Bridging the gap between the science community and the common public

A look at the “front page” of The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, and The Washington Post websites on Thursday, June 23, 2011, revealed no headlines, articles, or links to any scientific content. American society and culture today places no emphasis or highlights on recent scientific research or findings. While there’s space for “Lohan to address charge of failed alcohol test,” the public generally has no concern over the events in the science community.

In class, we discussed whose responsibility it was to communicate science to the public. While several people thought scientists should be doing more to disseminate their work to common citizens, scientists have their own responsibilities as well – to work at what they’re trained for, to uncover and discover the science itself. The government funds its various agencies and committees to do research and when necessary implement regulations and guidelines to the public. My dad, who worked for the Food and Drug Administration for a number of years, conveyed that when their agency found something harmful in the lab, there are certain legal and regulatory actions they must take. It is not important for the public to know all the “scientific” information, but the agency will publish just enough knowledge to get across to the people. Generally from then on, it is the people’s own responsibility with what they do with that information.

As our guest lecturer, Professor Nisbet, mentioned, government communication proves difficult and tricky because of certain aspects like funding. When politics come into play, people can become skillful and deceitful in how they allocate resources to various organizations or agencies in order for them to produce the desired results they want or publish information in ways to create certain perceptions. Politicians focus on the needs of their constituents, and while working to maintain their popularity, some adopt a narrow view of a certain issue or situation. In Nisbet and Scheufele’s report, “What’s Next for Science Communication?” they mention how framing, interpretative storylines that communicate what is at stake in a societal debate, helps simplify issues for the public, and provides common points of references between scientists, the public, and the media. While scientists need to pose and present their research in a way that appeases and helps the people, I do believe that a great amount of responsibility lies with the people themselves. Scientists do their jobs in what they study, but the public must take the initiative if they feel as if science is important and relevant to them on a daily basis. By supporting research articles and publications about science uncovering, instead of articles involving Lindsay Lohan’s life, scientists will get more positive feedback in what they do. Consequently, the connections between the scientist community and the common public will be strengthened.

However, I do realize that the public’s attention is difficult to achieve. Unfortunately in our society, most people do care more about Lindsay Lohan than components of biology or physics. And having such different education levels, people find it too complex to understand a majority of how science works. I believe that government agencies should focus on the specifics of science that will impact an average citizen the most. Working to create an interest for an individual is an essential step in getting him or her more involved in the science community. The best way to engage an individual is to make science personal and relatable. 

#SocialMediaistheNewJournalism

               The dictionary defines journalism as the “activity or profession of writing for newspapers or magazines or of broadcasting news on radio and television.” Today, we are seeing an increasing number of these newspapers, magazines, and broadcasts to be sources of the Internet. The online world has opened an exorbitant amount of outlets and ways that people can publish and access information, and more specifically, where people can encounter journalism.

         Different from published sources, online journalism can include input from anyone and everyone; there are few barriers, and in turn, the internet is a place that cultivates and collects many people’s opinions and stories. It is truly positive that citizens are able to get more involved, share a plethora of meaningful and thoughtful subjects, and give feedback on the reports and articles that are important to them. However, the issue of credibility is important to note. Because of the few rules and regulations, truth and accuracy is not always presented in online publications. It is harder to find reliable sources, and the issue of the "overwhelming nature" to Americans by the amount of news and information that is out there arises.

             An especially interesting aspect of journalism today is what people call, “social media.” Facebook, Twitter, MySpace – there are a myriad of social media tools and sites that the majority of Americans access on a day-to-day basis. It is interesting to me that social media can be viewed as a profession nowadays. My friend was showing me a summer job offer the other day that advertised for someone who possesses good writing skills and is, “adept at administrative work (i.e. tagging photos, posting statuses).” It first seemed ridiculous to me that what I know to be simple facebook procedures could be viewed as a skill in the workplace. However, as I thought about how significant of an impact these social networking sites have on the common people, I realized the importance of mastering social media skills in order to use the site to the individual or organization’s advantage and purpose. In a society where people spend more time on who they’re following on Twitter than on the events happening in their City Hall, businesses and organizations need to reach their audience in a way that they will be perceived. In fact, it is part of the journalist’s job to reach out to the public – there would be no point for the journalist to write if his or her work was not being read.

          There is a potential of the social networking tools in transforming journalism in the future. With the convenience, availability, and portability of the internet, it makes it much easier for groups to post updates, recent news, and press releases of their organization. Nonprofits and advocacy groups are able to raise awareness and publicize their events quicker and cheaper than before. The company I am working at this summer relies on their Facebook page to jumpstart their campaigns and announce recent news about themselves, whether it be a new partner or their new initiative. It is important to demonstrate proficient writing skills through these social media outlets in order to win and maintain an audience who is your prospective donors and lobbyists. 

             Moreover, a study done by Knowledge Networks this past February illustrates that college students value web advocacy more than an in-person effort (Read Full Story Here). Campaign sites are being moved to Facebook and Twitter accounts so that they can easily reach constituents and garner support. In addition, these sites can contribute to a postive perception for the candidate or group, just by looking at how many Facebook friends or "Likes" he or she has.

            What do you think of the role social networking sites play in the realm of news and campaigns? Do you believe there is a weakened credibility for sources found online?

Information and Communication Technology in Developing Countires

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Walking through the crowded dirt paths in La Limonada, the ghetto in Guatemala City, you can’t help but notice the destitution and poverty among the families, especially among the children and youth. Most of the kids don’t go to school and run around the neighborhood, trying to keep themselves entertained. Inevitably, they frequently run into trouble – fights, drugs, unwanted pregnancies, etc. One of the ways Ashley, the leader of the group we were working with, works to combat this situation, is starting up a community computer center to allow the kids and youth to “check out” time and use. With this computer center, Ashley started seeing a decrease in violence, and as a result, the Guatemalan youth’s development became more healthily cultivated.

This is what I was kept being reminded with during our first lecture where Professor Roman and Professor Colle spoke about their international experiences and the role technology played for the developing communities. In modern day American society, it is hard to imagine a life without technology. Technology itself has expanded and grown exponentially within the last few decades. Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have become vital in an average individual’s life, and ICT training for individuals in developing countries is growing as technology will help them to both save money and make money. Richard Heeks, in his article “Do Information and Communication Technologies Contribute to Development?” he asserts that ICTs enable the development of “additional livelihood assets” and provide “new livelihood strategies” which contribute to “improved livelihood outcomes.” Innovations including M-PESA, a money transfer service, enabled by the mobile phone, allow people who did not have access to conveniences including banking now access these services. It is amazing that the creation was invented only a couple years ago, but now in Kenya there are over 4 million accounts registered. Moreover, this technology is spreading to other countries including Afghanistan and Tanzania.

The research on the effects of integrating technology in developing countries is undeniably positive; however, the process of implementing is more convoluted. These areas are underdeveloped because of their lack of resources and money. Thus, clearly, they do not have the opportunities or privileges to use the technology most Americans take for granted.  How and who will provide the access to information and communication technology to the needy? While the research is necessary and educative, it is even more necessary to carry out the research results we find, in order to make it productive and beneficial. We had the opportunity to discuss ideas for programs and ways that could be effective in training ICT students in these developing countries. However, those users cannot be completely dependent upon the researchers in America to introduce and guide them through these programs. I believe we need to work with their respective governments and community representatives in order for the programs to be launched and sustained in that area.

So whether it be giving kids something to do in Guatemala City or allowing individuals to money transfer in Kenya, it will be exciting to see the evolution of the role of technology in these developing communities. It will be especially interesting to see how and if the United States will play a significant role in this development of technological communication.