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Arko Olesk @arkoolesk.bsky.social · Apr 28

I made an exhibition!
"Tangible Climate", opened yesterday at the University of Tartu Natural History Museum, is about the causes and consequences of climate change. As a curator, my aim was to convert scientific facts into engaging exhibits and compelling stories. Quite happy with the outcome.

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Arko Olesk @arkoolesk.bsky.social · Mar 28

New book chapter out:
With co-author Sanna Kivimäki, we argue that in small countries, trust towards science is closely linked to the language policies of #scicomm. There is a dilemma: fluency in English dominated academic world or local impact, requiring knowledge of the local language and context.

link.springer.com

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Arko Olesk @arkoolesk.bsky.social · Feb 25

Next September, Estonia will give most of its high school students access to the latest LLM models in a push to transform education. The initiative will also train teachers in how to use the models for supporting the development of thinking, rather than dumbing it down.
news.err.ee/1609614773/p...

President Karis spearheads AI-driven transformation in Estonia's high schools

On September 1, 2025, Estonia will launch the TI-Hüpe (AI- Leap) educational program in partnership between both the public and private sectors, The program will provide Estonian school students and t...

news.err.ee

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Arko Olesk @arkoolesk.bsky.social · Feb 4

The same in science communication

Technology Connections @techconnectify.bsky.social · Feb 3

The most important thing I can tell everyone that I've learned from being a YouTuber who explains how stuff works is that each and every time I thought "this is common knowledge and doesn't need to be explained" I was wrong.

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Arko Olesk @arkoolesk.bsky.social · Jan 28

There’s much more to the thesis. Check out the full text here: researchgate.net/publication/...
And press release in EurekAlert: www.eurekalert.org/news-release...

12/ the end

(PDF) MEDIATIZATION OF SCIENTISTS: PROCESS, INDICATORS, IMPACT

PDF | Increasingly, “the demand to communicate with the public has become part of [scientists’] legitimating exercises” (Weingart, 2012). Visibility of... | Find, read and cite all the research you ne...

researchgate.net

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Arko Olesk @arkoolesk.bsky.social · Jan 28

... requires that journalists adapt to the adaptions of researchers playing their own game just as well the journalists themselves. 11/

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Arko Olesk @arkoolesk.bsky.social · Jan 28

While much attention has been paid to the potential negative consequences of mediatization, the thesis brings forth the possibilities of mediatization patterns among scientists that can benefit public interest and support effective science communication. This, however... 10/

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Arko Olesk @arkoolesk.bsky.social · Jan 28

Those functional niches on the mediatization spectrum fit different roles that researcher can take (e.g., critic, explainer, advocate) but can vary in the extent to which they benefit the scientific endeavor, the institutions, the researchers, the journalists or the public. 9/

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Arko Olesk @arkoolesk.bsky.social · Jan 28

… listed on the image. I conclude that different goals require different adaptions to media logic, leading to researchers taking different roles, each with their characteristic pattern of mediatization, captured with the help of the proposed indicators. 8/

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Arko Olesk @arkoolesk.bsky.social · Jan 28

Next to the ESTCube-1 team, I interviewed university decision-makers and other visible scientists. Then I used the comparison of media practices to develop five dimensions in which the relationship of the scientists to media logic produce functional differences. These are… 7/

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Arko Olesk @arkoolesk.bsky.social · Jan 28

I saw that the ESTCube-1 team would be a perfect case to explore the process and impacts of mediatization on the micro-level. The thesis sought to understand mediatization process, indicators and impacts. 6/

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Arko Olesk @arkoolesk.bsky.social · Jan 28

I also found useful the idea of “mental mediatization by Frank Marcinkowski: As individuals experience “the omnipresence of media” and “what powers of influence the media can exercise” they develop ideas about how media functions. The perceptions then lead to adaptations. 5/

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Arko Olesk @arkoolesk.bsky.social · Jan 28

She wrote that in 1977. Today, the pressure on scientists to appear in the media is much greater as this is expected to increase the impact of science in society. The critical perspective, however, warns that intense interactions with media can backfire. 4/

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Arko Olesk @arkoolesk.bsky.social · Jan 28

Then I read Rae Goodell’s “The Visible Scientists” and recognized she had captured something essential: „Dramatic changes in science and in communication are forcing changes in science communication, and, in the process, in the kind of scientist who gets communicated.” 3/

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Arko Olesk @arkoolesk.bsky.social · Jan 28

As a science journalist, I was able to closely observe the team of ESTCube-1, the first Estonian satellite. I followed their development into a group of high media prominence and could see how they were adopting media logic to gain this visibility. 2/

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Arko Olesk @arkoolesk.bsky.social · Jan 28

My many new followers may have missed the news that I defended my PhD a few months ago. Under the title “Mediatization of scientists: process, indicators, impact”, I explored the changing interaction patterns of scientists and journalists in #scicomm.
It all started with an Estonian satellite. 1/

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Reposted by Arko Olesk

Jaan Aru @jaanaru.bsky.social · Jan 13

I have a post-doc position to study the effect of AI on education.

How can we ensure that AI tools enhance natural intelligence?

The position is a part of the Estonian Centre of Excellence in Artificial Intelligence.

Please repost - not easy to get people to work in Estonia 🥶

#edusky #neuroAI

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Arko Olesk @arkoolesk.bsky.social · Dec 6

I would advise researchers to make references accessible in some way but not count on them too much as tools for trust-building. An engaging and empathetic communication style may be more important.

Wasn't planning to write this long. Will return to reading now.

End of thread

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Arko Olesk @arkoolesk.bsky.social · Dec 6

So, how to we balance those contradictory expectations? Most often, I have seen that more or less detailed references are provided separately (in the annex of a book or on a website accessible with a special link). This way, references are available but do not interfere with the reading flow.
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Arko Olesk @arkoolesk.bsky.social · Dec 6

Also, references as a signal can be imitated (as we have pseudoscience promoters seen regularly do, using their own sources designed to look like proper science). And figuring out the quality of referenced sources is an advanced skill.
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Arko Olesk @arkoolesk.bsky.social · Dec 6

On the other hand, one can argue that when readability suffers, other signals cannot be effective either. Especially if we target groups that are outside the bubble of people who are already interested in science and are familiar with those signals of trustworthiness.
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Arko Olesk @arkoolesk.bsky.social · Dec 6

The use of references also serves as a demarcation tool. This text has references, therefore it is scientific, therefore more trustworthy than other text you read on the same topic. At the age when trust has become a more prominent goal of #scicomm over explaining, it seems to make sense.
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Arko Olesk @arkoolesk.bsky.social · Dec 6

It made me think.
Although a similar suggestion to drop references is often given to researchers in communication trainings, it meets a lot of resistance. Why? Because references are perceived as a strong signal of scientific validity, another requirement for quality #scicomm.
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The first of QUEST quality indicators for science communication: scientific, which states that communication is based on rigorous scientific information and references to sources are added.

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Arko Olesk @arkoolesk.bsky.social · Dec 6

I'm reading The Naked Ape (1967) by Desmond Morris and this is how he opens the book:
"This book is intended for a general audience and authorities have therefore not been quoted in the text. To do so would have broken the flow of words and is a practice suitable only for a more technical work."
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The Naked Ape by Desmond Morris book cover

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Arko Olesk @arkoolesk.bsky.social · Nov 20

Plus, methods and related debates can sometimes make up their own fascinating story. Yes, mostly methods are tedious and many details unnecessary but weaving the necessary ones them into the story is a valuable skill of a science communicator.

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