The internet is quite a large place, which means that people’s opinions can differ from site to site. Reddit is one of the forums where the largest group of internet users tend to congregate, which makes it a useful place to conduct tests that can reveal the perceptions and views of the average user. A study published by Public Understanding Science analyzed comments on the subreddit r/science, and it revealed some concerning trends.
With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that many Redditors who use this subreddit tend to have a very low opinion of scientists in general. Social sciences such as psychology are particularly heavily criticized, with many going so far as to call them pseudoscience that is less useful than might have been the case otherwise.
The study analyzed over 177,000 comments that were posted over a three year period. One of the biggest criticisms levied against scientists is that they are poor at communicating because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up making it harder for people to understand their findings.
Furthermore, many on Reddit are claiming that science somehow lacks empiricism and is full of bias. One thing to note here is that this criticism often went towards science journalists with all things having been considered and taken into account. There is a clear crisis of trust here, and more work needs to be done in order to help the public better understanding scientific findings and contextualize them.
The public currently lacks the knowledge necessary to understand scientific discoveries. With clickbait titles and other forms of misdirection on the rise, there needs to be a paradigm shift that allows science related news to become easier to digest. Otherwise, this lack of trust will only continue to grow.
Read next: New Intelligence Report Says The Dark Web Keeps Companies Up At Night But They’re Doing Little To Solve The Problem
With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that many Redditors who use this subreddit tend to have a very low opinion of scientists in general. Social sciences such as psychology are particularly heavily criticized, with many going so far as to call them pseudoscience that is less useful than might have been the case otherwise.
The study analyzed over 177,000 comments that were posted over a three year period. One of the biggest criticisms levied against scientists is that they are poor at communicating because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up making it harder for people to understand their findings.
Furthermore, many on Reddit are claiming that science somehow lacks empiricism and is full of bias. One thing to note here is that this criticism often went towards science journalists with all things having been considered and taken into account. There is a clear crisis of trust here, and more work needs to be done in order to help the public better understanding scientific findings and contextualize them.
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The public currently lacks the knowledge necessary to understand scientific discoveries. With clickbait titles and other forms of misdirection on the rise, there needs to be a paradigm shift that allows science related news to become easier to digest. Otherwise, this lack of trust will only continue to grow.
Read next: New Intelligence Report Says The Dark Web Keeps Companies Up At Night But They’re Doing Little To Solve The Problem
