Here’s a crazy idea. Calling all influencers. Want to make a social media post that could drive insane engagement? Contact me. With the right connections, you could take part in actual scientific work in the marine environment for less than it would cost to go to some destination resort. Instead of luxury-following sycophants, you would gain scientifically conscious followers that respect that at least you’re putting your money toward science instead of resort fees. In my travels, I’ve learned how to snuff out less-than-ideal hotels (decent, but not breaking the budget). And the cost to do science? Not nearly as costly as a beachside surf-and-turf dinner. As a potential travel agent and content curator, I could find you the right organization and accommodations that actually matter to make someone like Mel Gibson look like a decent dude.
The future is funding science that protects or seeks to learn about the environment in an academic way. The way we see Ocean Ramsey screams “pseudoscience.” Don’t be associated with holier-than-thou rhetoric and empty conservation cosplay; put your money where your mouth is. Influencer conservation has perverted the social media realm with fake stories that tug at heartstrings for a few clicks. If you want to be legit, actually take part in REAL science and help real scientists conduct experiments that further our understanding of our world; don’t just take pretty pictures or video. PUT YOUR MONEY WHERE YOUR MOUTH IS. Fund an actual project. Take part in it (there’s plenty of grunt work for literally anyone to do) and further our scientific endeavors instead of just your feed’s aesthetic.
The first caveat? Oh, for your social media post, you’ll actually have to fund your own trip. You get the clout of having helped the project and potentially get an authorship on subsequent papers published (depending on your contribution — could be as simple as funds raised). Your name would be recognized for years to come. Ask me, do I remember a celebrity or actor from any time before 1940? No. Maybe one, but only because he had the same mustache as another famous dictator. But ask me if I read about biologists that first described fish back in 1895. Hell yea — David Starr Jordan and John Otterbein Snyder. Boom. Two biologists I know simply because they worked with many organisms that I personally work with today. Their work lasts. Their names last. That’s the difference.
Here’s a crazy idea. What do you want your legacy to be? A couple cute photos that get thrown into an algorithm to be adulterated and used for AI training? Or — and hear me out — the potential to actually tie your name to scientific findings that would absolutely be seen for years to come. Science is ever evolving. We constantly cite papers and findings that turn out to be not entirely correct, but we remember those who did the science in the first place. Your Instagram post about eating caviar in the Mediterranean will get drowned out by the millions of others that do it after you. Your contribution to real research won’t.
The second caveat is you’re gonna have to wait to post your contribution. Science is ever evolving, and sometimes publication takes time. No, depending on the project, you won’t be able to post about results of said project and your comments will need to stay vague. BUTTTTTTT, I’m sure there’s wiggle room to tease certain pictures that show you are working on science without showing any real results or hypotheses. In my personal experience in Environmental and Ecological Biology, publication could take as long as a year. Many music artists take long periods of time off and come out with amazing teasers to their next great hit (looking at you, Joji — love the new single since it’s been 3 FUCKING YEARS, CANT WAIT FOR THE NEW ALBUM, IT’S BEEN LOOOOOOONG ENOUGH GOD FUCKING DAMNIT). If musicians can play the long game for art, you can play the long game for science.
Can you ask yourself: are you strong enough to wait for delayed gratification and guarantee you’ll be seen in a more positive light for a fraction of what it would cost to go on your usual vacation? Or are you content with living out your life with no lasting purpose that ultimately leaves you with some trivial question nobody gets in 15 years? The legacy is yours to choose.
