Hi, #BTCon18!
We're Ask an Entomologist, a #SciComm project ran by @SciBugs, @Ms_Mars, and @Stylopidae!
We all have research jobs, but we're also interested in how people interact with insects in online spaces.
Let's explore how people think about bugs!
We're Ask an Entomologist, a #SciComm project ran by @SciBugs, @Ms_Mars, and @Stylopidae!
We all have research jobs, but we're also interested in how people interact with insects in online spaces.
Let's explore how people think about bugs!
We've gathered our data by soliciting questions primarily from non-scientists through email and Facebook, and we analyze those questions to see what patterns are constant.
Lots of pest control questions, and lots of bugs people want ID'd.
However, once you get past that...
Lots of pest control questions, and lots of bugs people want ID'd.
However, once you get past that...
People think very deeply about how bugs work, where they live, and why they behave the way they do.
There's an even deeper level to this, though. Several entomology projects, including us, are starting to look at their readership data.
There's a few projects which report peaks in readership in the summer months, when insects are the most abundant!
There's a few projects which report peaks in readership in the summer months, when insects are the most abundant!
It's not just us, either. @stefdegreef compiled data from a 110,000 member Facebook group with members from all around the world, and found the exact same pattern.
In this group, the largest two countries of citizenship represented are the US and India.
In this group, the largest two countries of citizenship represented are the US and India.
So not only are people interested in insects, people appear to be interested in the insects they encounter on a daily basis!
There's some other levels we'd like to explore, though.
We'd love to see if we can track the movements of the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug, and the Harlequin ladybeetle during the fall months using these questions.
We'd love to see if we can track the movements of the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug, and the Harlequin ladybeetle during the fall months using these questions.
We've also noticed that most of our pest control questions come during winter.
So does that mean that people are just noticing infestations in winter, or does it mean that we get fewer 'curiosity questions' during that time?
No clue, but we'd love to know!
So does that mean that people are just noticing infestations in winter, or does it mean that we get fewer 'curiosity questions' during that time?
No clue, but we'd love to know!
All in all, #SciComm is super important and we use it to connect people with the critters we love.
However, we can also use it to learn what people think when they ask about those critters.
It's a two-way street between creators and audiences, and we all learn from each other!
However, we can also use it to learn what people think when they ask about those critters.
It's a two-way street between creators and audiences, and we all learn from each other!
