Building buzz: (Scientists) communicating science in new media environments

Xuan Liang, Leona Yi Fan Su, Sara K. Yeo, Dietram A. Scheufele, Dominique Brossard, Michael Xenos, Paul Nealey, Elizabeth Corley

    Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

    111 Scopus citations

    Abstract

    Public communication about science faces novel challenges, including the increasing complexity of research areas and the erosion of traditional journalistic infrastructures. Although scientists have traditionally been reluctant to engage in public communication at the expense of focusing on academic productivity, our survey of highly cited U.S. nano-scientists, paired with data on their social media use, shows that public communication, such as interactions with reporters and being mentioned on Twitter, can contribute to a scholar's scientific impact. Most importantly, being mentioned on Twitter amplifies the effect of interactions with journalists and other non-scientists on the scholar's scientific impact.

    Original languageEnglish (US)
    Pages (from-to)772-791
    Number of pages20
    JournalJournalism and Mass Communication Quarterly
    Volume91
    Issue number4
    DOIs
    StatePublished - Dec 2014

    Keywords

    • Communication effects
    • Media and society
    • Science communication
    • Social media

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • Communication

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