What do students look for? Insights into their quality criteria for science communication on social media

The rise of social media platforms is having an impact on science communication. The increasing use of social media by young people to obtain information means they could offer a new place for informal learning about science. This exploratory study aims to investigate school students’ quality criteria for science communication on social media. 18 problem-centred-group interviews were conducted, asking secondary school students (n = 55) about their quality criteria in this context. Theme analysis revealed that the criteria young people considered most important tended to be user-related & market-oriented, and included credibility, entertainment, design, easiness to understand and duration. These outweighed normative and society-oriented criteria such as recency, independence and balance. In video formats in particular, the individual presenting scientific content was of particular importance, not only to make content appealing, but also to the students’ assessments of credibility. In identifying students’ quality criteria, this study aims to offer a basis on which both to improve the appeal to young people of science communication on social media, and to prompt discussion of educational interventions that could improve students’ critical engagement with scientific content on social media.