Science communication about Mars colonization: engagement through social networks

Abstract

The great lack of Astronomy knowledge in teaching ends up making digital resources in scientific dissemination a tool in the scientific literacy process, which in a dynamic, simple and effective way, draws the attention of the population and through interaction promotes the construction of knowledge. Scientific literacy is one of the tools we have against the alienation of the Brazilian population related to the lack of knowledge in all areas. Social networks are structures formed on or off the internet, by people and organizations that connect based on common interests or values. Instagram® is the fourth most used social network by Brazilians, thus becoming a potential tool for the dissemination of content quickly, simply and objectively, for the most diverse age groups. The objectives of this Junior Scientific Initiation work were to develop scientific dissemination materials for publications on the social network Instagram® about colonization on Mars and other astronomical curiosities researched on websites related to Astronomy. After the research and selection of the published content, the follow-up was carried out to verify the engagement of the public during the period of the posts. There was an increase in engagement of 628% in the profile audience. The profile account obtained in 3 months: 10563 impressions and 9646 accounts reached, with 152 followers and 9494 non-followers. It is concluded that the interaction and scientific dissemination of Astronomy via social networks such as Instagram®, despite being widely explored, with profiles of hundreds of thousands of followers, still allows an expansion to new profiles that dialogue with the young audience, promoting research in scientific dissemination and the cultural and scientific literacy of content producers and spontaneous audiences