Start |Grid View | Author Index | View Uploaded Presentations | Meeting Information

GSA Annual Meeting in Phoenix, Arizona, USA - 2019

Paper No. 228-4
Presentation Time: 2:15 PM

BEST PRACTICES FOR INSTAGRAM AS A GEOSCIENCE EDUCATION TOOL


OCON, Samantha B.1, HUGHES, Mary Jane1, MILLS, Sadie M.2, BAUER, Jennifer E.1, LUNDGREN, Lisa3, BEX II, Richard T.4, CRIPPEN, Kent J.4 and MACFADDEN, Bruce J.1, (1)Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, 1659 Museum Road, Gainesville, FL 32611, (2)Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, 1659 Museum Road, Gainsville, FL 32611, (3)Forestry and Conservation Resources, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, (4)College of Education, School of Teaching and Learning, University of Florida, 2403 Norman Hall, PO Box 117048, Gainesville, FL 32611

Instagram has high potential as an engagement tool for geoscience institutions looking to interact with the public, especially younger generations who use the platform prolifically (Smith & Anderson, 2018). However, Instagram has yet to undergo rigorous scientific study. Here, we provide a toolkit for geoscience institutions to assess education and outreach efforts on Instagram.

The FOSSIL Project is an NSF-funded initiative (NSF-DRL 1322725) that seeks to foster interactions with users across the continuum of paleobiological knowledge through social media platforms. To understand the interactions between this social paleontology community and the FOSSIL Instagram account, we developed a set of metrics for both Instagram posts and stories. These performance metrics were then applied to raw data mined from the app over the course of a year and a half.

The expansion of the post type taxonomy defined by Lundgren et al. (2014) for Facebook and Twitter allows for a qualitative framework to characterize Instagram post content (Hughes et al. 2019). Applying this framework to the FOSSIL Project Instagram allowed us to determine which category of posts have the highest level of success with our audience. Based on our calculation of post engagement rate, informational posts performed the best, followed by news and opportunity posts. The success of Instagram stories was assessed recently (Ocon et al. 2019) and metrics were defined in terms of performance of interaction tools and retention rate. These metrics provide insight into the optimal length of stories and the most effective interaction tool in regards to engagement. We discovered that shorter stories perform better and that poll tools are the most effective in engaging users.

Our work provides a baseline for understanding and analyzing how to craft effective educational Instagram content. As more departments, institutes, and organizations have a stronger online presence, it is to their advantage to learn from our work when trying to engage new visitors and/or students.

Session No. 228

T179. Evidence-Based Theory and Practice of Science Communication in the Geosciences: New Methods, Avenues, and Audiences
Tuesday, 24 September 2019: 1:30 PM-5:30 PM
Room 104AB, West Building (Phoenix Convention Center)
Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 51, No. 5
doi: 10.1130/abs/2019AM-334654
© Copyright 2019 The Geological Society of America (GSA), all rights reserved. Permission is hereby granted to the author(s) of this abstract to reproduce and distribute it freely, for noncommercial purposes. Permission is hereby granted to any individual scientist to download a single copy of this electronic file and reproduce up to 20 paper copies for noncommercial purposes advancing science and education, including classroom use, providing all reproductions include the complete content shown here, including the author information. All other forms of reproduction and/or transmittal are prohibited without written permission from GSA Copyright Permissions.
Back to: T179. Evidence-Based Theory and Practice of Science Communication in the Geosciences: New Methods, Avenues, and Audiences
<< Previous Abstract | Next Abstract >>