Book Chapter

Engaging Public Interest in the Ocean of the Past

Marzin, Catherine, Evans, Sian, Alexander, Karen

2014

Overview

Marine historical ecology powerfully frames ocean issues. It reveals rich new storylines and opportunities for new constituencies in the public to identify with a specific place or time in history. Historical anecdote, personal experience, and imagery, which are less polarizing than some conservation messages, can create interest among people who may not naturally care about fish, the sea, or the health of the marine environment. In this chapter, using the concept of framing, Catherine Marzin, Sian Evans, and Karen Alexander describe mechanisms to engage the public via old and new media. Exciting the imagination on an individual level, marine historical ecology can create a sense of ownership and recognition of the need for ocean stewardship. New outreach strategies can be developed, utilizing all the tools of new media including discoverability, social participation, and mobility. Historians and scientists can harness the power of history and scientific observation in new arcs of storytelling across new media platforms—social, textual, and visual.

• Publisher: University of California Press
• Subject: archives / Conservation of the Environment (Social Science) / historical ecology / science communication / social media
• ISBN: 0520276949, 9780520276949