Most of the public is exposed to archaeology through media, as it is easily accessible and entertaining. It is likely that when the public thinks about an archaeologist they would think of characters like Indiana Jones, who is more akin to a looter. Perhaps this is part of the reason shows like Ancient Aliens can garner such a large and dedicated following. As TV programs such as Ancient Aliens grow in popularity, the public’s perception of archaeology and heritage becomes skewed to favor pseudoscience. Archaeologists are in part to blame for this, as there has traditionally been very little effort to disseminate archaeological information through media. Not that there has been no positive archaeology centric media, there are shows such as Wild Archaeology, and podcasts like The CRM Archaeology Podcast, Heritage Voices, and the ArchaeoTech Podcast. However, these garner much less viewership than the less credible, more sensationalistic forms of media. Do these fall into the cycle of archaeologists creating content which only circulates within the archaeological community? How can archaeologists better disseminate archaeological information through media?
Most archaeological information is circulated to other archaeologists through academic articles, something that the public cannot be expected to easily access or understand. To reach a wider audience archaeologists could attempt to tailor content in formats which are more easily digestible to the public such as short, but informational videos depicting the excavation of a site, the importance of the work, and the findings of their research. One potential solution is through streaming sites such as YouTube, which allows users to create a channel and post content. A YouTube channel could be linked through an affiliated museum website, a CRM company website, or it could be an archaeologist’s personal channel. Archaeologists could utilize these forms of digital media to promote the dissemination of information. Perhaps archaeologists should begin dedicating more resources to various social media platforms and the content being produced. Recoding site excavations via go pro or using drone footage in these videos could help the public to understand the archaeological process as well.
One way archaeologists could express ideas through digital media is by utilizing an animation style called kinetic typography. This animation style uses animated text to grab the viewers’ attention while explaining an idea or topic. Background images of archaeological sites or artifacts could be used and a voice over could be included to help to further the viewers’ understanding. I created the video below as an example of how archaeologists could use this type of animation.
This video only took about 20 minutes to create. Archaeologists have a responsibility to use the various forms of digital media to disseminate accurate information to the public, because the without it the public will be more widely exposed to pseudoscientific information. These short videos could be posted on YouTube, TikTok, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, etc. to reach a wider audience. Promoting other forms of good archaeological media could be done through social media platforms as well. Should archaeologists be doing more to educate the public about the field of archaeology through media? Are there dangers to creating digital media content? Are these potential dangers worth the continued gatekeeping of archaeological information? Because as it stands now if you google ‘archaeology tv shows’ the first result is Ancient Aliens.
-Kaylee
References
https://wildarchaeology.com/language-selection-front-page/home-en/
https://www.archaeologypodcastnetwork.com/crmarchpodcast
https://www.archaeologypodcastnetwork.com/heritagevoices
1 comment:
Hi Kaylee!
I think you bring up some good points here! I definitely think that archaeologists should be playing a role in the dissemination of archaeological knowledge, as the pseudoarchaeological concepts covered in shows like Ancient Aliens can have some harmful real-life consequences. In particular, I think it is important that archaeologists not only speak up to correct misinformation that we see being spread, but also promote information about common pseudoarchaeology techniques, the ways that work, and the people that they harm. I think the idea of kinetic typography that you propose here could definitely be one form of content that archaeologists could use, as it uses multiple modes of engagement through graphics, writing, and audio. While I think YouTube, TikTok, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook could all serve as ways to reach a wider audience - particularly the first two whose recommended pages have led to many different viral videos and the engagement of diversified audiences - one concern that I would have is that just like archaeological podcasts, these accurate portrayals of archaeology may not live up to the spectacle that pseudoarchaeological narrative have created about grand, but simple, ideas of early ancient alien origin stories. Although, that doesn't mean that I think our efforts are pointless, and I would still argue that they are still an essential part of our work. However, when considering dissemination material, I think that we really need to consider how we might compete with these different theories in order to reach a more diverse audience.
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