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Can Hype Be a Force for Good?

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Can Hype Be a Force for Good? Can hype be a force for good? A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy of The Australian National University by Tara Maree Roberson Centre for Public Awareness of Science College of Science August 2019 © Copyright by Tara Roberson 2019 All Rights Reserved Declaration This thesis is original work. None of the work has been previously submitted for the purpose of obtaining a degree or diploma in any university or other tertiary education institution. To the best of my knowledge, this thesis does not contain material previously published by another person, expect where due reference is made in the text. Tara M Roberson 27 August 2019 ii Acknowledgements It takes a village to raise a child and it took a cohort of incredible people to complete this thesis. The completion of this thesis is a reflection on the incredible patience of Professor Joan Leach, who has supported my exploration of science hype since some vague, rudimentary ramblings six years ago. I am profoundly grateful for the contributions of Associate Professor Sujatha Raman, who was thrown into this thesis journey at the last minute but managed to save the day numerous times. My sincere thanks to Dr Merryn McKinnon, Dr Will Grant, and the rest of the CPAS staff and students who made my visits to Canberra revitalizing and enjoyable. I would not be here today without my partner-turned-wife. Elly, you have talked me off the thesis ledge more times than I can count. To my parents, thank you for believing in me and for supplying coffee and baked treats. To my incredible little sister Emma, thank you for undertaking the mammoth job of reading the whole thesis while in draft form. My research would have been impossible without my colleagues at EQUS: Lisa, Angie, Joyce, and Andrew (and Sammy, and Sarah, and many more people). Completing my thesis while working was both more difficult and worthwhile than I imagined at the start. iii Abstract Hype takes the form of visions and stories, articulated through optimistic or pessimistic expectations. Visions of desirable futures to work towards, or undesirable futures to work against, help to motivate support for research and gather necessary resources, including funding and political capital. From research proposal through to commercialisation, science hype occurs at all stages of the research process. It is produced by all manner of science and technology actors as they imagine and invent technoscientific futures. To investigate the role of science hype in this thesis, I construct a conceptual framework that adopts research on sociotechnical imaginaries, anticipatory governance, and notions of convening publics. I use this framework to argue that hype is a communicative device that can spark unexpected engagement with science and technology futures. I test this framework using three cases studies in which hype is used to advance support for science and technology. In these case studies, hype helps shape the future of scientific research and technology development within the contexts of: human exploration of Mars; quantum- enabled technologies; and grand challenge-driven mandates for research. Hype, in a sense, prototypes those futures by establishing the viability and potential of the topic at hand. Within these case studies, hype is adopted to advance rhetoric concerned with competition, global leadership, and societal benefits. The events documented in these case studies affirm the ideal of science and technology ensuring progress and advancement. However, within the last case study, a different narrative emerges. This narrative suggests a new role for hype; one which draws on anticipatory governance. It opens the way for discussion on how hype might be repurposed in aid of science and technology that is created with, rather than for, society. In this scenario, the use of hype invites response, agreeable and otherwise, to potential shared futures. iv Contents Declaration .................................................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgements ...................................................................................................................................... iii Abstract ........................................................................................................................................................ iv Contents ........................................................................................................................................................ v Figures and tables ......................................................................................................................................... vi Chapter one: An introduction to science hype ............................................................................................... 8 Thesis rationale: Situating hype ...................................................................................................................... 11 Conceptual framework .................................................................................................................................... 13 Case study selection ........................................................................................................................................ 15 The research problem ...................................................................................................................................... 17 Evolution of the thesis ..................................................................................................................................... 18 Overview of thesis ........................................................................................................................................... 19 Chapter two: Perspectives on hype .............................................................................................................. 22 A science communication perspective on hype ............................................................................................... 23 Lessons on persuasion from public relations ................................................................................................... 38 A method for understanding hype ................................................................................................................... 46 Conclusion: Hype in public ............................................................................................................................... 51 Chapter three: A giant leap - NASA’s campaign to Mars ............................................................................... 53 Space science communication and advocacy .................................................................................................. 55 Method: The humans to Mars campaign ........................................................................................................ 64 Data analysis: Metaphors for Mars ................................................................................................................. 69 Imagining and fighting for a human presence on Mars .................................................................................. 85 Conclusion: Hyping human space exploration ................................................................................................. 87 Chapter four: Charting the (second) quantum revolution ............................................................................. 89 A quantum technology imaginary ................................................................................................................... 92 Method: Engineering a quantum future .......................................................................................................... 99 Rhetorical analysis: Key themes in quantum strategies ................................................................................ 102 Conclusion: Power in the quantum age ......................................................................................................... 114 Chapter five: Grand Challenges for research .............................................................................................. 116 Looking to science policy: The origin of grand challenges ............................................................................. 119 Method: Grand challenges as technologies of anticipation .......................................................................... 126 Epideixis in grand challenges: Solving the issues that worry us daily ............................................................ 140 Conclusion: An unfulfilled mandate? ............................................................................................................. 150 Chapter six: Conclusion .............................................................................................................................. 153 Overview of chapters ..................................................................................................................................... 155 Can hype be a force for good? ....................................................................................................................... 160 Limitations of the thesis ................................................................................................................................ 167 Concluding remarks: Implications for science communication .....................................................................
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