Impact of Digital Revolution on the Practice of Science Communication

Abstract

The practice of science journalism/ reporting/ communication has changed completely in the last three decades. Though the number of specialised areas of scientific investigations and the number of scientific journals as well as the associated technical terminologies have increased many folds, for a science journalist, the task of reporting and popularising science has become simpler. This is primarily due to easy accessibility to sources, availability of digital resources and tools to deal with the knowledge explosion on the one hand, and mushrooming of digital platforms for communication, on the other. Though these developments had a disruptive impact on scientific publishing and media industries in general, for the individual journalist/ reporter/ communicator, the times have changed for the better; the digital world has empowered the individual content creator by providing better, cheaper, and often free, tools of production. In this paper, I will compare and contrast how a science journalist used to work, in earlier decades and how it is now. I will review the new digital tricks and tools that a science journalist can use today to keep updated about scientific advances, to deal with the complexities of ever-narrowing disciplines, to manage knowledge outside his or her mind, to double check and validate reports, while on tight deadlines. Easing the efforts required has led to an increase in science reporting in India, but at a slower rate than the increase in scientific activity in the country. Moreover, I argue that an increase in the quantity of science reporting alone does not necessarily improve the scientific temper of citizens. That would call for improvement in the quality of reporting involved, making the process of doing science more transparent to the public.