Internet-based services to obtain information on science and technology according to the degree of interest

Some trial events such as "Science Cafés" have been established to promote scientific and technological (S&T) literacy. However, these trials likely gather only highly motivated citizens. In this study, we surveyed two aspects of media that were effective in approaching those with a lower interest in S&T: first, we determined the types of media used by people to obtain information on S&T;; second, the types of Internet-based services used, both one-way and two-way. We conducted an online questionnaire survey and analyzed the answers according to the degree of interest in S&T. Our survey indicated that Wiki, a one-way service, was the preferred outlet for scientific information. Moreover, general websites might be also useful for those showing potential interest in S&T. As for two-way services, social networking had the potential to introduce less motivated people to S&T, although its reliability requires further examination.