Abstract
As the reach of science content in traditional media declines, many institutions and scientists are turning to YouTube as a powerful tool for communicating directly with non-expert publics. They do so with little empirical social science research guiding their efforts. This study explores how video characteristics and social endorsement cues provided by audience members might influence user engagement with online science videos. Shorter videos are more likely to be viewed. Social endorsement cues significantly relate to variations in user engagement, with likes having a consistent positive association with all types of engagement. Implications for science communication through YouTube are discussed.
Publication types
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Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
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Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
MeSH terms
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Communication
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Social Media*
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Video Recording
Grants and funding
This material is based upon work supported by the Morgridge Institute for Research, awarded to DB, DAS; the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 1612482. URL:
https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1612482&HistoricalAwards=false The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Morgridge Institute for Research and the National Science Foundation.