Popular culture and genetics; friend, foe or something more complex?

Abstract

While many people enjoy popular culture, these transactional experiences may not translate into formal or academic learning about a subject. In education and science communication settings popular culture is often presented as a source of inaccurate information about science. Different publics are often positioned as, at best, undiscriminating consumers and at worst victims of distorted scientific information. We explore how people use their own knowledge and interests to engage with genetics. Here, data from family interviews are used to illustrate how participants draw on popular culture as a resource to engage with and articulate their beliefs about genetics. Using qualitative data from family interviews we describe two perspectives: first, popular culture represents a source of narratives and metaphors used for rhetorical purposes. Second participants used fictional narratives in more depth - as sense-making devices - allowing people to explore the moral and ethical implications of genetics. We argue that by utilising patients’ interests – such as popular culture – we can potentially enrich communication in a genetic counselling context.