We Have an Ego Problem
A scientist in a lab coat holding a beaker.
Dear science and medicine,
We have an ego problem.
This memo is the very short thesis of what could be a book titled 2026: How the Fuck Did We Get Here? Yes, it is true that we go through an enormous amount of training for our credentials. We see real cases, we do real experiments, we don’t subsist off “vibes”, etc. It is also true that an ever growing proportion of the public feels disenfranchised, ignored, and betrayed by science and medicine. Further, these folks finally feel empowered to speak out about their needs not being met and they have the internet at their fingertips. The meeting of these two in the middle is driving a rupture of the social contract between society and science.
Caveat: I see the needle moving the right direction on both sides of this problem, every day. But we need more than a few—excellent—public health and medical doctor influencers bringing humility to the table to solve this problem.
Ok, so what does this have to do with communications?
People don’t “do their own research” because their needs were met and their problems were solved. People “do their own research” because they felt unsatisfied with an answer…just like scientists! When credentialed scientists and doctors write off the driving force behind the “just asking questions” and aim for the “your google search isn’t research,” we drive a wedge.
This makes the ground ripe for a third party to enter: the Grifters. These folks meet disenfranchised and often very frustrated members of the public where they are with an empathetic ear and a “solution.” And it works. Here is where this all comes together: these Grifters may be wrong, scientifically, but they are not stupid.
Their communication strategies are very sharp. Their messaging is compassionate and punchy. They don’t use highly inflammatory language calling doctors and scientists “dumb.” They use messaging that says “hey, we see you and we think there is more to the story than what you’ve been told.” And that is extraordinarily effective.
STOP writing off the actors behind mis- and disinformation as “stupid” and “dumb.” They are doing a better job than we are in the comms department. We should be taking them extremely seriously right now. One of several reasons I rail against #SciComm is because spewing more facts isn’t what people need right now. People need compassion and understanding. Grifters need accountability.
We must separate the Grifters from the Grifted. The mom who questions whether to vaccinate her children isn’t evil. Hell, if she’s anything like me, she’s probably been told her pain/fatigue/discomfort is just a part of being a person and there is nothing to be done about it. The lawyers who are changing policy around the childhood vaccination schedule, sowing distrust, and setting themselves up for millions in legal profits when these lawsuits are cleared to go through, are a different story.
It is hard to be a scientist or doctor in 2026. It is also hard to be a person in 2026. Set your ego, your frustrations, your annoyance, and your handwaving aside. Meet people where they are. Listen to them. Ask them “what happened that made you turn to [platform]?” Then listen and say “thank you for sharing.” That’s it.
Sincerely,
A Mad Scientist