The Flattening Soul-Crushing Effect of Cradling Yourself in a Bubble

I was recently at a conference – the friends-and-family kind. International, sure, but mostly populated by academically 'related' researchers. A chance to get all together, talk about new projects, showcase current research, see if there is a possibility for interesting collaborations. A nice sense of community, lighthearted and caring. 

This conference also had a student track. Master's students – and bachelor's, too – could submit their work and, upon acceptance, they would get a slot to present their work. The thoughtful planning ensured that those presentations wouldn't all be lumped in a single student session but scattered throughout the week in the sessions which best fit thematically. While listening to these student presentations, something really caught my attention: they still had their own style! And it was even more evident because they were breaking up the long series of ‘veteran’ presentations. 

Those student talks had enthusiasm and a genuinely transparent presentation style. My guess is that without a reference for how conference talks are usually done, they had to come up with their own way of talking about their research. They are outsiders, they haven’t been cradling themselves in the same environment for long. The temptation of mimicking to fit in still hasn’t got them. So, they would allow themselves to let this energy and passion seep through and wouldn’t hesitate to express it. They would vocalize why the topic was dear to their hearts and what personally motivated them to approach their research problem.

Call it a breath of fresh air, call it new blood. To me, that was proof of the environment around me being a little stale. Almost as if we gradually get more and more ‘ashamed’ of showing enthusiasm for what we do. We all are in a bubble and the longer we stay in the harder it gets to notice just how much change is needed. Taking chances during a talk seem to require a bigger effort after the more experience we gain. 

At conferences, I often feel like I am witnessing intra-bubble presentations. I mean; researchers of a field talking to their fellow members using a codified speech, efficient, clear, straight to the point. Exactly like the viral video of the two AIs talking to each other on the phone, realizing who they were talking to, and switching communication protocol. So, seeing a similar flattened optimized speech, used by members of academia (humans), seems eerie to me. No deviation from the standard, no personal story behind that. Only the results and structure of a research project – and mind you, sometimes structured quite creatively – presented in a flat standard way. 

Research is inherently a creative endeavor: the way we get to ideas, the way in which we decide which direction we want to pursue. In the same way, also the way we talk about our work can be done with artistry. This creative space needs to be reclaimed. Play with the way we communicate and exchange ideas. Even if we need to ‘publish publish publish’ (check out Publish and try not to perish in the process), we can still set our research on a path that is dear to our hearts, and be the fresh air that our bubble needs. 

We are people of science, true, but there is no need for us to mimic machines and talk like the two AIs from the video above. Let's fuel excitement, let's excite our colleagues, it's a process that can quickly snowball and spread if done with a smile. So, if bursting the bubble is not feasible, let’s start by giving it a shake. More openness, no need of mimicking to fit in, and –if it helps us be less flat – daring showing an intimate point of view. I personally believe the academic world and its publications would certainly gain a lot from it.

Next time I need to prepare a talk, I will try to keep in mind that it is possible to go my own way. Let's see if I'll manage to remember that the world is bigger than my bubble.