An Exploratory Study of Science and Nature Collaborations in Pinterest

The research explores how individuals are already engaging in

science content curation while using Pinterest, facilitating an understanding of how this type of

activity can be applied to citizen science research practices. Using a theoretical framework of

Virtual Transactive Memory Systems, the proposed study includes content analysis to explore the

activity and the collaborative nature of contributions to the

science and nature

category of

Pinterest over a period of one month. The goal of the research is to understand the nature of

Pinterest as it applies to scientific communication that includes the public sphere to contribute to

the literature of collaborative content curation. By understanding the current landscape of

collaboration and citizen involvement, future research will be equipped with information to

begin to delineate user needs and best practices for citizen science collaboration in Pinterest-like

environments.he research explores how individuals are already engaging in

science content curation while using Pinterest, facilitating an understanding of how this type of

activity can be applied to citizen science research practices. Using a theoretical framework of

Virtual Transactive Memory Systems, the proposed study includes content analysis to explore the

activity and the collaborative nature of contributions to the

science and nature

category of

Pinterest over a period of one month. The goal of the research is to understand the nature of

Pinterest as it applies to scientific communication that includes the public sphere to contribute to

the literature of collaborative content curation. By understanding the current landscape of

collaboration and citizen involvement, future research will be equipped with information to

begin to delineate user needs and best practices for citizen science collaboration in Pinterest-like

environments.