Scrolling through science: exploring secondary school students’ consumption of science communication on social media

In recent years science communication has changed drastically, driven by the rise of social media. To date, there is an enormous amount of content available online that offers potential for informal learning opportunities for school students if it is effectively integrated into their social media habits. In this study – which is part of the Sparkling Science project “We Talk About Science” – we worked with two secondary school classes and analysed on which platforms science communication is perceived and how it is evaluated. Afterwards, the experiences and consumption habits of the students were explored in group interviews. Many students were surprised by the amount of content that is already available on social media, as they had previously consumed hardly any or no science communication. Also, the submitted content was rated highly in terms of its comprehensibility, interest, attractiveness and trustworthiness. However, science communication was not or only barely integrated into their daily social media usage, indicating that the content does not meet their demands yet.