SOCIAL NETWORKS AND VIRTUAL TOOLS: IMPACT ON LOCAL PHYCOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE

ARENAS,PATRICIA MARTA; PUENTES, JEREMÍAS PEDRO; LOBATO,CESAR; HURRELL, JULIO ALBERTO

Congreso; VII International Congress of Ethnobotany ? I International Congress of Ethnozoology; 2019

Some people have ever seen algae in their natural habitat and so they are familiar with it. Others who only know them in the form of elaborated products ignore what their natural appearance is. The aim of this study is to evaluate the people´s knowledge of algae and how they value them. It is part of a pioneering research line in the LEBA about Ethnophycology. This discipline records, interprets and reflects on people-algae relationships in different cultural contexts. In particular, Urban Ethnophycology is developed in pluricultural urban contexts. The corpus of knowledge and beliefs that people possess about algae, parts thereof, and derived products, which orients various actions (e.g. selection and consumption strategies), is known as Phycological Knowledge (PK). A survey model (N=88) was developed with the tool provided by Google Drive. It was disseminated through social networks, like Facebook, aimed at closed groups (Vegetarian and vegans), public (AlgaePhycology), specific pages (Seaweeds) and general public. The survey was also shared with the personal contacts on the mentioned network, who in turn also shared it, multiplying the possibilities. The studies were started in September 2018 and continue until today. The posed questions pointed to what is an algae, which is known, what is its shape and size, habitat, uses, if they are consumed, for what, and what causes them to contact them. People surveyed are between 19 and 69 years of age, of both sexes and diverse occupation, natives of Central and South America, and Spain. This methodological approach and the thematic issue are innovative. In addition, the work contributes to the biocultural diversity, generating or expanding local knowledge regarding the uses of algae.