Chercheur-e-s de montagne – Popularizing science on Twitch

The working methods and practices of SHS researchers are little known to the general public. And yet, in the current climate crisis, it seems necessary for the general public to understand how research is produced, in order to properly apprehend its results. Chercheur-e-s de Montagnes (CdM) has therefore set itself the goal of informing the under-25s about the day-to-day work of mountain researchers.

CdM produces its popular science content on the Twitch platform (leader in live video streaming) at a rate of two to four lives per week. In order to reach its target audience, CdM takes its inspiration from the entertainment content available on the platform, combining humor and popularization, and appropriates its codes.

Here, it’s the teacher-researchers themselves who popularize their daily lives and working practices, whether in the studio working on scientific articles, at MSH-Alpes commenting on an international symposium like a sporting event, or in the mountains during field surveys. In this way, they become “researcher-streamers”, characters that viewers (the audience) can relate to and identify with.