Internet TV | Science / NatureGenrePresentation

Science/Nature Genre Presentation

Nature and science material on the internet has been immensely improved by the advent of internet television and the possibilities of mobile viewing via cell phones and podcasts. The sheer amount of scientific information and facts about the natural world are prevalent on the most cursory of searches on YouTube or any search engine, and as imparting scientific information and curiosity of the natural world thrives on the ability of people to visualize information, the widespread distribution and availability of internet video assists in general understanding and information retention of the seemingly endless subjects inherent in both broad categories.

In terms of assisting understanding, I'm immediately reminded of thick, bloated books of facts and formulas I read growing up. While I think some book companies are at least trying to reinvent their general layout design and methods of presenting information, easily searchable videos online can point to an immediate 3D graphic visualization of abstract mathematical concepts, or one can find examples of chemical reactions and experiments, along with additional information often found in the comment sections by those interested in similar subjects or endeavors.

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/373145/the_pythagorean_theorem_explained/

http://www.scitalks.com/

While using video to present better visual understanding of science and nature is nothing new, the widespread distribution of the information on the internet makes it much easier for people to immediately learn what it is they wish, without necessarily having to tune in to a specific time and channel like Discovery or National Geographic or similar venues. While this is true for most TV shows presented comparitively online, learning shows would seem to benefit to a greater degree, as the attention span of people (or at least myself) is easily diverted by distractions and thus quicker, more concise presentations found online is valuable.

As to how the major players are interacting with this medium, such as Discovery and National Geographic, most have at least a few complete television episodes and many smaller sections of a given subject, as well as a variety of material like interviews, special access presentations, and links to many other channel sites (like TLC) which also have options to view whole or part of a program. I noticed that most of the major television presenters of scientific and nature programs were still focused primarily on garnering interest for viewers to tune in the actual television shows, and offering most of the internet material as supplementary and more of a bonus instead of an actual concentration on the medium to deliver its information in ways unique to it.

http://www.popsci.com/popsci/ - Popular science

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/ - National Geographic

http://dsc.discovery.com/ - Discovery Channel

There are examples, however, that make good use of the available technology. Podcasts are particularly popular for the episodic content found in nature and science programs, and often times alerts and updates on the weather are transmitted to a cell phone or other portable device.

http://www.weather.com/services/twcalerts.html - The Weather Channel cell-phone alerts

Other trends include user-centric research which is largely comprised of amateurs performing their own experiements, or who perform variations or improvements upon them; of which many of these people might not have otherwise had a voice. Enabling a community of people to test theories and perform their own individual analysis of a given subject is important to advance science and evolve perceptions. Also is a subcategory of science called "ghetto science," which basically brings in scientific principles and facts to common problems and behaviors by those who normally don't deal too much with science on a professional or advanced level.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQ4n7g31RlE - Ghetto Science - Cigarette Test

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNL7ASvl4k4 - Tornado home video

I think this genre is heading toward more of a collective approach to understanding science, and relying not only upon official sources of information and traditional outlet forms (lab/mathematical papers, science/nature tv programs, books and magazines), but also amateur users and those who add their own opinion and methods to improve upon or make a given experiment different, and to help understand the subject when put in the right context, which I think is a community of interested people of all ages attempting to explain their world. A place where science nerds from all walks of life can comfortably esconce themselves in the collective anonymity of the internet, and lose many inhibitons and doubt toward expressing themselves, their work, and their beliefs. Everyone else benefits too, when so many cool and evolving theories are out there.

In short, the advent of Internet Television makes it easier and more fun to understand and appreciate learning about science and nature, which is invaluable for children, and makes life much easier for everyone else.