Dealing with Scientific ‘Controversy’ in an Interconnected World (BII Social Media and Health Research Seminar Series, Part 5)

In an increasingly globalised world, we can no longer think of science communication as a local or national enterprise. Today an article in the UK can be disseminated to global audiences and filtered through various channels to reach ‘publics’ across the globe within hours not days. However, without taking into account the cultural context of these audiences from the outset, it is easy for ‘scientific controversies’ to be amplified within a wider geopolitical context, especially when it comes to the relationship between ‘science’ and ‘belief’. Drawing on experience of directing international projects communicating evolutionary science, Dr Elsdon-Baker asks: are the controversies surrounding ‘science’ and ‘belief’ as controversial as we might assume and should we be thinking globally when we communicate locally?

Further information on Balliol College’s Leveraging Social Media to Raise Public Understanding of Health Research Seminar Series is available at: http://www.balliol.ox.ac.uk/current-members/seminars