Abstract

The communication of scientific hypotheses, and more broadly of the provisional and non-absolutist nature of science in general, to a lay audience is being increasingly compromised by the public's distrust of experts. This distrust frequently takes the form of hyperskepticism, expressed in unfounded fears and moral panics, and is amplified by a clickbait driven media. Clickbait is a text or a thumbnail link that is designed to entice users to follow the link, where the linked piece of content is often simplistic, salacious or misleading. The sensational headlines and summaries are then widely shared on social media by users with pre-existing political and psychological biases. This “attention economy” can result in the “wisdom of the crowd” – as expressed on social media and clickbait driven websites – drowning out the views of subject experts, and allowing for fearmongering and skepticism or distrust of science to take precedence. This article discusses ways in which scientists and communicators of scientific and other complex topics can help laypersons to understand the ways in which they might be prone to being misled. It also introduces concepts that will contribute to their better understanding and communication of scientific claims in a polarised and politicised digital age.

摘要

由于公众对专家的不信任，向非专业观众传播科学假设，更广泛地说，是对一般科学的临时性和非绝对主义性质的交流越来越受到损害。这种不信任经常以过度怀疑的形式出现，表现为毫无根据的恐惧和道德恐慌，并被点击诱饵驱动的媒体放大。Clickbait 是一种文本或缩略图链接，旨在诱使用户点击链接，其中链接的内容通常是简单化的、淫秽的或具有误导性的。耸人听闻的标题和摘要随后被具有预先存在的政治和心理偏见的用户在社交媒体上广泛分享。这种“注意力经济”可能会导致“大众的智慧”——正如社交媒体和点击诱饵驱动的网站所表达的——淹没了学科专家的观点，并允许散布恐惧、怀疑或对科学的不信任占上风。本文讨论了科学家和科学和其他复杂主题的传播者如何帮助外行了解他们可能容易被误导的方式。它还介绍了有助于他们在两极分化和政治化的数字时代更好地理解和交流科学主张的概念。