Hype in the Communication of Science and Society

Hype in modern science is considered. The sources of it and its impact on knowledge production are examined. By undermining trust, hype can have a negative impact on the social perception of science, on the choice of research priorities, which leads to uneven funding, and on the assessment of risks and benefits of new technologies by nonspecialists. At the same time, hype initiates the inclusion of society in the discussion of alternative visions of innovation development and helps to mobilize the scientific community and the necessary resources to solve promising issues of technoscience. Particular attention is paid to biomedical science, with which there are many expectations both in the field of disease treatment and for improvement of the quality of life and its duration. The author’s approach to this problem, based on the recognition of hype as an integral part of modern science, focuses on ways to prevent the negative effects of hype. Such efforts can be directed both at scientists, especially young ones, in mass media and PR-departments of the academic institutions, and in work with society. The latter implies taking into account the already accumulated experience of the nonspecialists involved in scientific discussions within the framework of various initiatives to popularize science, to overcome the “knowledge deficit” of nonspecialists and the “science and society” dialogue.