 34 publications

Into the Digital Wild: Utilizing Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook for Effective Science and Environmental Communication

Into the Digital Wild: Utilizing Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook for Effective Science and Environmental Communication

Audio-Visual Tools in Science Communication: The Video Abstract in Ecology and Environmental Sciences

Potentials and Limitations of Educational Videos on YouTube for Science Communication

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