Our changing information ecosystem for science and why it matters for effective science communication

Abstract

Current information ecologies present unique opportunities to communicate science and engage diverse publics in science. Unfortunately, they also present unique challenges. Here, we outline how the public sphere for science is transforming as media evolve, and we connect these changes to the high-stakes issue context of COVID-19. We argue that scientific organizations’ struggles to adapt to evolving media are linked, in part, to asymmetries in which social media platforms prevent researchers from producing reliable data that could inform institutional change and improve science communication. This has been apparent in studies of echo chambers and filter bubbles. Producing a more usable evidence base, we conclude, will require that scholars a) obtain access to proprietary data, b) reconceptualize information ecologies as social systems, c) avoid ceding core research tasks to platforms, d) address ethical issues, and e) grapple with the urgency of moving forward productively.