Science fiction, or scifi, can be prescient, and scifi writers can become as ‘prophets’. Pandemics – and wars – have been used in scifi to hold a mirror to humankind to reflect on the opportunities and challenges it might face when confronted by ubiquitous disasters.
The COVID-19 pandemic has materialised such a scifi confrontation: the famous H.G. Wells novel War of the Worlds reveals two peoples at war, and the impact of a pandemic on one of them as well as the aftermath on humankind. It highlights both opportunities and challenges, and the hope (albeit distant) that humankind will survive.
The pandemic has impacted us economically, socially, politically. It has shown us new ways to work, and opportunities and challenges for institutions, communities and societies globally as they face a brave new world. I would like to share seven insights that have resonated with me in recent times, and their possible implications for science communication:
1. Working virtually
Lockdowns and border closures forced many professions to work from home, using various online tools and telecommunications systems. We learnt to suit up, log in, and get on with it from our bedrooms, loungerooms or home ‘offices’. Conferences, meetings and learning went online, and people were Zooming everywhere – to a point. Science communication in many ways was liberated as more meeting attendees had direct access to scientists through their new online environment. And social media was used to promote these events.
Problems with online access, particularly between metropolitan, regional cities and rural areas, also became most evident, as professionals navigated a maze of collaborative tools available and negotiated their selection and use. We also learnt to negotiate meeting times and bandwidth with our school-aged children as they were also undertaking online schooling!
2. Epidemiology becomes an everyday ‘thing’
Public health stepped up to inform our communities about the COVID virus and its impacts on us, locally and abroad. People learned how to say and spell the word ‘epidemiology’. Health scientists and epidemiologists became media celebrities. Radio and television resurged as communication media, and the Internet became an ‘information superhighway’ again for these media stars.
Science communication became an important skill as these celebrities sought to effectively and efficiently impart their findings and opinions on COVID-19 to their communities, locally and overseas. In addition, planning this communication has become a calculated activity for individual scientists, teams and institutions.
3. Information overload deepens
As the pandemic spread and infected cases rose, so did the volume and immediacy of information regarding the virus, and its prevention and control. Communities were inundated with news in print, on radio and television, and online. Vaccines, anti-viral drugs, prevention measures, numbers became the daily feast for various media. The science of COVID-19 was everywhere in the headlines.
Nearly four years since the onset, however, the pandemic is rarely mentioned in traditional news media, regardless of its prevalence still in our community. Are we sick of hearing about COVID-19? Has the news flood contributed to the ‘pandemic fatigue’ that we now face?
4. Mis/disinformation spreads
Related to information overload has also been the growth of mis- and disinformation from pressure and lobby groups, leading to growing community fear and anger with policy makers and health authorities. ‘Snake oil merchants’ and conspiracy theorists abound in a climate of mistrust in science and scientists. The segmentation of our communities allowed through social media, #hashtags and the ‘dark web’ have increased tribalism, reaffirmed ‘echo chambers’ for particular opinions and groups, and accentuated social divisions.
The apparent distrust of scientific knowledge within certain groups highlights the growing need for scientific literacy, critical thinking, scientific reasoning and the role of peer-review of scientific findings in our schools and general communities, particularly around the use of uncertainty in scientific research. I believe scientists have an ethical and moral imperative to address mis/disinformation surrounding scientific concepts within their areas of expertise and circles of influence, with institutional support when faced with the ‘trolls’. This also presents opportunities for further professional training in science communication.
5. The rise of QR code
Invented in 1994 to track parts in the Japanese automotive industry, the QR code has become part of daily lexicon and habit for billions worldwide. From checking into restaurants to accessing further information explaining a huge mural depiction the biodiversity of the Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park, QR codes have brought scientific information and activities to the ubiquitous mobile phones of our community.
As long as our mobiles have wireless access, they can be powerful communication tools and assist in ‘calls to action’ for our science community. How we use them is the stuff of careful and effective planning and execution, with links to timely, appropriate and credible scientific information. Collaborations between scientists and science communicators are so important in this endeavour.
6. Graphics show the way
The broadcast of graphs as part of pandemic stories in various visual media – newspapers, television and online – has become a ‘normal’ everyday event, particularly when highlighting trends and extrapolations regarding COVID-19 numbers. They have also been repurposed, promoted and amplified through various social media platforms.
Good graph design should consider the needs of the audience for which the graphic is destined, as well as the technical limitations of the medium for which it is destined. These include appropriate colour choice, adequate resolution to display the image on a viewing device, and bandwidth requirements for displaying the image. In this regard, professionals such as graphic designers and experienced science communicators can provide invaluable advice.
7. Face-to-face communication still number 1 for building trust and respect
During the lockdowns, we learned to value our downtimes, which often involved walking outside and limited contact with family and friends. Certain coffee shops became community hubs and replaced the work watercooler; we sought contact, companionship and community. For introverts it was business as usual, for extroverts it was a ‘straight-jacket’. It was both a strangling and liberating time.
As societies and nations reopen their borders and reactivate economies, face-to-face meetings, workshops and conferences, and coffee catchups, are becoming more common events. They are important opportunities to reactivate those personal and professional connections that maintain and build trust and respect in your networks and collaborations. They also help expand these networks in directions never considered as new actors enter your professional circles.
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The pandemic has presented time for quiet reflection and (re)evaluation for us all. If we can learn from the lessons presented during these times, I believe we have been presented wonderful opportunities (and deep challenges) for planning and executing science communication with greater impact and reach. We have the tools; we just need to wield them effectively and use all the resources at our disposal, including communication experts.
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Planning your next research project? Contact The Comms Doctor® via email contact@thecommsdoctor.com.au or visit the Comms Doctor® website to help plan your science communication activities for your project.