Divulgação científica no Facebook das agências de fomento à pesquisa brasileira (CNPq) e espanhola (FECYT): um estudo comparativo

Abstract

This research addresses the scientific dissemination present on the Facebook profiles of research funding agencies. Its objective is to analyze the impact of scientific dissemination activities carried out by the Brazilian and Spanish scientific research funding agencies — the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) and the Fundación Española para la Ciencia y la Tecnología (FECYT), respectively — based on the analysis of the content posted on their Facebook profiles and the feedback from internet users. The study proposes a comparative approach to the act of disseminating science (or popularizing science) as a means of contributing to the social, economic, and technological development of Brazil and Spain. The research adopts a qualitative methodology, using netnography — a technique for analyzing behaviors and discourses expressed by individuals in cyberspace. The study focuses on Facebook, the most widely used digital social media platform globally. The results reveal the form and frequency of actions taken by CNPq and FECYT in disseminating science, aiming to democratize access to Science, Technology, and Innovation (ST&I). It also highlights the various forms of interaction from followers, such as initiating discussions on scientific topics, sharing and liking posts about ongoing research and experiments, expressing concerns about economic investment in science, and engaging in real-time broadcasts of scientific events. Finally, the study demonstrates that both agencies have the potential to expand their role in promoting science through the world’s most accessed social media platform by improving their management, use, and digital marketing and content strategies — thereby broadening society’s engagement with science across diverse demographics (regardless of age, educational level, or socioeconomic status).