Analyzing Audience, Purpose, and Tone:
"Foraging Ecology" on Ologies by Alie Ward
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Ologies by Alie Ward is a podcast that shows how science communication can be made fun, digestible, and friendly to anybody. Ologies is an interview-style show that deep dives into the work of different -ologists, experts in a range of fields from marine biology to volitional psychology. On May 18, 2021, Ward released "Foraging Ecology," a 1 hour and 28-minute episode featuring Alexis Nikole Nelson of @BlackForager. This episode is filled “with a ginormous bushel of tips & tricks for finding edibles at all times of the year, from blossoms to fungus,” along with words about “finding community, history, land stewardship and why foraging is important, empowering and quite tasty” (Ward, 2021).
Alexis Nikole Nelson, @BlackForager by Tim Johnson/Columbus Monthly Magazine
Ologies, and, by extension, this episode on "Foraging Ecology," is geared to a lay audience. The biggest indicator that this is the main audience is that, with over 100 episodes, Ologies has such a wide range of topics that it would be incredulous to think that she is gearing the show to experts in the field (no one is an expert in over 100 different niche topics). This is where Ward demonstrates her greatest foundational strength: by interviewing a range of scientific experts, she makes science more accessible while providing both an in-depth and expansive array of topics to learn about. There is no need to even know what the -ology of the episode means because she always defines it at the beginning of the episode. For "Foraging Ecology," she kicks it off with:
Foraging comes from a root for hay, or straw, or fodder, and then it evolved to mean ‘hunting about for edibles’. And ecology comes from the same root as oikology, for ‘the place we live’ and our relationship to our environment. So, foraging for the things around us (Ward, 2021).
Given that the tagline in the Ologies Instagram bio is “A science-adjacent podcast hosted by @alieward and featuring moderate amounts of swearing,” the lay audience is older teens to adults (age-appropriate categories for swearing content). Alexis Nikole Nelson is big on Tik Tok, a platform that is used by 48% of 18-29 year olds (PEW Research Center, 2021). This category of individuals is either unemployed ($0/year) as they are students, or in entry-level positions ($40,153/year) (Indeed Editorial Team, 2021). Furthermore, Nelson’s handle, @BlackForager, gives an indication that people drawn to her content are people who are interested in the outdoors, finding edible plants, but also culturally relevant content from a Black creator.
The episode gives a broad overview of Nelson’s education, how she got into foraging, her tips, and her perspective on empowering Black, Indigenous, and people of color in this space, ultimately, providing an informative and educational narrative of foraging ecology. Learning about Nelson’s educational background gives a greater understanding of how nonlinear careers can be: from starting at college in an engineering program to graduating with a Bachelor’s in Environmental Science and a Master’s in Theater to being a social media manager, Nelson tells about how she grappled with being STEM-talented, being a Black woman, and having a passion for the outdoors but also for performance. Now, “millions of [Tik Tok] views later, [Nelson’s] really opened up people’s eyes, and noses, and mouths to edibles that we walk right past all the time, all year round” (Ward, 2021).
The second portion of the episode is a quick introductory guide to foraging: what plants to look out for, what the foraging community is like, what radius you should avoid to make sure you aren’t eating plants that may or may not have been peed on by dogs (unfortunately, “If it’s out in a green space, odds are, at some point in time in that green space’s past, probably in the last year, something has peed there” (Ward, 2021)).
Finally, Nelson takes time to give credit to where credit is due, citing “the generosity with knowledge of the Indigenous people, who now, yeah, do not get to continue some of those practices and some of that land stewardship that is the whole reason why this nation looked the way that it did” (Ward, 2021). Whereas really being knowledgeable on the roots of foraging ecology and the social implications of this practice is a crucial foundation for truly intersectional and encompassing knowledge.
When you listen to Ward and Nelson speak, it's like listening to a conversation between your two aunts catching up—the tone is playful and humorous. Ward makes sure to be responsive and comment on what Nelson said, either asking more or making relatable remarks. She also injects jokes in between interview dialogue to keep the pace lighthearted yet informative. For example, taking the time to break down some terms Nelson throws around, Ward writes in, “What are ramps? Despite sounding like a disease that you get from a dirty hot tub, ramps are just an oniony, leeky type of scallion, oniony type of plant, only they’re free if you find them, and also trendy” (Ward, 2021). The episode appropriately becomes more serious as they dive deeper into indigeneity in foraging and being BIPOC in the outdoors, but the tone is still conversational, making the transition from playful to serious a smooth one. Audio effects later injected into the episode include pop culture references and audio directly taken from Nelson’s video content, enhancing her credibility as a content creator with evidence of the content she has created.
Ologies is what inspired me to be a science communicator. I love that Alie Ward gets to expand her knowledge on so many science-adjacent topics while getting to meet amazing individuals and learning about their life paths. This podcast is friendly to the layperson, easy to listen to, and highly recommended to all who want a quick bite into a niche area of expertise.
References
Indeed Editorial Team. (2021, February 22). A Complete Guide to Entry-Level Salaries. Indeed.
Pew Research Center. (2021, April 7). Social Media Use in 2021. Pew Research Center.
https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2021/04/07/social-media-use-in-2021/
Ward, A. (Host). (2021, May 18). Foraging Ecology [Audio podcast episode]. In Ologies with Alie
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