10B - Like, Comment, Follow, Subscribe: Astronomy Outreach via Social Media

Friday, August 23, 2024

4:05 PM – 4:55 PM US PDT

Lead Presenter(s)

Summer Ash (she/her/hers)

Freelance Science Communicator
Self-employed
Socorro, New Mexico, United States

Co-Presenter(s)

AC

Angela Collier

University of Colorado - Boulder
DT

Dakotah Tyler

University of California - Los Angeles
Katy Rodriguez Wimberly (she/her/hers)

Astrophysics Postdoc, NSF MPS Ascend Fellow
UC Riverside
San Bernardino, California, United States

Co-Author(s)

EH

Erika Hamden

University of Arizona

Abstract: Social media can be a blessing and a curse in this universe, depending on how we approach them. On one hand, they have proven to be a powerful channel for reaching audiences that traditional outreach might miss, but on the other hand, misinformation spreads easily and can be hard to correct. Join us for a panel discussion featuring astronomers at various career levels doing astronomy outreach via social media platforms such as Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok. Learn how they grow their followings, how they craft their messages, and how they interact with their audiences. They’ll also share some of their greatest successes and failures and give advice on the best practices they’ve garnered on their respective platforms. Lastly, we’ll talk about how social media has changed over time, what changes might be coming in the near future, and how the panelists react and adjust to ever-changing algorithms. This discussion will be followed by a brief Q&A.