Trajectories of Scientific Visibility from Mediatisation to Celebrity

Abstract

This study proposes a conceptual model that maps the diverse pathways through which scientists gain visibility in a mediatised society. Based on mediatisation theory and celebrity studies, the model explains how scientists move along visibility trajectories from reluctant participants to intentional communicators and public figures. The model is grounded in previous typologies such as adapters, adopters, and affiliates and extends them through the lens of celebrity culture. Eight scientist types based on their engagement strategies and alignment with media logic and their movement through different visibility trajectories were elaborated. Each typology is discussed through its defining characteristics, motivations, and communicative behaviours. This trajectory-based framework contributes to debates on the role of science and scientists in public life by integrating personal and institutional factors that shape scientists’ responses to the changing, mediatised media environment. The study provides a useful analytical lens for scholars, science communicators, and policy actors to understand and evaluate the mediatised identities of contemporary scientists.