Social Media Impact on Scientific Research & Discoveries


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Ever wondered to what extent can social media influence our comprehension of science? Can mass media deform the shape of findings only due to some disagreements concerning them?

The Change after Mass Media’s Inception:

Social media is an omnipresent part of everyday life. It provides users with an uncomplicated way to engage and connect with others without meeting face-to-face. This form of communication provides a lot of opportunities for companies and individuals to reach a massive audience. Social media and marketing campaigns have shifted the way science is funded, practiced, and communicated in America. The burgeoning American cultural movement of “science philanthropy” is a controversial yet effective means to skirt the ponderous federal budget process and spur scientific discovery and innovation at the pace of “business,” rather than academia. Crowdfunding allows the public to support and participate in scientific discovery and enable scientists to communicate their work, passion, and results directly to the public.

Governmental funding for scientific research seeks to “level the playing field” among the nation’s scientific investigators, based on the research priorities set by Congress based on need and strategy. (What are the biggest, most pressing concerns for millions of Americans? What do we need to perform research on how to mitigate the problems that will face the country 25 years, or more, in the future?). The process is long and slow. 

Researchers write grants rigorously evaluated and highly competitive for the small pool of available funding, receiving that funding can take years. In the past few years, federal budget stalemates and partisan in-fighting have decimated many government-funded scientific research initiatives. Dozens of academic scientists have been laid off, projects have been shut down, and shelved mid-discovery, many labs have closed entirely.

In the realm of basic biomedical research, nationwide, roughly 16 percent of scientists in 2012 with sustaining the National Institutes of Health (NIH) (known as “R01”) grants lost them in 2013, according to one analysis. That amounts to 3,500 scientists nationwide trying to find money to keep their labs afloat. Since 2004, the NIH budget has decreased by more than 20 percent.

Also read: How social media helps scientists get the message across.

Millions of people see science-related information on their Facebook feeds or elsewhere on social media. However, the kinds of science stories people most likely encounter are often practical tips with “news you can use” or promotions for programs and events rather than new developments in the science, engineering, and technology world.

Social Media’s Effects on People:

The media influences so many people’s behavior nowadays. Information can be spread after a few clicks of a button, whether true, false, speculative, or gossip. This can affect relationships in sundry ways, be it between celebrities and ordinary people or between celebrities themselves and their loved ones. The media can manipulate, influence, persuade, and pressurize society, along with even controlling the world at times in both positive and negative ways, mentally, physically, and emotionally.

Controversial stories are reported and printed with no reliance on it being fact or not. The publicis “meant” to believe everything they are told and not question it. With it being so easy to assert an opinion so easily after a few taps, it can lead to investigations and front-page headlines. Additionally, as newspapers and magazines have websites, articles can be posted and received quicker than printed articles and updated regularly. Links to these articles can be posted to social media platforms – like Facebook and Twitter– as well as being emailed and messaged directly between friends and family. Today, the media is everywhere, and can easily get to places if needs be in “breaking news” scenarios.

According to the Global Web Index, 54% of daily media time is online. Also, on a typical day, 12% of people watch online TV, 10% listen to online radio, 12% read the online press, 28% use social networking sites, 13% are micro-blogging, 9% read or write blogs, and 17% do other things. This means there is constant access to news and the goings-on in the world, with the aid of links from social media sites, as you can receive news so quickly, all information whether it’s true, false, or opinion. The media can influence the way people are viewed, which means people’s careers can change within a flash. The media can also manipulate people in the spotlight to lead their lives in a specific way or rebel against what they ‘should’ be like.

Visit this link to read: The Internet and science communication: blurring the boundaries.

Social Media’s Bad Side

When news breaks – whether the story of a disease outbreak, a terrorist attack, or a natural disaster – people increasingly turn to the internet and social media. Individuals use Twitter and Facebook as primary sources for news and information. Social media platforms – including Reddit, Wikipedia, and other emerging outlets such as Snapchat – are distinct from traditional broadcast and print media. But they have become powerful tools for communicating rapidly and without intermediary gatekeepers, like editors.

The problem is that social media is also a wonderful way to spread misinformation, too. Millions of Americans shape their ideas on complex and controversial scientific questions – things like personal genetic testing, genetically modified foods, and their use of antibiotics – based on what they see on social media. Even many traditional news organizations and media outlets report incomplete aspects of scientific studies or misinterpret the findings and highlight unusual claims. Once these items enter the social media echo chamber, they are amplified. The facts become lost in the shuffle of competing information, limited attention, or both.

A recent workshop about Social Media Effects on Scientific Controversies that we convened through the Center for Mobile Communication Studies at Boston University fielded a panel of interdisciplinary experts to discuss their own experiences and research in communicating science online. These public scholars examined the extent to which social media has disrupted scientific understanding. Most indicated it is more possible than ever for researchers to participate meaningfully in public debates and contribute to the creation and diffusion of scientific knowledge – but social media presents many pitfalls along the way.

Go through this link to read about ‘Technological Influence on Society’.  

Written by - Mohammed Ghattas

Edited by - Sravanthi Cheerladinne