TY - JOUR
T1 - Can hype be a force for good?
T2 - Inviting unexpected engagement with science and technology futures
AU - Roberson, Tara M.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2020.
PY - 2020/7/1
Y1 - 2020/7/1
N2 - Hype, or simplified and sensationalised science, appears to be inescapable in science communication with examples extending from viral social media accounts and ‘breakthrough’-themed press releases, to the mediated claims of the celebrity scientist. In science communication, the negative effects of hype are familiar. The question is whether hype is always a distortion and a lie, or can it be redeemed? This essay reviews the contribution of hype to science, specifically in terms of encouraging reflexivity for science and technology. I present three perspectives on hype and invite further conversation on the role of hype in science communication.
AB - Hype, or simplified and sensationalised science, appears to be inescapable in science communication with examples extending from viral social media accounts and ‘breakthrough’-themed press releases, to the mediated claims of the celebrity scientist. In science communication, the negative effects of hype are familiar. The question is whether hype is always a distortion and a lie, or can it be redeemed? This essay reviews the contribution of hype to science, specifically in terms of encouraging reflexivity for science and technology. I present three perspectives on hype and invite further conversation on the role of hype in science communication.
KW - public participation
KW - public understanding of science
KW - rhetoric of science and technology
KW - science communication
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85085048371&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/0963662520923109
DO - 10.1177/0963662520923109
M3 - Article
SN - 0963-6625
VL - 29
SP - 544
EP - 552
JO - Public Understanding of Science
JF - Public Understanding of Science
IS - 5
ER -