Evaluating Social Media as a Tool for Community Archaeology

Community archaeology, the subfield of archaeology dedicated to cultivating communication and collaboration between archaeologists and the public, has become increasingly popular since its emergence as a formal discipline thirty years ago. The effectiveness of traditional community archaeology methods, however, is limited by their need for advanced training and funding, their requirements for physical and financial accessibility, and their limited ability to provide avenues for two-way communication between archaeologists and the public. Conversely, social media is easy to use, inexpensive, and participatory. While social media has its own risks and limitations, it thus still has the potential to become a powerful tool for community archaeologists interested in fostering public engagement with the past. Recommendations regarding social media site selection, posting frequency, featured content, and online etiquette can further maximize the benefits of this new strategy, although more research is needed to fully understand the scope of the developing relationship between social media and community archaeology.

Author

• Jennings, Tara

Language

• en

Keyword

• Public Engagement
• Community Archaeology
• Social Media

Date created

• 2023

Type of Work

• Master's Thesis

License

• All rights reserved

Rights statement

• In Copyright

GW Unit

• Anthropology

Degree

• M.A.

Advisor

• Blomster, Jeffrey P.

Committee Member(s)

• Johnston, Susan

Persistent URL

•  https://scholarspace.library.gwu.edu/etd/f4752h555