Abstract
YouTube is a particularly popular online video sharing site. It is not only used for entertainment and commercial purposes but also to disseminate and obtain information and knowledge concerning science and medicine. So far rather little is known about science and health communication via online video sharing websites such as YouTube. In this chapter the limited but growing research literature on scholarly communication, science and medicine on YouTube is reviewed and summarized. It shows the major research developments and points out omissions and gaps of knowledge. The chapter closes with an outlook and reflects on how recent internet research ideas could be used to better understand and analyze science and medicine on YouTube.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
References
Abboudi H, Mikhail M, Ghazal-Aswad M, Michael M, Pope A (2016) YouTube as a source of patient information for ureteroscopy. J Clin Urol 9(4):248–251. https://doi.org/10.1177/2051415815627915
Ache KA, Wallace LS (2008) Human papillomavirus vaccination coverage on YouTube. Am J Prev Med 35(4):389–392
Allgaier J (2012) Singing about science. The Scientist, 4 Oct 2012. Retrieved 21 July 2015 from http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/32729/title/Opinion--Singing-about-Science/
Allgaier J (2013) On the shoulders of YouTube: science in music videos. Sci Commun 35(2):267–276
Allgaier J (2014) The press and the public interest. In: Chadwick R, Levitt M, Shickle D (eds) The right to know and the right not to know: genetic privacy and responsibility. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, pp 165–179
Allgaier J (2016) Wo Wissenschaft auf Populärkultur trifft. In: Körkel T, Hoppenhaus K (eds) Web Video Wissenschaft. Ohne Bewegtbild läuft nichts mehr im Netz: Wie Wissenschaftsvideos das Publikum erobern. Spektrum der Wissenschaft, Heidelberg, pp 15–24 Online http://www.spektrum.de/fm/976/Web%20Video%20Wissenschaft%20Version%201_02.pdf
Allgaier J, Svalastog AL (2015) The communication aspects of the Ebola virus disease outbreak in western Africa – do we need to counter one, two, or many epidemics? Croat Med J 56(5):496–499. https://doi.org/10.3325/cmj.2015.56.496
Askanius T (2012) Radical online video: YouTube, video activism and social movement media practices, Lund studies in media and communication 17. Lund University, Lund
Askanius T, Uldam J (2011) Using corporate media for radical politics: COP15 activism and the case of ‘never trust a COP’ on YouTube. Int J Electron Govern 4(1–2):69–84
Austen EL, Beadle J, Lukeman S, Lukeman E, Aquino N (2017) Using a music video parody to promote breastfeeding and increase comfort levels among young adults. J Hum Lact 33(3):560–569. https://doi.org/10.1177/0890334417706360
Basch CH, Basch CE, Ruggles KV, Hammond R (2015) Coverage of the Ebola virus disease epidemic on YouTube. Disaster Med Public Health Prep. https://doi.org/10.1017/dmp.2015.77
Beer D (2013) Popular culture and new media. Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke
Berland GK, Elliott MN, Morales LS et al (2001) Health information on the internet: accessibility, quality, and readability in English and Spanish. JAMA 285:2612–2621
Bischof A, Both G (2015) Counting clicks instead of citations: YouTube videos as scientific currency. Paper presented at the 14th Annual STS Conference Graz, Austria, 11–12 May 2015
Brake DR (2014) Are we all online content creators now? Web 2.0 and digital divides. J Comput-Mediat Commun 19(3):591–609
Briones R, Nan X, Madden K, Waks L (2012) When vaccines go viral: an analysis of HPV vaccine coverage on YouTube. Health Commun 27:478–485
Burgess J, Green J (2009) YouTube: online video and participatory culture. Wiley, New York
Chen H, Gilchrist SB (2013) Online access to higher education on YouTubeEDU. New Libr World 114(3/4):99–109
De Lara A, García Avilés JA, Revuelta G (2017) Online video on climate change: a comparison between television and web formats. J Sci Commun 16(01), Online https://jcom.sissa.it/sites/default/files/documents/JCOM_1601_2017_A04.pdf
Erviti MC, Stengler E (2016) Online science videos: an exploratory study with major professional content providers in the United Kingdom. J Sci Commun 15(06):A06 https://jcom.sissa.it/sites/default/files/documents/JCOM_1506_2016_A06.pdf
Fagerjord A (2010) After convergence: YouTube and remix culture. In: Hunsinger J, Klastrup L, Allen M (eds) International handbook of internet research. Springer, Dordrecht/Heidelberg/London/New York, pp 187–200
Fernandez-Luque L, Elahi N, Grajales FJ (2009) An analysis of personal medical information disclosed in YouTube videos created by patients with multiple sclerosis. Stud Health Technol Inform 150:292–296
Gear DP (2015) YouTube’s plans for 10 more years of video domination. Retrieved 21 July 2015 from http://www.wired.com/2015/05/youtube-future/
Geipel A (forthcoming 2018) Wissenschaft@YouTube. Plattformspezifische Formen von Wissenschaftskommunikation. In: E. Lettkemann, R. Wilke, H. Knoblauch (eds) Knowledge in action: Wissen, Kommunikation und Gesellschaft. Springer, Wiesbaden
Gibney E (2013) JoVE journal’s videos take strain out of new science. Times Higher Educ, 24 Oct 2013. Retrieved 21 July 2015 from http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/news/jove-journals-videos-take-strain-out-of-new-science/2008288.article
Gupta A, Nissan M, Rayess H, Zuliani GF, Carron M (2017) YouTube and rhinoplasty: an analysis of the videos available online. Am J Cosmetic Surg. https://doi.org/10.1177/0748806817704761. First published online 19 Apr 2017
Harris A, Kelly SE, Wyatt S (2014) Autobiologies on YouTube: narratives of direct-to-consumer genetic testing. New Genetics Soc 33(1):60–78. https://doi.org/10.1080/14636778.2014.884456
Hartley J (2012) Digital futures for cultural and media studies. Wiley, Chichester
Jaffar AA (2012) YouTube: an emerging tool in anatomy education. Anat Sci Educ 5(3):158–164
Jaspal R, Turner A, Nerlich B (2014) Fracking on YouTube: exploring, risks, benefits, and human values. Environ Values 23:501–527
Kavoori A (2011) Reading YouTube: the critical viewer’s guide. Peter Lang, New York
Keelan J, Pavri-Garcia V, Tomlinson G, Wilson K (2007) YouTube as a source of information on immunization: a content analysis. JAMA 298:2482–2484
Komada M, Takao K, Nakanishi K, Miyakawa T (2009) The potential benefit of JoVE, an online video journal for science. J Inform Process Manage 52(2):69–76
Kousha K, Thelwall M, Abdoli M (2012) The role of online videos in research communication: a content analysis of YouTube videos cited in academic publications. J Am Soc Inf Sci Technol 63(9):1710–1727
León B, Bourk M (2018) Communicating Science and Technology Through Online Video. Researching a New Media Phenomenon. London: Routledge.
Lovell J (2015). YouTube’s rock stars of science make a splash a VidCon. Scientific American. 30 July 2015. Online https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/youtube-s-rock-stars-of-science-make-a-splash-a-vidcon1/
Madathil KC, Rivera-Rodriguez AJ, Greenstein JS, Gramopadhye AK (2014) Healthcare information on YouTube: a systematic review. Health Inform J 21(3):173–194. https://doi.org/10.1177/1460458213512220
Marek R (2013) Understanding YouTube: Über die Faszination eines Mediums. transcript, Bielefeld
Muñoz MJ, Czurda K, Robertson-von Trotha CY (2016) Typologies of the popular science web video. J Sci Commun 15(04):A02 https://jcom.sissa.it/sites/default/files/documents/JCOM_1504_2016_A02.pdf
Murugiah K, Vallakati A, Rajput K, Sood A, Challa NR (2011) YouTube as a source of information on cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Resuscitation 82(3):332–334
Normile D (2012) Whistleblower uses YouTube to assert claims of scientific misconduct. Science Magazine News, 25 Jan 2012. Retrieved July 21, 2015 from http://news.sciencemag.org/people-events/2012/01/whistleblower-uses-youtube-assert-claims-scientific-misconduct
Osterrieder A (2013) The value and use of social media as communication tool in the plant sciences. Plant Methods 9:26. https://doi.org/10.1186/1746-4811-9-26
Pan X, Yan E, Hua W (2015) Science communication and dissemination in different cultures: an analysis of the audience for TED videos in China and abroad. J Assoc Inform Sci Technol. https://doi.org/10.1002/asi.23461
Pandey A, Patni N, Singh M, Sood A, Singh G (2010) YouTube as a source of information on the H1N1 influenza pandemic. Am J Prev Med 38(3):e1–e3
Pariser E (2011) The filter bubble: what the internet is hiding from you. Penguin Press, New York
Porter AJ, Hellsten I (2014) Investigating participatory dynamics through social media using a multideterminant “frame” approach: the case of climategate on YouTube. J Comput-Mediat Commun 19:1024–1041
Prainsack B (2014) DIY genetics: the right to know your own genome. In: Chadwick R, Levitt M, Shickle D (eds) The right to know and the right not to know: genetic privacy and responsibility. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, pp 100–115
Rogers R (2013) Digital methods. MIT Press, Cambridge, MA
Schäfer M (2016) Wissenschaftskommunikation online. In: Bonfadelli H et al (eds) Forschungsfeld Wissenschaftskommunikation. Springer, Heidelberg, pp 275–293
Shapiro MA, Park HW (2015) More than entertainment: YouTube and public responses to the science of global warming and climate change. Soc Sci Inf 54(1):115–145
Smith DK (2014) iTube, YouTube, WeTube: social media videos in chemistry education and outreach. J Chem Educ 91:1594–1599
Snelson C (2011) YouTube across the disciplines: a review of the literature. MERLOT J Online Learn Teach 7(1):159–169
Snelson C, Perkins RA (2009) From silent film to YouTube™: tracing the historical roots of motion picture technologies in education. J Vis Literacy 28(1):1–27
Snickars P, Vonderau P (eds) (2009) The YouTube reader. National Library of Sweden, Stockholm Retrieved July 21, 2015 from http://www.kb.se/dokument/aktuellt/audiovisuellt/youtubereader/youtube_reader_052009_endversion.pdf
Sood A, Sarangi S, Pandey A, Murugiah K (2011) YouTube as a source of information on kidney stone disease. Urology 77(3):558–562
Soukup PA (2014) Looking at, with, and through YouTube. Commun Res Trends 33(3):3–34
Spartz JT, Su LY-F, Griffin R, Brossard D, Dunwoody S (2015) YouTube, social norms and perceived salience of climate change in the American mind. Environ Commun 11(1):1–16. https://doi.org/10.1080/17524032.2015.1047887
Spicer S (2014) Exploring video abstracts in science journals: an overview and case study. J Librarian Scholar Commun 2(2):eP1110. https://doi.org/10.7710/2162-3309.1110
Steinberg PL, Wason S, Stern JM, Deters L, Kowal B, Seigne J (2010) YouTube as source of prostate cancer information. Urology 75(3):619–622
Sugimoto CR, Thelwall M (2013) Scholars on soap boxes: science communication and dissemination in TED videos. J Am Soc Inf Sci Technol 64(4):663–674
Sugimoto CR, Thelwall M, Larivière V, Tsou A, Mongeon P, Macaluso B (2013) Scientists popularizing science: characteristics and impact of TED talk presenters. PLoS One 8(4):e62403. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0062403
Thelwall M, Kousha K, Weller K, Puschmann C (2012) Assessing the impact of online academic videos. In: Widén G, Holmberg K (eds) Social information Research, Emerald Group publishing limited, Bingley, p 195, 213
Tsou A, Thelwall M, Mongeon P, Sugimoto CR (2014) A community of curious souls: an analysis of commenting behavior on TED talks videos. PLoS One 9(4):e93609. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0093609
Uldam J, Askasius T (2013) Online civic cultures: debating climate change activism on YouTube. Int J Commun 7:1185–1204
Van Herpt, Roel (2013) PostNauka presents contemporary science. Future Minds, 30 Oct 2013. Available online http://www.vandejong.com/en/#!/en/blogs/postnauka-presents-contemporary-science/
Venkatramana A, Gargb N, Kumarca N (2015) Greater freedom of speech on web 2.0 correlates with dominance of views linking vaccines to autism. Vaccine. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2015.01.078
Welbourne DJ, Grant WJ (2015) Science communication on YouTube: factors that affect channel and video popularity. Public Underst Sci. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963662515572068
Wong VSS, Stevenson M, Selwa L (2013) The presentation of seizures and epilepsy in YouTube videos. Epilepsy Behav 27(1):247–250
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2018 Springer Science+Business Media B.V., part of Springer Nature
About this entry
Cite this entry
Allgaier, J. (2018). Science and Medicine on YouTube. In: Hunsinger, J., Klastrup, L., Allen, M. (eds) Second International Handbook of Internet Research. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-024-1202-4_1-1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-024-1202-4_1-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-024-1202-4
Online ISBN: 978-94-024-1202-4
eBook Packages: Springer Reference Biomedicine and Life SciencesReference Module Biomedical and Life Sciences