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Earth-Science Outreach Using an Integrated
Social Media Platform
C.J. Spencer, The Institute of Geoscience Research, Curtin University, Perth, Australia, travelinggeologist@gmail.com; K.L. Gunderson,
Chevron, Houston, Texas 77002, USA; C.W. Hoiland, Department of Geological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, California
94305, USA; and W.K. Schleiffarth, School of Earth Sciences, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona 86011, USA
INTRODUCTION
Public outreach is an important aspect
of every scientist’s job description, but,
unfortunately, it is often the aspect that is
most neglected. Barriers that prevent
scientists from engaging in effective public
outreach include the pressing demands of
administrative responsibilities, a lack of
training, misaligned incentives, and/or a
lack of administrative support (Andrews et
al., 2005). However, funding agencies still
often require evidence for the broader
impacts of research results for continued
access to public funds. New approaches are
needed that encourage participation, provide
a greater return on time invested, and offer
quantifiable metrics on their impact.
In response to these challenges, many
people use the Internet to communicate
science to a wider audience (Fig. 1). Web-
based science outreach efforts often strug-
gle without a focused goal and/or well-
defined audience, or suffer from low
visibility within a particular platform (e.g., ing an ISMP that spans the online ecosystem
blog, Facebook, Twitter). If one desires to
have an impact on public discourse and
opinion, it is essential to engage in mul-
tiple outlets, given the fractured and
diverse nature of the information ecosys-
tem (Bik et al., 2015; Bik and Goldstein,
2013). This means expanding beyond blogs
and websites, and including social media
sites like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram,
and other digital media (e.g., viral videos,
mobile apps, podcasts). When used effec-
tively, social media engagement doesn’t
replace scholarly output or “dumb down”
science; rather, it boosts awareness,
increases curiosity, builds community, and
points readers to in-depth research of
which they may not otherwise have been
aware. In this article, we present a
GSA Today, v. 27, https://www.doi.org/10.1130/GSATG333GW.1. Copyright 2017, The Geological Society of America.
28 GSA Today | August 2017
Participation
Low High
High popular integrated
media social
media
Reach
platform
e.g. TravelingGeologist
Low individual academic
Twitter/ conferences
Instagram
accounts
speci c research
programs
Figure 1. The impact-participation matrix illus-
trates the goals of science outreach (i.e., high
“impact” and wide “participation”). Traveling­
Geologist provides an open platform for anyone to
contribute (and therefore maximizing participa-
tion from scientists) and has broad reach by utiliz-
(thereby maximizing audience size/diversity).
five-year multi-national case study using
“TravelingGeologist” (TG), an integrated
social media platform (ISMP) focused on
inspiring new scientists using field-based
research narratives. Garnering >50,000
followers across multiple web-based plat-
forms and >100 contributors, we conclude
that lessons learned from TG can help
scientists broaden their impact and partici-
pation in outreach efforts.
EXAMPLE OF A SUCCESSFUL
ISMP: TRAVELINGGEOLOGIST
TG is an example of a successful, not-for-
profit, web-based ISMP serving as a public
outlet for earth scientists engaged in field-
based research. TG allows researchers to
give a high-level synopsis of research goals
and findings, publish photographs of field
locales, and tell “behind the scenes” stories
about the fieldwork of their research project,
all with the expressed purpose of (1) attract-
ing and inspiring budding scientists;
(2) sharing results of research to the public;
and (3) fostering scientific communication
and interdisciplinary collaboration. TG
leverages social media for dissemination and
as a springboard for generating discussion;
e.g., using Twitter to point readers to new
and interesting papers, using Facebook to
prompt a discussion on a controversial scien-
tific topic, and using Instagram to provide
in-the-field photographs and discussions of
ongoing research.
Currently, TG has >100 contributors
from >70 institutions and 14 countries. Its
blog platform has >50,000 readers with
average posts gaining >1000 page views.
Readership currently comes from >180
nations and encompasses a wide range of
education levels and employment status
(Fig. 2). Over 50% of the followers on
Instagram and >30% on Facebook come
from lower/middle-income countries
(Fig. 2). We highlight the relationship
between different social media platforms
and engagement with different countries
and education levels in Figure 2. Reaching
a wide audience beyond national and
socio-economic borders elevates and
strengthens the scientific community.
Survey results collected from TG readers
(n = 172; see Fig. 2) found differences in
platform preference, engagement level, and
impact of interactions. Undergraduate stu-
dents (n = 47) were more likely to follow
Instagram (45%) and, together with high
school students (n = 3), were least likely to
visit the website, suggesting a preference for
learning in a social context. Students and
researchers (n = 54) wanted to participate in
future fieldwork after engaging with TG.
Female respondents (n = 82) felt more con-
nected in finding role models than male
respondents (n = 90). University-employed
individuals (n = 25) were more likely than
government/industry-employed individuals