Science can be construed as a difficult and impenetrable topic to a complete outsider, but the way that information is presented and broken down is integral in making any subject that much more appealing. When one thinks of comprehending and conveying a convincing understanding of science, they may think they’d have to tackle textbooks, research studies, and the like. This can be extremely intimidating, but thankfully social media has modernized and simplified scientific information so that outsiders can potentially feel like insiders. Podcasts and blogs are two ways in which science is using technology to become more approachable.
As a former Chemistry major (for all of 2 awkward months) I don’t consider myself a complete outsider since I do know some things here and there, but to be completely honest, my comprehension of science outside of basic chemistry and some psychology is essentially nonexistent. I am immersed in visual arts and art history to a point where science has become a distant thing, and that is something I resent. Fortunately, podcasts like ASAP Science and blogs like I Fucking Love Science (IFLScience for short/for only cursing once in this post) make science into something that I feel like I can approach again. The formats of both of these forums make scientific information extremely accessible in different ways. To illustrate a plausible distinction between both of these outlets I will be using a topic that both approached as a control of sorts—the effects of two hallucinogens, magic mushrooms and MDMA, on the brain. I chose this topic because I am interested in the psychological effects of said hallucinogens since they have such a strong social appeal in college culture.
ASAP Science is a YouTube-based video channel that simplifies scientific inquiries through illustration. They use an amateurish (yet admirable- I wish I thought of it!) approach to animation by combining real-time changing drawings on a dry erase board with smaller drawings on paper. Our culture is extremely visual and I personally found this approach to be very inviting. “Your Brain on MDMA” is one of their many concise and informational videos. Everything, from their current approach to “Molly” to their use of color, made watching this video as well as some of their other videos so enjoyable and informative. I think that ASAP Science is very aware of their audience, which they clearly work to their advantage. I was previously aware of the effect that MDMA had on our production of serotonin and other chemicals, but I wasn’t exactly aware of the distinct difference between pure MDMA and ecstasy, which is MDMA laced with other drugs, such as caffeine or amphetamines. I also learned that there are studies being pursued on the effects of MDMA in patients suffering from PTSD, but that these studies are controversial because animal testing has shown indications of potential nerve and brain damage. This video ran just under three minutes, and when it ended not only did I feel like I got something out of it, but I felt like watching more.
IFLScience is a website/blog that breaks articles down into specific categories for easy browsing. Their article, “How Magic Mushrooms Change Your Brain,” is a short synopsis on the effects of psilocybin, the active chemical naturally found in magic mushrooms. It took me about as long to read as the ASAP Science video took to watch, but it did feel longer. I learned about the chemical effects of psilocybin in more detail—it described the visual effects that it has, as well as the phenomenon of synesthesia, where senses subconsciously pair with each other. The one thing that I felt the article was lacking that the ASAP Science video definitely had were visual cues—there were some illustrations, but they were not very informative at all. If anything, they were just nice things to look at that broke up the small amount of text that was there, when they could have potentially been a simplifying infographic for the text.
What I have gathered from observing these two forums is that in regards to science, I prefer a more visually stimulating experience. While I don’t have any strong distaste toward the blog format that IFLScience adapts, I’m personally more likely to understand and remember scientific information when it is presented to me in a video. The way that ASAP Science does it is especially exciting to me, since they use drawings as animations to convey their information. It’s honestly genius to me—you could teach so many things this way. I believe that is why similar channels like Khan Academy are so successful. The inherent physicality of the videos actually being drawings makes them really personal, and that is a very relevant key to keeping our ever-evolving visual culture intelligent. I don’t mind reading an article but I prefer to (and I feel more motivated to) when it is on a subject I feel more confident in, like art history or psychology, simply because I feel unintelligent reading something that I don’t completely understand. The psychological fear of comprehension complex that I and many others create is broken by visual stimulation, allowing us to understand.
