Science communication as a wicked problem: Revisiting the paradigms of deficits

This article explores the persistent troubles in the relation of science and its publics through a sociological lens. It conceptualises science communication as a wicked problem, a systemic challenge involving boundary negotiations across differentiated social worlds. We then examine how actors themselves interpret this wicked situation. We find that multiple paradigms of deficits, that is, master discourses of narrating this wickedness as crises, have become prominent. Over time, these crises have centred on issues of knowledge, trust, participation, and, most recently, political action. Yet, earlier crisis discourses do not disappear; instead, they persist alongside their successors. In conclusion, we call for a reflexive approach that critically examines how actors’ categories and discourses shape problem perception and communication strategies. The article advocates for avoiding normative allegiance to single master discourses and emphasises the importance of empirical investigation of the relation of science and its publics across periods, countries, and disciplines.