In early August 2019, the U.S.A. saw 2 significant mass shootings in just 48 hours. On Twitter, Neil deGrasse Tyson responded with a tweet to his millions of followers. He outlined the number of deaths in 48 hours from other causes, and seemed to disparage the human tendency to respond emotionally “more to spectacle than to data”. The tweet resulted in an uproar. This “twitterstorm” might provide important lessons for practicing science communicators. The first lesson outlined in this letter is about the use of analogy in science communication, and the second is about how emotion is addressed in science communication.
Associated Projects
TEAM MEMBERS
Hannah Little
Author
UWE Bristol
Citation
ISSN
:
1824-2049
DOI
:
10.22323/2.18040101
Publication Name:
Journal of Science Communication
Volume:
18
Number:
4
If you would like to edit a resource, please email us to submit your request.