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Research article
First published online September 7, 2012

On the Shoulders of YouTube: Science in Music Videos

Joachim AllgaierView all authors and affiliations
Volume 35, Issue 2
https://doi.org/10.1177/1075547012454949

Abstract

Music videos are about many topics, and some are about science and technology. In this commentary, the author explores what kinds of music videos about science are available and how they could be categorized. It is argued that music videos could be helpful tools for science communication and science education. However, people who reject scientific information and results are also using music videos to publicize their views. Research on the subject is still very sparse. The science communication community needs a better understanding of the practices of online video sharing and the effects of music videos about science.

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Biographies

Joachim Allgaier is a postdoctoral researcher at the Research Center Juelich, Germany, and Honorary Fellow at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, United States. Previously, he was a postdoc at the University of Vienna, Austria, and a research student at the Open University, United Kingdom, where he was awarded a PhD degree in sociology. He studied sociology at LMU Munich, Germany, and visited the Science, Technology and Society program at Maastricht University in the Netherlands. His research interests are the public communication of science and technology and social media, governance of science, and the interactions between science and popular culture.

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Published In

Volume 35, Issue 2
Pages: 266 - 275
Article first published online: September 7, 2012
Issue published: April 2013

Keywords

  1. mass media
  2. media advocacy
  3. media effects on youth
  4. culture and science

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© 2012 SAGE Publications.
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Joachim Allgaier
Research Center Juelich, Juelich, Germany
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Notes

Joachim Allgaier, Research Center Juelich, INM 8, Juelich, Germany. Email: [email protected]

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