Sharing scientific information in a simple, fast and transparent way is an effective measure for risk mitigation and for the correct knowledge and perception of natural phenomena
Telling the public about the unfolding of natural processes is never easy because often we are dealing with complex phenomena that are not easy to "translate" into "common" language.
With the study , recently published in the magazine 'Frontiers in Earth Science', the INGVvulcani communication group, took stock of the communication activity it has carried out in the world of "social" in the last four years. Through the INGVvulcani Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube channels, news and curiosities about volcanoes and their activity were shared, while more detailed insights found space on the INGVvulcani blog. A continuous information activity that has not only dealt with disseminating timely updates in the event of emergencies linked to volcanic activity, but also with reporting the news of research on volcanoes, countering the ever-looming phenomenon of fake news.
“The challenge is to always find new content suitable for arousing the curiosity and interest of the public and then being able to describe it in a language accessible to a non-expert audience. For a group of researchers accustomed to expressing themselves in technical jargon, it has not always been easy. To understand how to do it, we applied the same approach to communication that we dedicate to scientific research: first we collect information and experiences, then we analyze the data collected and share them within the international scientific community to compare ourselves with those who carry out similar tasks", says Micol Todesco, an INGV volcanologist in the team of authors of the study.
The different methods of communication according to the type of phenomena and the place of their occurrence and the different impacts on the populations involved were the fulcrum of the authors' analysis. The analysis highlighted that blogs and social networks were consulted by a large number of people for information on ongoing volcanic events, as demonstrated by the rapid increase in visitors during the 2021 Etna paroxysms.
“Since we opened the various social channels, we have studied the online communication we exchanged with the public. A direct fil rouge that has allowed us to understand the varied needs of readers and to be able to set language and methods that are increasingly satisfying the requests of the interlocutors but always with the utmost scientific rigor ", continues Maddalena De Lucia, volcanologist at INGV and also author of the study.
For the INGVvulcani communication group, these last four years have been very demanding. In addition to the constant attention to the activity of the Campi Flegrei and the other volcanoes in Campania, over 50 paroxysms of Etna have occurred in Sicily, the violent explosive activity of Stromboli in the summer of 2019 and more recently the hydrothermal crisis of Vulcano characterized in particular by a sharp increase in volcanic gases emitted. All events that have led to a strong demand for information on the part of citizens residing in the aforementioned areas, the general public and information operators.
Boris Behncke, INGV volcanologist from the INGVvulcani team, is the author of many spectacular photographs and videos of Etna published on his blog and on social media. "Thanks to the numerous posts and videos on social media and through articles and photo news on the blog, updates were given on the ongoing activity and on the commitment of INGV personnel in field activities", says Behncke who continues “We have directed our constant communication work above all to the national public, in the Italian language. We wanted to answer the great demand for information that comes from the people who live near or on the slopes of these volcanoes, and who are often fascinated and sometimes frightened by volcanic activity.".
"Calibrating the message according to the cases and events was not easy", says Piergiorgio Scarlato, INGV volcanologist of the INGVvulcani team. “Just as very important was the creation of the blog which offers a wider space for scientific dissemination. In it, in fact, it is possible to illustrate the various aspects of volcanological phenomena without the limits of space and timing typical of social networks. It has become the place for completing and deepening the rapid information that we give on social media when the volcanic event occurs. The public that follows us knows they can find accurate information on our pages, based on available data and without the sensationalism that often dominates information on social networks".
The three scientific Departments into which INGV's research activities are organized - Earthquakes, Volcanoes, Environment - have activated channels on social networks, accompanying social networks with three specific blogs that can be reached from the Institute's portal, to offer communication and dissemination increasingly widespread and effective science.
"In the case of the Volcanoes Department, scientific communication is not only concerned with reporting the innovations in research on volcanic phenomena but aims to become an accredited and authoritative source of information", says Augusto Neri, Director of the Volcanoes Department of INGV, who concludes “collecting and publishing information on the communication activity carried out, allows comparison with what is done by similar institutions abroad, allows to identify the aspects that can be improved and the communication strategies that work best. The purpose of this first publication in an international scientific journal is to encourage dialogue within the scientific community on the best strategies for sharing research products and monitoring activities with civil society. Also thanks to the work carried out by INGVvulcani colleagues, today researchers are more aware that research that is attentive to the needs of society and shared in a simple, fast and transparent way allows for an improvement in the correct perception of natural phenomena and therefore for promoting effective mitigation measures of the risk".
Telling the public about the unfolding of natural processes is never easy because often we are dealing with complex phenomena that are not easy to "translate" into "common" language.
With the study , recently published in the magazine 'Frontiers in Earth Science', the INGVvulcani communication group, took stock of the communication activity it has carried out in the world of "social" in the last four years. Through the INGVvulcani Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube channels, news and curiosities about volcanoes and their activity were shared, while more detailed insights found space on the INGVvulcani blog. A continuous information activity that has not only dealt with disseminating timely updates in the event of emergencies linked to volcanic activity, but also with reporting the news of research on volcanoes, countering the ever-looming phenomenon of fake news.
“The challenge is to always find new content suitable for arousing the curiosity and interest of the public and then being able to describe it in a language accessible to a non-expert audience. For a group of researchers accustomed to expressing themselves in technical jargon, it has not always been easy. To understand how to do it, we applied the same approach to communication that we dedicate to scientific research: first we collect information and experiences, then we analyze the data collected and share them within the international scientific community to compare ourselves with those who carry out similar tasks", says Micol Todesco, an INGV volcanologist in the team of authors of the study.
The different methods of communication according to the type of phenomena and the place of their occurrence and the different impacts on the populations involved were the fulcrum of the authors' analysis. The analysis highlighted that blogs and social networks were consulted by a large number of people for information on ongoing volcanic events, as demonstrated by the rapid increase in visitors during the 2021 Etna paroxysms.
“Since we opened the various social channels, we have studied the online communication we exchanged with the public. A direct fil rouge that has allowed us to understand the varied needs of readers and to be able to set language and methods that are increasingly satisfying the requests of the interlocutors but always with the utmost scientific rigor ", continues Maddalena De Lucia, volcanologist at INGV and also author of the study.
For the INGVvulcani communication group, these last four years have been very demanding. In addition to the constant attention to the activity of the Campi Flegrei and the other volcanoes in Campania, over 50 paroxysms of Etna have occurred in Sicily, the violent explosive activity of Stromboli in the summer of 2019 and more recently the hydrothermal crisis of Vulcano characterized in particular by a sharp increase in volcanic gases emitted. All events that have led to a strong demand for information on the part of citizens residing in the aforementioned areas, the general public and information operators.
Boris Behncke, INGV volcanologist from the INGVvulcani team, is the author of many spectacular photographs and videos of Etna published on his blog and on social media. "Thanks to the numerous posts and videos on social media and through articles and photo news on the blog, updates were given on the ongoing activity and on the commitment of INGV personnel in field activities", says Behncke who continues “We have directed our constant communication work above all to the national public, in the Italian language. We wanted to answer the great demand for information that comes from the people who live near or on the slopes of these volcanoes, and who are often fascinated and sometimes frightened by volcanic activity.".
"Calibrating the message according to the cases and events was not easy", says Piergiorgio Scarlato, INGV volcanologist of the INGVvulcani team. “Just as very important was the creation of the blog which offers a wider space for scientific dissemination. In it, in fact, it is possible to illustrate the various aspects of volcanological phenomena without the limits of space and timing typical of social networks. It has become the place for completing and deepening the rapid information that we give on social media when the volcanic event occurs. The public that follows us knows they can find accurate information on our pages, based on available data and without the sensationalism that often dominates information on social networks".
The three scientific Departments into which INGV's research activities are organized - Earthquakes, Volcanoes, Environment - have activated channels on social networks, accompanying social networks with three specific blogs that can be reached from the Institute's portal, to offer communication and dissemination increasingly widespread and effective science.
"In the case of the Volcanoes Department, scientific communication is not only concerned with reporting the innovations in research on volcanic phenomena but aims to become an accredited and authoritative source of information", says Augusto Neri, Director of the Volcanoes Department of INGV, who concludes “collecting and publishing information on the communication activity carried out, allows comparison with what is done by similar institutions abroad, allows to identify the aspects that can be improved and the communication strategies that work best. The purpose of this first publication in an international scientific journal is to encourage dialogue within the scientific community on the best strategies for sharing research products and monitoring activities with civil society. Also thanks to the work carried out by INGVvulcani colleagues, today researchers are more aware that research that is attentive to the needs of society and shared in a simple, fast and transparent way allows for an improvement in the correct perception of natural phenomena and therefore for promoting effective mitigation measures of the risk".
