CSSC Brief · Aug 2022
Do scientists’ jokes on social media backfire?
Based on No Laughing Matter: Exploring the Effects of Scientists’ Humor Use on Twitter and the Moderating Role of Superiority, published in Science Communication.
The short version
When a scientist joked about COVID-19 vaccines, people were less willing to engage and more skeptical of the vaccines. Humor that defies what people expect from scientists can backfire.
What we did
We all know social media platforms can be fun and casual places. Memes, jokes, and witty comments are the norm. But what happens when scientists join the conversation, especially when talking about serious topics like vaccines? That’s what we wanted to find out in this study.
In our study, we asked 484 people to read tweets from a scientist (Dr. Finley Jones, a fictional scientist we created for the purpose of this project). These tweets came in three flavors: no humor, pure humor (think light-hearted jokes), and satire (more biting and sarcastic). We wanted to see how these different styles of humor might influence people’s willingness to engage with the tweet and their attitudes towards mRNA Covid-19 vaccines.
What we found
- Both humorous and satirical tweets surprised people, made them less likely to engage, and increased their skepticism about the vaccines.
- People high in a trait we call superiority were less surprised by the humor and more receptive to it.
Why it matters
Scientists are trying to fight misinformation and share important research, and social media is a powerful tool for reaching a wide audience. But our study shows that they need to be careful with humor. While it can make their messages more engaging, it can also turn people off if it doesn’t match their expectations.
Cite the paper
Zhang, A. L., & Lu, H. (2022). No laughing matter: Exploring the effects of scientists’ humor use on Twitter and the moderating role of superiority. Science Communication, 44(4), 418–445. https://doi.org/10.1177/10755470221114352