Panorama of technical communication in Munich

Dialogue-based technology communication is the key to technology acceptance

New technologies can only succeed if they are accepted by society – and technology acceptance is not something that can be artificially generated. acatech promotes dialogue-based technology communication that – rather than simply providing information – actively engages with the public and their knowledge, values and interests, thus making them active contributors.

In its format “acatech am Dienstag” (acatech on Tuesday) (in German), the Academy regularly invites participants to discuss topical and controversial subjects related to technology. We give interested members of the public, representatives of politics, research and economy as well as other groups in society and the media the opportunity to engage with our experts.

As part of the recent project “Shaping technological change”, the Academy devised new forms and formats for this dialogue-based communication. The project centred on two controversial topics: “Digital Infrastructure” and “Healthcare Data”.

TechnikRadar (Technology Radar) – What do Germans think about technology?

Are Germans technophobes? What technologies are especially controversial? And are there any patterns in terms of how people’s individual circumstances affect their attitudes to technology?
These questions are addressed by the “TechnikRadar”, a longitudinal study carried out by acatech, Körber-Stiftung and ZIRIUS. This representative survey investigates attitudes towards new technologies and the factors that lead to them being accepted or rejected by the public. It takes the view of society to highlight options for action for shaping technology and potential for successful technical communication.
The survey has to date investigated digitalisation (2018 (in German) and 2019) (in German), bioeconomy (2020) (in German), the future of health (2021, 2021 extra and 2022) (in German) and sustainable construction and housing (2023).

The relationship between science, the public and the media

“The relationship between science, the public and the media” was the title of a joint project carried out by acatech and the other academies of science. In the second phase of this project, the academies explored how social media influence science communication (in German). In a further phase of the project, an interdisciplinary working group from Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities (BBAW) and acatech studied the impact of digitalisation on the quality of science communication (in German). acatech also analyses basic principles and new forms of technical communication in the context of specific topics such as biotechnology.

The Technology and Society Working Group addresses the impact of digital media transformation. A topic conference on “Disinformation – Risk to Democracy and Technological Countermeasures” discussed in-depth how institutions and individuals can differentiate between facts and fake news and which technical tools are available.

Trialling new forms of technical communication

acatech trials, promotes and realises new forms of technical communication in its own events and initiatives:

• In addition to acatech am Dienstag (acatech on Tuesday) (in German), where the Academy invites people to take part in an open discussion in the acatech Forum in Karolinenplatz square in Munich, at its partners’ premises or online, acatech is involved in other activities too.
• In cooperation with Wissenschaft im Dialog, the Academy regularly organises a workshop on technology communication “Lernwerkstatt Technikkommunikation”, where young talents engage with experts in theory and practice in an in-depth exchange of experience, concepts and ideas.
• acatech maintains partnerships with adult education centres, church entities and foundations. The joint aim of acatech and these social organisations is to promote technical communication.
• acatech honours excellence in technology journalism through the PUNKT prize for technology journalism and technology photography.

acatech members, who are part of the working groups “Technology and Society” and “Fundamental Questions in Science and Engineering” initiate and drive the activities in this field. A partner of the Futurium, the Science Media Center and of Wissenschaft im Dialog, acatech is involved in joint science communication initiatives. Two of these are the Science Year initiative and the debate series “Wissenschaft kontrovers”.