SciComm meets Commedy

The project SciCom meets Comedy explored how humor can enhance the communication of complex topics in digital transformation – realized through three comedy videos and an impact study.

Result

Key data

Result

Publication of three comedy videos featuring interviews on DIZH research projects in the field of Digital Transformation
Development of a communication strategy including social media campaign
Representative impact study on the role of humor in science communication (paper accepted)
Presentations at ScienceComm25 (St. Gallen), Forum Wissenschaft im Dialog (Stuttgart), and the Science Communication Research Conference (Munich)
Interdisciplinary collaboration between UZH, ZHAW, and ZHdK; sustainable integration of results into research and teaching

Description

Digital transformation, particularly in connection with artificial intelligence, is a complex and often polarizing topic that poses major challenges for science communication. In the project SciCom meets Comedy, researchers from DIZH-funded projects were interviewed about their topics, and their scientific content was complemented with humorous elements. At the center was comedian Frank Richter, who picked up on the interviews and embedded them into an entertaining video format. The aim was to examine how humor influences the understanding of complex issues, audience interest, and perceptions of science. In addition to three published videos, a communication strategy was developed that combines entertainment with sound information and encourages the public, via social media and the DIZH website, to engage more deeply with science.