Selfie-Culture Can Be Used to Encourage Interest in Science Education

Dianna Cowern brands herself as “thephysicsgirl” and utilizes her Instagram account specifically for creating interest in science with the hope to inspire girls and minorities. Cowern uses images and videos, many of which are selfies, for demonstrating backyard experiments about common science phenomena.

Many of her posts project an identity as that of an everyday girl curious about the world around her. In the post I have selected, it deliberately shows her audience:

• Curiosity about science in the real world around us.

• A natural or casual self and surroundings with no filters. She wears no makeup and there is little staging.

• Innovative marketing and self-promotion because this post is teasing the viewer to revisit her account in the coming days to see a complete video.

Cowern’s feed has evolved slightly over time while centering on its original focus of science. Early on, she posted more personal information meaning more other-than-science photos of herself likely as an introduction. There were also more singular experiences or expressions. Today, her posts may have a connection to each other or focus on more serious issues around her.

If we look at impression management, we can clearly understand her science focus, but she is also revealing unintentional qualities about herself as a Millennial. In particular, I argue that her posting technique reveals a narcissism culture. Of the first thirteen posts within her feed, ten of them project her as the most prominent object being photographed rather than the science. This can give the perception that the account is more about the who rather than the what. Additionally, of the top 200 posts, very few include images of minorities outside of women. This may demonstrate some insensitivity for the meaning of minority outside of her own sex. What would an African American think when visiting her account?

Ultimately, I think her casual and fun approach to encouraging science is relatable and achieves her objective. It is great to see that the selfie-culture can be used to encourage interest in science education.

For more information about Cowern, visit: https://physicsgirl.org/about