Unpacking social media 'engagement': a practice theory approach to science on social media
Davies, S. R., Wells, R. ORCID: 0000-0002-0329-2120, Zollo, F. & Roche, J. (2024). Unpacking social media 'engagement': a practice theory approach to science on social media. Journal of Science Communication, 23(06), doi: 10.22323/2.23060402
Abstract
Social media engagement is typically associated with actions such as sharing, liking, or commenting, and is often measured as such in quantitative analyses. This essay explores what is being captured through these methods by `unpacking' such engagement, arguing for a practice-oriented approach that takes into account the mundane ways in which non-scientists may encounter and use scientific content. We describe practice theory in the context of media production and use, before illustrating the approach with material from comments on Facebook posts produced by science-related sources. In showing the uses of science content in maintaining social bonds or performing particular identities (for instance), we argue that science communication research needs to study the wider contexts of how and why users encounter science online, and that the notion of social media practices can help us to do so.
Publication Type: | Article |
---|---|
Additional Information: | Copyright The Author(s). This article is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution — NonCommercial — NoDerivativeWorks 4.0 License. All rights for Text and Data Mining, AI training, and similar technologies for commercial purposes, are reserved. |
Publisher Keywords: | Digital science communication, Public engagement with science and technology, Science communication: theory and models |
Subjects: | H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General) Q Science > Q Science (General) T Technology |
Departments: | School of Health & Psychological Sciences School of Health & Psychological Sciences > Healthcare Services Research & Management |
SWORD Depositor: |
Available under License Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives.
Download (220kB) | Preview
Export
Downloads
Downloads per month over past year