Make 'em laugh: humor's role in seeking science-based messages
Date
2024
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Abstract
Science information as a whole has become known as a controversial topic because it often invokes political beliefs and social values when it is presented in the media. This has resulted in audiences being cautious about engaging with scientific messages. Humor is increasingly being used as a strategy to communicate science-related information, yet research on its effectiveness is still growing. The goal of this project was to contribute empirical evidence to the limited pool of literature and outreach tactics that exist regarding the application of humor science-based content on social media. Through a two-condition, between subjects, online experiment this project measured if positive emotion, conceptualized as feeling joy, which can be described as experiencing elation or mirth, was invoked when exposed to a humorous science-based message; whether exposure to humorous science-based messages have a direct effect on information engagement; and if experiencing a positive emotion impacted greater levels of information engagement. Participants were undergraduate or graduate students enrolled at the Colorado State University, Fort Collins campus who were registered in a course within the Journalism and Media Communication department during Spring 2024. A total of 117 participants gave responses while the survey was live in the SONA system, between February 2-23, 2024. Results indicate participants who were exposed to a humorous science message were more likely to experience a positive emotion and had a higher likelihood of seeking out or sharing similar messages in the future. Additionally, the experience of a positive emotion was a significant factor in a participant's likelihood of seeking out or sharing similar messages. Results suggest that individuals exposed to a humorous message are more inclined to experience positive emotions and those who did are more inclined to participate in information engagement in the future. This study indicates that humor plays a significant role in driving information engagement.
Description
Rights Access
Subject
humor
science communication
SONA
information engagement
emotion
social media