How to science outreachin in Industry 4.0?

12.12.2022

When communicating and outreachin science, it is important to take into account the way messages are delivered, the interests of the target audience, the communication channels and the speed with which narratives expand, thus achieving a more open and equitable dialogue between academia and society.

It is important to think of Industry 4.0 as digital tools that give us the ability to create and experiment with media (social networks, blogs, websites, apps …) however, this is not enough because it requires planned strategies that target specific objectives and bring knowledge to different audiences for proper appropriation of it. Here are some of them:

Do you know what is the difference between popularization and scientific outreachin? Find out in our podcast “Transmedia + Research”.

1. Storytelling: stories that connect

Storytelling is an immersive emotional experience through stories, in which events or complicated topics are made known in a creative way and in simple language. For example, try to explain in a novel way and even including the users themselves as characters in the story, how the James Webb works, the Aristotelian syllogisms or why not, try to do it with the theory of relativity?

Three main benefits of storytelling:

• Emotion: as human beings, most of our decisions are versed by our emotions, so if a story appeals to them, we are more likely to capture the audience’s attention.
• Attention: if the information is presented in numbers or statistics, it is very difficult to keep the audience’s attention, but if a character explains it through a plot, everything changes.
• Memorability: it is easier to remember a good story than a scientific article, since these involve our brain much more than logic and facts.

2. Transmedia narratives: telling stories in different formats

Transmedia narratives help us to adapt a story to different platforms (podcasts, posts, infographics, comics, videos, books, etc.), which allows us to get closer to people and interact more with different audiences.

To develop a transmedia narrative, we must create messages that stand out and generate remembrance, and we must also take into account not telling the whole story (beginning, middle and end) in a single format, so that it is the same audience that expands the story in different media.

3. Marketing: a witness narrator

It is important that in communication strategies people or users are the ones who make our content known, either because it is valuable information or because of the experience they have had with it.

What should we take into account?

Transformation: from offline to online.

The goal is to adapt to a constantly changing world, where our audience is very diverse, and as diverse as it is multichannel. This means that some have a preference for some media more than others, and our content must be adapted to each of them. In the scientific world, research articles are usually given more relevance, however, if we turn this article into a video game, an infographic or a poster stuck in a faculty of a university, it will capture the attention of the public and the knowledge will reach further.

An example of this is the Assassin’s Creed video games, in which a historical journey through the Crusades, the Renaissance, the American War of Independence, the French Revolution, etc. is made.

4. Data analysis: it’s all in the details

Statistical data allow us to know our audience and make predictive decisions through their analysis:

Knowing their day and choosing the best moments to interact with them.
Evaluate what works and what does not work in what we are doing.
Knowing how other researchers are performing scientific outreachin processes in the national and international market.

If you want to know more about communication and scientific outreachin you can visit our YouTube channel and social networks. C-Transmedia disseminates science, design, art, technology and education in a creative and transmedia way.

*Article based on the webinar “How can we manage and disseminate culture with 4.0 tools?

C-Transmedia Communications