Engaging With the Public? Assessing the Online Presence and Communication Practices of the Nanotechnology Industry

Bibliographic Data

ID7496754
AuthorsRobert Ackland (0000-0002-0008-1766, Australian Demographic and Social Research Institute, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia, corresponding author), Rachel Gibson (0000-0002-5823-6468, Institute for Social Change, University of Manchester, United Kingdom), Wainer Lusoli (European Commission Joint Research Centre, Sevilla, Spain, University of Chester, United Kingdom, corresponding author), Stephen J A Ward (0000-0003-4219-1637, corresponding author), Stephen Ward (0000-0003-1651-0614, European Studies Research Institute, University of Salford, United Kingdom)
Year2010
Volume28
Issue4
Pages443-465
Publication date2010-06-30
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueSocial Science Computer Review (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0894-4393 • E-ISSN: 1552-8286
PublisherSAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/0894439310362735
OpenAlexW2075606255
LanguageEN
Citations received13
References cited28

This article examines whether the nanotechnology industry is engaging in the wider social debate surrounding it, through an analysis of its online communication practices. This is an important topic to study, given the nascent nature of the technology and the concerns among proponents to avoid the backlash biotech companies faced over genetically modified (GM) crops. Applying a new web crawling tool, the study captures and codes the hyperlinks of key nanotechnology companies according to their social and technical orientation, and status as producers, disseminators, and commercializers. The links are mapped and the prominence of social and technical issues is assessed. Finally, the home pages of sites are content analyzed to contextualize the presentation of the debate. The results show that although parts of the scientific community may have accepted the case for more engagement with the social aspects of nanotech, commercial developers are more reluctant to do so, at least based on their online presence

Business · Knowledge management · Political science · Presentation (obstetrics · Public relations · Social media · World Wide Web · Computer Science · Media Studies and Communication · Misinformation and Its Impacts · Social Media and Politics

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