In response to the news coverage of scientific events and to science education, people increasingly go online to get more information. This study investigates how patterns of science and technology information-seeking on Google and Wikipedia change over time, in ways that differ between "ad hoc" terms that correspond to news coverage and "cyclic" terms that correspond to the academic period. Findings show that the science and technology activity in Google and Wikipedia was significantly associated with ad hoc and cyclic patterns. While the peak activity in Google and Wikipedia largely overlapped for ad hoc terms, it mismatched for cyclic terms. The findings indicate the importance of external cues such as news media and education, and also of the online engagement process, and particularly the crucial but different role played by Google and Wikipedia in gaining science and technology knowledge. Educators and policy makers could benefit from taking into account those different patterns.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0963662516648565 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Changes in Reproductive Health Information-Seeking Behaviors After the Dobbs Decision: Systematic Search of the Wikimedia Database.
JMIR Infodemiology
December 2024
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St Louis, MO, United States.
Background: After the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, confusion followed regarding the legality of abortion in different states across the country. Recent studies found increased Google searches for abortion-related terms in restricted states after the Dobbsv.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFReading Between the Tabloids: An Objective Analysis of the Quality and Readability of Patient Encountered Online Material for Face Transplantation.
J Craniofac Surg
January 2025
Division of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Surgery, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT.
Face transplantation is a highly sensationalized procedure in the media. The purpose of this study is to assess the content and readability of online materials that prospective patients/public encounter regarding face transplantation. A search for face transplantation was performed on Google.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe influence of spider news on online information-seeking.
PLoS One
October 2024
Molecular Ecology Group, Water Research Institute, National Research Council of Italy, Verbania Pallanza, Italy.
Fear of spiders is a widespread condition often disproportionate to the actual danger spiders pose to humans. Likely rooted in evolutionary history, fear of spiders might also have a cultural component. Recent studies have shown that a significant fraction of spider-related media reports are misleading and sensationalistic.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInfodemiology and Infoveillance of the Four Most Widespread Arbovirus Diseases in Italy.
Epidemiologia (Basel)
July 2024
Department of Biomedical Sciences for Health, University of Milan, Via Pascal, 36, 20133 Milan, Italy.
The purpose of this observational study was to evaluate the potential epidemiological trend of arboviral diseases most reported in Italy by the dedicated national surveillance system (ISS data) compared to searches on the internet, assessing whether a correlation/association between users' searches in Google and Wikipedia and real cases exists. The study considers a time interval from June 2012 to December 2023. We used the following Italian search terms: "Virus Toscana", "Virus del Nilo occidentale" (West Nile Virus in English), "Encefalite trasmessa da zecche" (Tick Borne encephalitis in English), and "Dengue".
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOnline content on eating disorders: a natural language processing study.
J Commun Healthc
October 2024
Psychiatry Unit, Department of Health Sciences, University of Florence, Florence, Italy.
Background: Online content can inform the personal risk of developing an eating disorder, and it can influence the time and motivation to seek treatment. Patients routinely seek information online, and access to information is crucial for both prevention and treatment. The primary aim of the current study was to quantify the readability scores of online content on eating disorders using natural language processing algorithms, across two languages: English and Italian.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!