The “Dark Side” of social conversations around science: Contemporary challenges and potential solutions for science communication.
Preconference at the 76th Annual ICA Conference
Tuesday, 2 June 2026, 09:00 – 17:00 (Central African Time)
Venue: Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation (CERI) at Stellenbosch University (main campus), South Africa
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Science communication plays a crucial role in shaping public perceptions and informing policy responses to today’s most pressing challenges, ranging from health and environmental crises to the societal implications of rapid technological advancements. Yet, the field faces growing pressures and complex threats, including economic and political interference, rapidly changing media ecosystems, and public or political backlash against science and scientists.
This preconference (the 4th ICA Science Communication Preconference) seeks to explore these darker dimensions of science communication and to identify constructive, evidence-informed ways forward. We invite theoretical, empirical, and practice-based contributions that reflect on how the science communication community can respond to these challenges, and whether current efforts are adequate, inclusive, and effective.
Background
Science communication encompasses all forms of communication about scientific knowledge and practice by actors both within and outside the scientific community (Schäfer et al., 2019). As Bucchi and Trench (2021) describe, it involves curating and sustaining “social conversations around science” that engage scientists, journalists, policymakers, businesses, and citizens. Such conversations potentially shape scientific discourse and culture in different directions (Vogt, 2012). In recent years, several trends have intensified the challenges facing science communication, including:
- the rise of digital and hybrid media (Krause et al., 2025; Mede et al., 2025; Righetti et al., 2022; Taddicken & Krämer, 2021);
- evolving societal expectations of science and changes in trust and deference to scientific authority (Cologna et al., 2025; Bucchi & Schäfer, 2025; Department of Science and Innovation, 2025);
- the politicisation of science (Rajan et al., 2025) and the epistemisation of politics (Bogner, 2021);
- the emergence of anti-pluralist and populist movements (Bellolio, 2022; Naseemullah & Chhibber, 2024; Kinzelbach et al., 2025); and
- the rise of mis- and disinformation, as well as fake news (Gondwe et al., 2025; Wasserman and Madrid-Morales, 2019).
Together, these developments fuel hostility toward science, manifesting as political attacks, online harassment, the spread of pseudo-scientific misinformation and conspiracy theories, and the amplification of anti-science narratives by powerful actors such as celebrities and influencers. Scientists and communicators often face these pressures with limited institutional support or protection. The result is an uneven communication landscape that reinforces global and structural inequalities in who can participate in, and benefit from, science communication.
Call for abstracts
Against this background, we invite abstracts that address contemporary challenges in science communication across diverse cultural and national contexts, particularly from the Global South. Submissions may be theoretical, methodological, empirical, or practice-oriented, and should ideally include a solution-focused perspective. Possible topics include (but are not limited to):
- Harassment and intimidation of scientists and science communicators
- Political interference and attacks on scientific institutions
- Threats to academic freedom and freedom to communicate science
- The spread and strategic use of misinformation and disinformation
- Conspiracy narratives about science and scientists
- Regional or disciplinary patterns in backlash against science
- Structural inequalities in responding to backlash
- Undermining of scientific evidence by commercial or influencer-driven actors
- Institutional or policy responses to anti-science movements
The preconference will feature traditional presentation and poster sessions, as well as a participatory panel discussion, which will include invited scholars, practitioners, and attendees.
Submissions should include:
- A cover page with the paper title, author(s) information, 3 – 5 keywords, and a note if it is a student-led paper.
- An extended abstract of 800 –1,000 words (excluding references, tables, and figures), anonymised for peer review.
Please send both files (cover page and anonymised abstract) as separate PDFs to icaprecon@mscl.de.
- Submission deadline: 2 February 2026
- Notification of acceptance: 2 March 2026
Please note: Proposals or abstracts already submitted to the main ICA conference are not eligible for this preconference. Authors may be invited to serve as reviewers.
Preconference organisers:
Jana Laura Egelhofer, Marina Joubert, Bernhard Goodwin, Mehita Iqani, Niels G. Mede, Janine N. Blessing, Alice Fleerackers, John Besley, Friederike Hendriks, Nils Bienzeisler, Andreas Scheu, Maambele Khosa, and Zani de Wit.
You are welcome to send any enquiries about the conference to Zani de Wit at the email address: zanidw@sun.ac.za.
Registration
We are glad to confirm that there will be no registration fee for this preconference. We gratefully acknowledge support from our sponsors:
- NRF South African Research Chair in Science Communication, hosted at the Journalism department at Stellenbosch University
- Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation (CERI), Stellenbosch University
- Munich Science Communication Lab (MSCL); funded by Volkswagenstiftung
References
Bellolio, C. (2022). An inquiry into populism’s relation to science. Politics, 44(3), 486–500. https://doi.org/10.1177/02633957221109541
Bogner, A. (2021). Die Epistemisierung des Politischen. Wie die Macht des Wissens die Demokratie gefährdet. Reclam Verlag.
Bucchi, M., & Schäfer, M. S. (2025). Tensions in the public communication by scientists and scientific institutions: Sources, dimensions, and ways forward. Public Understanding of Science, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1177/09636625251343507
Bucchi, M., & Trench, B. (2021). Rethinking science communication as the social conversation around science. Journal of Science Communication, 20(03), Y01. https://doi.org/10.22323/2.20030401
Cologna, V., Mede, N. G., Berger, S., Besley, J., Brick, C., Joubert, M., Maibach, E. W., Mihelj, S., Oreskes, N., Schäfer, M. S., van der Linden, S., Abdul Aziz, N. I., Abdulsalam, S., Shamsi, N. A., Aczel, B., Adinugroho, I., Alabrese, E., Aldoh, A., Alfano, M., et al. (2025). Trust in scientists and their role in society across 68 countries. Nature Human Behaviour, 9(4), 713–730. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-024-02090-5
Department of Science and Innovation (DSI). The South African Public Relationship with Science 2022 Survey Results. Human Sciences Research Council; 2024. Available at: https://hsrcpress.ac.za/saprs-2022/.
Gondwe, G., Madrid-Morales, D., Tully, M., & Wasserman, H. (2025). Misinformation and Digital Inequalities: Comparing How Different Demographic Groups Get Exposed to and Engage with False Information. Mass Communication and Society, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/15205436.2025.2474139
Kinzelbach, K., Lindberg, S. I., Lott, L., & Panaro, A. (2025). Academic Freedom Index Update 2025 (pp. 1–15). FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg and V-Dem Institute. 10.25593/open-fau-1637
Krause, N.M., Freiling, I. & Scheufele, D.A. (2025). Our changing information ecosystem for science and why it matters for effective science communication, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 122 (27) e2400928121, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2400928121.
Mede, N. G., Cologna, V., Berger, S., C. Besley, J., Brick, C., Joubert, M., et al. A. (2025). Public communication about science in 68 countries: Global evidence on how people encounter and engage with information about science. Science Communication, https://doi.org/10.1177/10755470251376615
Naseemullah, A., & Chhibber, P. (2024). Righteous demagogues: Populist politics in South Asia and beyond. Oxford University Press.
Rajan, S., Gangopadhyay, K., & Ghatak, A. (2025). Politicization and polarization concerning science in Global South: Evidence from news coverage of COVID-19 in India. International Journal of Public Opinion Research, 37(1), edae039. https://doi.org/10.1093/ijpor/edae039
Righetti, S., Flores, N. M., Andrade, F. Q. de, & Morales, A. P. (2022). Science communication for the press: The hybrid model of Agência Bori texts based on five essential questions. Intercom: Revista Brasileira de Ciências Da Comunicação, 45, e2022120. https://doi.org/10.1590/180958442022120en
Schäfer, M. S., Kessler, S. H., & Fähnrich, B. (2019). 4. Analyzing science communication through the lens of communication science: Reviewing the empirical evidence. In A. Leßmöllmann, M. Dascal, & T. Gloning (Eds.), Science Communication (pp. 77–104). De Gruyter. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110255522-004
Taddicken, M., & Krämer, N. (2021). Public online engagement with science information: On the road to a theoretical framework and a future research agenda. Journal of Science Communication, 20(03), A05. https://doi.org/10.22323/2.20030205
Vogt, C. (2012). The spiral of scientific culture and cultural well-being: Brazil and Ibero-America. Public Understanding of Science, 21(1), 4–16. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963662511420410
Wasserman, H., & Madrid-Morales, D. (2019). An Exploratory Study of “Fake News” and Media Trust in Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa. African Journalism Studies, 40(1), 107–123. https://doi.org/10.1080/23743670.2019.1627230
CfP ICA Science Communication Precon 2026 (PDF Version)