Scholarly communication and social work in the Google era

Abstract

J a n S T e ya e r T S c h o l a r ly c o m m u n I c aT I o n a n d S o c I a l w o r k I n T h e G o o G l e e r a A b s t r A c t Scholarly communication and social work in the Google eraIn this text, we outline how new media has an impact on international scholarly communication and focus on how these changes (can) influence the traditional gap between research and practice.We do so by describing the dreams of yesterday, the facts of today and the possible consequences for the near future.The most significant development on the interface between science and information technology is not so much the increased computational power but the increased availability of scientific information, be it communication between scientists through virtual libraries or discussion lists, or between scientists and students through electronic learning environments.Through this development of more digital scientific communication and more visibility of that communication in the public realm, the traditional schism between science and practice changes.

A Community of Curious Souls: An Analysis of Commenting Behavior on TED Talks Videos

“…For example, Davies optimistically suggested that “scientists and engineers are at the very least aware of a push toward public communication, and in many cases have taken part in one or more science communication activities…scientists and engineers today have the funds, the opportunities, and often the desire for public engagement” [3] . Some academic institutions have enlisted professionals to aid researchers in the act of public dissemination [4] , but some commentators are not quite so sanguine about the situation. It has been found that “only a minority of scientists regularly engage” in popularization efforts [5] , and many scientists also consider popularization to be an activity that falls outside the scope of their job duties [6] , [7] .…”