Science in Pop Culture

Science is represented in pop culture and media with a high amount of variety, but at the same time can be incredibly monolithic. This post is going to explore what science in pop culture looks like, and how it can change.

When we see science in pop culture, it often falls into a few categories of portrayal.

First, only the most “common” sciences are regularly seen - biology, chemistry, maybe physics - how often do you see a hydrogeologist in a TV show? If it doesn’t fall into one of these categories of “common” science, it falls into “cool” science - paleontology, marine biology, hacking - fields that are for sure incredibly interesting, but also oversaturated. In essence, science in pop culture is generally limited to the incredibly broad and the incredibly niche, leaving out so many amazing fields where great work is done.

Second, science is a male dominated field. This is unfortunate, and is made even more so by the fact that popular culture and media perpetuate this issue. So many science shows, so many celebrity scientists, are men. Try to think of 5 of scientists either in media or in pop culture. I bet that, unless you are someone specifically interested in increasing representation in STEM, most or all of your answers were male.

Finally, science is often seen as a field for nerds only, when this simply is not true. Anyone can be a scientist, although academic elitism and weed out culture perpetuates gatekeeping and exclusion. Scientists are more than their work, and while some may fit the typical “nerd” stereotype, the reality is that not everyone does.

Ultimately, science is male dominated and inaccessible for many, but it doesn’t have to be. There is more to science and scientists than meets the eye.

Finally, if you’re looking for some recommendations of science media, check out my post here on science related books, movies, TV shows, and more.