Communicating science through entertainment television: How the sitcom The Big Bang Theory influences audience perceptions of science and scientists

Abstract

This study aimed to explore whether entertainment television can increase the public’s engagement with science. The motivation for the study was the 2010 Inspiring Australia report, a national strategic plan to engage the Australian public with science. One of the ‘key principles’ stated in Inspiring Australia was the need to strengthen the media’s role in communicating science, including entertainment television. However, there has been little empirical research into how adults engage with the science content in entertainment television shows to validate (or to refute) the effectiveness of this key principle. In order to investigate whether and how entertainment television has influenced audiences’ perceptions of science and scientists, I chose the American sitcom The Big Bang Theory as a case study since it is scientifically accurate and its main characters are scientists. Data were collected using 18 focus groups with 74 regular viewers of the show.

Overall the program made science seem less dry and more interesting to the participants, and made scientists seem less socially isolated, humanising them. It positioned science and scientists as part of society rather than separate from it. With respect to whether the show influenced people’s information seeking behaviours related to science, and science knowledge, personal experiences had a larger impact than watching The Big Bang Theory. However, the show did stimulate some people to find out more about the science information the show presented, and responses demonstrated that people can learn about aspects of the nature of science from watching entertainment television. Participants felt the scientist characters in The Big Bang Theory both conformed to and contradicted their preconceived images of scientists and their understanding of scientist stereotypes. They were surprised the characters had personal lives and romantic relationships, and as a result, felt scientists were more approachable. Participants indicated their frustration that the female scientist characters were introduced and written as love interests, but appreciated that they were shown as successful scientists too. People had mixed feelings about them being mainly in the biological sciences (rather than being physicists and engineers, like the main male characters), but indicated that on television, good value entertainment was more important than portraying gender balance in science.

Although the participants indicated that the science content in The Big Bang Theory was an important contributor to their enjoyment of and interest in the program, they also asserted that relatability, characters, humour, and geek culture references were equally or sometimes more important. However, people cared strongly about scientific accuracy even if the science was being treated as secondary or used as a backdrop of the show.

In summary, some audiences of The Big Bang Theory engaged actively with its science content and changed their views of scientists. Therefore, it is possible to use entertainment television to reach people who are not actively seeking science-related content, because if it doesn’t just focus on science it makes the show - and therefore the science - more accessible for the public. Show more