Following science on social media: The effects of humor and source likability

Science communicators have been encouraged to use humor in their online engagement efforts. Yet, humor’s effectiveness for engaging people with science remains an open question. We report the results of an experiment designed to elicit varied levels of mirth in respondents, which was positively asso...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Public understanding of science (Bristol, England) England), 2021-07, Vol.30 (5), p.552-569
Main Authors: Yeo, Sara K., Cacciatore, Michael A., Su, Leona Yi-Fan, McKasy, Meaghan, O’Neill, Liane
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Digital media
Downstream effects
Humans
Humor
Internet
Knowledge
Manipulation
Mass media effects
Motivation
Respondents
Science
Social Media
Social networks
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Summary:Science communicators have been encouraged to use humor in their online engagement efforts. Yet, humor’s effectiveness for engaging people with science remains an open question. We report the results of an experiment designed to elicit varied levels of mirth in respondents, which was positively associated with perceived likability of the communicator and motivation to follow more science on social media. Furthermore, mirth and perceived likability serially mediated the effect of the experimental manipulation on motivation and factual science knowledge served as a moderator. This indicates that, while humor might be an effective means of reaching audiences, downstream effects are likely to vary depending on individuals’ knowledge.
ISSN:0963-6625
1361-6609
DOI:10.1177/0963662520986942