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Narrative and Video: untapped possibilities for science communication
The way we communicate or, rather, consume media has changed drastically in just the last few years. Online video on-demand is where things are at. However, even though consumption rates are through the roof, the amount of video available online is daunting. As is often the case for science communicators, it becomes a question of how to reach the target audience and get yourself seen/heard with all the competition for eyes and ears. Associate Professor Bienvenido León (University of Navarra in Spain) and I are part of a large international study looking at science videos on YouTube. We have analysed the narratives in over 800 videos and, on one level,…
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Time to Stand Up
Where to start? I’m 63. I have a title: the Stuart Professor of Science Communication. But what does it all mean? I started my professional life as a scientist, as wedded to the notion of a testable hypothesis as any human can be. Earlier, as a boy, I had been drawn to science by some of the 20th Century’s greatest popularisers of science: David Attenborough, Jacques Cousteau, Gerald Durrell, Desmond Morris, Carl Sagan and Rachel Carson. I’ve always appreciated the schism that exists between the doing and the telling. If in my head I was a scientist, in my heart I leant towards science communication. Now, I find myself as…
