It can be easy to get sucked into social media for hours on end. Funny, cartoony science videos may be especially interesting, but not to everyone, according to a recent study from the University of Georgia.
The goal of many creators isn't just to make you laugh while giving cool facts. Sometimes, it's to turn you into a lifelong learner.
The researchers showed over 1,000 people TikTok- and Instagram-inspired scientific videos about jellyfish. In general, the more participants enjoyed the video, the more curious it made them. But reactions varied greatly between participants.
"People expect humor on social media. When you grow up in that world, everything needs to be funny," said Michael Cacciatore, lead author of the study and an associate professor in the UGA Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication. "And curiosity is like fertile soil. It sparks joy and wonder in people. Curiosity makes people want to go find answers to questions."
Tone, pop culture references impact enjoyment
The researchers worked with PBS Digital Studios to create 12 different videos for the study. Each video had a formal tone or a casual vibe, did or did not reference SpongeBob SquarePants, and included either a white, Black or Latina speaker.
On average, participants reported that videos with a casual tone and SpongeBob references were more enjoyable and made them more curious about jellyfish.
"People who enjoyed the content were more willing to go out and learn about science," Cacciatore said. "If we were able to spark curiosity in people, it pushed them towards liking and wanting to know more about science."
Creating content for different audiences
Cultural references that resonated with white participants sometimes missed the mark for Black or Latino viewers.
"We did some focus group work, and a trend among Black respondents was that they generally didn't want science to be cartoony and childlike. They feel like that dumbs down the content, which feels like the content creator is taking a swipe at them," Cacciatore said. "Like the content creator believes they can't understand science in the same manner as other people, and that's why they have to show it in cartoon form.
"Also, that data collection made clear that content needs to be specific to the type of humor sensibilities that different groups generally have. You can't just repackage a joke into a different language. It needs to resonate with cultural values."
That's something for content creators to keep in mind when targeting certain demographics, the researchers said.
The speaker's ethnicity in the video also played a role in how participants responded to the clips. For example, Black audiences were more curious about science when the speaker was also Black, the study found.
Balancing sparking questions and giving answers
So how can creators get people hooked on science? For starters, videos should have a strong hook so they can catch a viewer's attention while scrolling, the researchers said. Creators should also tailor their messages for their audience and keep videos short and sweet.
"If you spark a little bit of curiosity but you're too vague in providing further information, it may push people away. But if you provide too much of an answer, it may also stifle that curiosity because you just gave them all the information they need," Cacciatore said. "You don't have to provide the full answer. Sometimes, you need to give people just enough so that they'll want to search for information on their own."
This study was published in Science Communication and co-authored by Sara Yeo.
