Comunicating science to the pubblic on the web: criptozoo youtube channel

Abstract

This paper examines how the YouTube Channel CriptoZoo can contribute to science education thanks to its effective on-line communication (Govoni 2002). Lorenzo Rossi, in charge of the Museum of Ecology in Cesena, created CriptoZoo to answer questions asked in contemporary society (Israel 2008) about discovering of new animal species. This topic is frequently associated with fake news, and he wanted to provide reliable information. So, CriptoZoo has educational aims, because it focuses on the dynamics of fake news and contributes to «communicating science in a way much richer that the chronicle of discoveries, presenting it not only as information but as a tool of civic participation and inclusion» (Pitrelli 2012, p. 654). Scientific communication, when it is primarily directed towards kids and adolescents (Grandi 2022, p. 71), represents a new and interesting pedagogical topic.