The technological revolution is flooding pre-established conceptions of information analysis, truth, and even ethics. The sheer amount of inputs received daily by a social media and internet consumer (especially young people) makes it impossible to track every piece of information, leaving us vulnerable and susceptible to manipulation. Any effort that makes us more critical, attentive, and skeptical deserves our attention. This is why scientific outreach, along with other types of outreach, should be promoted and encouraged.
The creation of a scientific outreach publication will complement the great work of social media science communicators who have carved out a niche market. The publication will cover current events, competing with major non-specialized outlets that often contribute to misinformation or exaggeration of facts. It will also feature a broader outreach project, covering the basics of science with articles at a medium to low level of complexity.
Given the nature of the project (a final degree project) and the great complexity and extensive work involved in creating a system that meets all the needs of a functional publication, the task will consist of covering the needs of writers, community managers, designers, and other workers with templates, guidelines, and resources in an open manual, following the ‘Open Science’ philosophy.
“The use of social media should be part of a broader communication plan, a global strategy that includes other outreach activities and the establishment of relationships with media outlets and their professionals. Moreover, given the speed at which messages circulate on social media and their brevity, it is advisable to have a digital platform to support the information, such as a website to direct interested individuals to, or a blog where the content of our work or project can be explained in a more detailed and permanent manner.”
Fernández Bayo, I. (2019). La Comunidad Científica ante las Redes Sociales. UAM
