World Space Week and the Use of Social Media in Space Education

Abstract

ABSTRACT

There is a cultural shift taking place within space education, moving from printed information toward interactive digital channels such as blogs and social media portals. Many are already familiar with social networks in their private life; for the generation born after 1980, however, communicating via social networks has become the norm. The so-called Generation Y, often also described as digital natives, is digitally connected via smartphones and expects quick answers to questions and queries. This poses new challenges in the way information is channeled and distributed, but also offers opportunities by reaching and thus educating a larger global audience via the World Wide Web. This article discusses the future of space education. It uses World Space Week, the largest annual space event in the world, as an example for the effective use of digital and nondigital tools to promote space education and outreach.