Online videos continue to grow and now account for more than 60% of all Internet traffic. However, the employment of these videos for purposes such as science communicationhas hardly been explored. This is pointed out by the blog of one of the most important communication journals, Public Understanding of Science.

In a special report on the congress held in Graz (Austria) last May, the journal highlights the paper by ISSA professor María Carmen Erviti, entitled Online Video as a Science Communication Tool. It also links to the video of the project in which she participates along with 15 other researchers from 4 countries and 7 universities.

A project funded by the Ministry of Economics and Competitiveness

The study analyzes the trends and narrative forms of online video of scientific content and is funded by the Ministry of Economics and Competitiveness. As part of this project, professors María Carmen Erviti (University of Navarra) and Erik Stengler (University of the West of England) interviewed the heads of prominent YouTube channels in the UK, such as BBC Earth executive Charlotte Jones and journalist Brady Haran, author of the successful channels Periodic videos and Numberphile. This work will soon be published in the Journal of Science Communication.

The results suggest that communicating science through online video is not a trivial matter, it requires dedication and a deep knowledge of the possibilities and challenges of this format. The main difference with respect to conventional media is the enormous potential that online video offers for direct interactions with diverse audiences, which implies a huge potential impact.