Introduction to ‘Future-proofing communication at the academy-societal interface: learning from research that examines societal interfaces’

The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on academia has been profound and universities and researchers have responded the best way we can to maintain our teaching and research during this difficult time. Travel and social distancing restrictions have hindered how we communicate and disseminate our research with other, especially in the global context. In July 2020, the Australian and New Zealand Communication Association had to postpone the annual conference.

This special section is based on the papers presented at the 70^th Annual International Communication Association (ICA) Conference (21–25 May 2020) in an ANZCA panel titled ‘Future-proofing communication at the academy-societal interface: Learning from research that examines societal interfaces’. The ICA conference was originally scheduled to be held in Gold Coast, Australia. However, due to COVID-19, the conference was converted to a virtual conference. In line with these changes, the panel presentation and discussion were held online during the conference period. The presentations were videotaped and uploaded online for conference attendees. The lead presenters were all long standing ANZCA members but at the time of presentation they were located all around the world; Singapore, Australia and New Zealand.

The panel proposal predated the COVID-19 pandemic but the panel discussion was held during the height of lockdown in May 2020 and through a virtual platform. Indeed the topic that was discussed became even more relevant to not only the experiences of Australian and New Zealand scholars but to the global audiences who attended the conference from more than 80 countries.

The panel discussion was led by some significant questions in our field: What can we learn by examining other enduring social interfaces, both past and present, across which knowledge is exchanged? What principles and practices embedded in these interfaces ensure that the knowledge exchanged continues to be valued and relevant in the face of unprecedented knowledge accessibility? How can researchers apply these principles and practices in the name of open science?

Open Science seeks to advance scholarship by instituting transparent and collaborative practices that achieve effective knowledge sharing and create public goods in a world in which digital platforms and devices ensure unlimited access to knowledge of varying quality and currency and algorithms are defining what knowledge is relevant. The panel explored what principles and practices might constitute researchers’ strategic communication at the critical interface between the academy and society.

Accessibility is a double-edged sword, empowering the individual and democratised knowledge while making precarious the academy’s position in society. This panel explores ways to future-proof the academy-societal interface by examining enduring social interfaces, to establish which principles and practices might nurture open and meaningful science exchange.

The special section in this issue is particularly meaningful this year, as we celebrate ANZCA’s 40^th anniversary. Australian Communication Association (ACA) was established in 1980 at the ACA Founding Conference, in Adelaide, South Australia. In 1994 the Australian Communication Association became Australian and New Zealand Communication Association. The year 2020 marked its 40^th anniversary. The panel presentations at ICA were further developed into full papers for this special section.

In their paper, ‘The power of the individual voice: Interrogating continuity at a time when the open communication of research is disrupted by unruly speakers and publics’, Lelia Green and Viet Tho Le explore how communication scholars can work with non-academic publics in hyperconnected societies where there are new opportunities for the role of the individual voice. The sheer volume of available information, ironically, pushes publics to rely on thought leaders. This paper critiques the role of thought leaders and emphasises how the individual voice makes an important contribution in an era of open communication.

Gerard Goggin explores the interface between digital humanities and open communication research policies by examining the success of two recent policy moments in Australia, in his paper ‘The importance of humanities interfaces for research and its social futures’. The inaugural Engagement and Impact (E & I) Assessment undertaken by the Australian Research Council (ARC) is introduced and emphasises the value in the social function of contemporary humanities research. The second case is around the e-research infrastructure in humanities and social sciences research.

Colleen Mills and Claire Burlat interrogate the findings of their studies of the interface between consumers and energy retailers to see what happens when the communication of science is dislocated from the scholars who produce it. Their paper ‘An “ideological fantasy”: How market discourses confuse, obscure and deflect consumers’ attention away from the science of energy conservation’ explores how scientific evidence is not directly translated into action, focusing on sustainable energy use. They examine the interface between energy retailer and domestic energy consumer and analyse the consumers’ accounts of their communication with their energy retailers. Their paper shows an ‘ideological fantasy’ of consumer empowerment hinders the ability of the dialogue between these parties to foster more sustainable energy practices.

Finally, Kay Weaver provides a critique and synthesis of how these insights from the interfaces between digital humanities and policy, popular movements and science and retailers and their consumers suggest principles and practices that foster open science yet also protect the integrity and longevity of the academy-societal interface.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Sora Park

Sora Park is a Professor of Communication and Associate Dean of Research at the Faculty of Arts and Design, University of Canberra. She is the President of ANZCA and facilitated the panel discussion that is the base of this special section. She is the project leader of theDigital News Report Australia, and author of Digital Capital (2017, Palgrave). She has published widely on the impact of digital technology on audiences, with a special focus on digital and social exclusion and the distribution of opportunities and privileges in society. She has extensive international experience in policy research and consultancy.