小众化科技知识传播突破沉默螺旋之探——以有孔虫知识传播为例

Breakthrough from Spiral of Silence in Dissemination of Minority Scientific Knowledge: A Case of Dissemination of Foraminifera Knowledge

摘要:

以有孔虫知识为代表的小众化科技知识受制于传播渠道和资源,传播规模较小、普及度较低。科技知识有大众小众之别,但无贵贱之分,均应享有传播之利,否则便会阻碍科技创新、影响经济效益,因此小众化科技知识的传播不容忽视。当下,有孔虫等小众化科技知识受困于沉默螺旋之窘境,螺旋曲线有下沉趋势。但是,相比于混乱无序、真伪难辨的大众化科技信息,前者却拥有低熵属性,因而具备了大众传播难以企及的优势。新媒介的崛起为有孔虫小众化知识提供了新的传播思路,即分众传播,该模式兼具适用性和可行性,并可引发圈层效应,增强小规模受众的归属感和对小众化知识的责任感。诸多小众化科技领域借势达到传播潜力后,或可实现长尾盛景。

Abstract:

Minority scientific knowledge, with foraminifera knowledge as the representative, is confined by dissemination channels and resources, thereby featuring small dissemination scale and little acceptance. Scientific knowledge is divided by either majority or minority, while neither can be defined as noble and base, and both should enjoy dissemination channels. Otherwise, scientific innovation will be hindered and economic benefits will be compromised. On that account, the dissemination of minority scientific knowledge shall not be ignored. At present, minority scientific knowledge such as foraminifera is trapped in the dilemma of the spiral of silence, and the spiral curve follows a sinking trend. Nonetheless, compared with the chaotic and undifferentiated majority scientific information, the former presents a low entropy, thereby boasting of the advantage that majority dissemination lacks. The rise of new media offers a new way of dissemination for foraminifera knowledge, namely mass-decentralized dissemination, a mode with both applicability and feasibility. Such mode can also trigger the circle effect, as well as enhance the sense of belonging of minority audience and their senses of responsibility for minority knowledge. On condition that numerous minority scientific fields reach the full potential of dissemination, the long tail effect may be realized.