Keeping Up with the “Archaeo-Influencers”: Exploratory Research on New Methods of Archaeological Science Communication on Social Media.

Social media have become one of the main places for the share of scientific information. Archaeology is increasingly present on these platforms, in the form of educational content, entertainment, and misinformation. Because of this, there is a pressing need of more expert voices online. This thesis aims to investigate innovative methods of online archaeological science communication. In particular, I analyze how some archaeologists communicate through practices typical of social media influencers, and the impact that these have on the effectiveness, credibility, and ethics of archaeological science communication. As part of my thesis scope, I label these new figures as “archaeo-influencers”. The theoretical frameworks used here combine science communication models, research on the use of narratives and emotional engagement, social media marketing and social media influencers studies, and public archaeology. On the base of this, I carry a mixed-method, exploratory study to analyze...Show moreSocial media have become one of the main places for the share of scientific information. Archaeology is increasingly present on these platforms, in the form of educational content, entertainment, and misinformation. Because of this, there is a pressing need of more expert voices online. This thesis aims to investigate innovative methods of online archaeological science communication. In particular, I analyze how some archaeologists communicate through practices typical of social media influencers, and the impact that these have on the effectiveness, credibility, and ethics of archaeological science communication. As part of my thesis scope, I label these new figures as “archaeo-influencers”. The theoretical frameworks used here combine science communication models, research on the use of narratives and emotional engagement, social media marketing and social media influencers studies, and public archaeology. On the base of this, I carry a mixed-method, exploratory study to analyze five selected case studies. My methodology integrates both a quantitative and qualitative analysis of the Instagram profiles of the archaeo-influencers, combined with semi-structured interviews to understand their goals, strategies, constraints, and overall personal experiences on social media. With this, I contribute to document a phenomenon that has received little to no attention in academic literature. The results show that influencer-style practices in archaeological science communication do not follow a rigid model, but they rather form a wide spectrum of communication styles and strategies. Quantitative metrics suggest that these have a substantial effect on the visibility and engagement of archaeological knowledge, although making it difficult to pinpoint the actual quality of this communication with the public. Credibility is found to be something built over time through authenticity and consistency. Finally, ethical tensions arise from certain practices and over the use of the term “influencer” and the use of its communication practices and social media in general, opening a bigger moral debate on the participation in market logics that interest the world of research and academia.Show less

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Keeping Up with the “Archaeo-Influencers”: Exploratory Research on New Methods of Archaeological Science Communication on Social Media.