The article “Reshaping popular images and public perceptions” from the book “Science in the media. Popular images and public perceptions” by Paul R. Brewer and Barbara L. Ley (2021) illustrates the way scientists are portrayed in popular culture. Even though the image of the typical nerd who is a talented scientist is an oversimplification that is not necessarily true, an average individual cannot imagine a genius mind. They are different from most people, and it is reflected in the strange behavior of the genius emphasized throughout the media (Volti, 2017). I think this point corresponds to the actual situation, and most individuals do not know scientists and do not communicate with them. As a result, their perception of those people who can invent a unique thing is stereotypical and oversimplified, even though their general attitude toward technological progress is positive.
I think there is a significant difference between the attitude of most people to scientific progress in general and scientists in particular. Society perceives modern technologies in a favorable light when they improve the quality of human life. For example, people do not usually think about developing complicated technologies with purely scientific applications, like the Large Hadron Collider. Most individuals do not understand the need for these technologies (Volti, 2017). Therefore, they consider them abstractions they do not see in their daily lives. The technological development of consumer electronics, in turn, has a positive practical application, creating a favorable image of science in the public culture. Currently, the portrayal of scientists in movies is gradually moving away from images of nerds and toward explaining reality. Nevertheless, the idea of the misfit is firmly entrenched in the culture: such people are not talked to or disliked in teen TV shows. However, successful examples such as Peter Parker in Marvel or Professor Farnsworth in Futurama show more and more new sides of academia. These sides both frighten the public and spur interest in science.
Reference
Brewer, P.R., & Ley, B.L. (2021). “Reshaping popular images and public perceptions.” In Science in the media. Popular images and public perceptions. Routledge.
Volti, R. (2017). Society and technological change (8th eds.). Worth Publishers.