A perspective piece in Today's Science talks about the challenges in communicating complex and sometimes controversial science in the online environments.
1) Science journalism. "Today, audiences turn more and more to blogs and other online-only media
sources for information about specific scientific
issues and much less to online versions of
traditional news outlets. Almost half of Americans currently rely on
nontraditional
online sources, and only 12% turn to science news
from online content provided by traditional print newspapers and
magazines".
2) The effect of algorithms and/or audience metrics (such as how often an online story is “clicked on” (viewed), forwarded to others via email, or posted
on social media). "there are often clear discrepancies between what people search for
online, which specific
areas are suggested to them by search engines, and
what people ultimately find. As a result, someone's initial question
about
a scientific topic, the search results offered by a
search engine, and the algorithms that a search provider uses to tailor
retrieved content to a search may all be linked in a
self-reinforcing informational spiral in which search queries and the
resulting Web traffic drive algorithms and vice
versa".
3) The effect on how information and spreads among citizens. E.g. "Exposure to uncivil comments (which included name
calling and other non–content-specific expressions
of incivility) polarized the views among proponents and opponents of the
technology with respect to its potential risks. In
other words, just the tone of the comments following balanced science
stories
in Web 2.0 environments can significantly alter how
audiences think about the technology itself."
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