Disinformation as COVID-19's Twin Pandemic: False Equivalences, Entrenched Epistemologies, and Causes-of-Causes

Toward Next-Generation Phenomics: Precision Medicine, Spaceflight, Astronaut Omics, and Beyond

Large investments over many decades in genomics in diverse fields such as precision medicine, plant biology, and recently, in space life science research and astronaut omics were not accompanied by a commensurate focus on high-throughput and granular characterization of phenotypes, thus resulting in a "phenomics lag" in systems science. There are also limits to what can be achieved through increases in sample sizes in genotype-phenotype association studies without commensurate advances in phenomics. These challenges beg a question. What might next-generation phenomics look like, given that the Internet of Things and artificial intelligence offer prospects and challenges for high-throughput digital phenotyping as a key component of next-generation phenomics? While attempting to answer this question, I also reflect on governance of digital technology and next-generation phenomics. I argue that it is timely to broaden the technical discourses through a lens of political theory. In this context, this analysis briefly engages with the recent book "The Earthly Community: Reflections on the Last Utopia," written by the historian and political theorist Achille Mbembe. The question posed by the book, "Will we be able to invent different modes of measuring that might open up the possibility of a different aesthetics, a different politics of inhabiting the Earth, of repairing and sharing the planet?" is directly relevant to healing of human diseases in ways that are cognizant of the interdependency of human and nonhuman animal health, and critical and historically informed governance of digital technologies that promise to benefit next-generation phenomics.

COVID-19 vaccine communication and advocacy strategy: a social marketing campaign for increasing COVID-19 vaccine uptake in South Korea

Research evidence suggests that communication is a powerful tool for influencing public opinion and attitudes toward various health-related issues, such as vaccine reluctance, provided it is well-designed and thoughtfully conducted. In particular, social marketing techniques that alter the target audience's behaviors for the public good can substantially improve vaccine uptake if adopted as a communication strategy in immunization programs to counter public hesitancy. This study presents evidence from the Korean government's current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination campaign, which successfully applied a social marketing approach. By the end of August 2022, South Korea had achieved high vaccine coverage, with 94.8% of the population (12+) receiving a second dose, 71.3% a third dose, and a fourth dose drive currently underway. There are five crucial factors to consider when preparing official communication for an immunization program: (i) a high degree of proactiveness, (ii) credibility, (iii) fighting misinformation, (iv) emphasizing social norms and prosocial behavior, and (v) coherence. Although using social marketing strategies may not be successful in all circumstances, the lessons learned and current implementation in Korea suggest their efficacy in fostering vaccine acceptance. This study offers valuable insights for government agencies and global public health practitioners to develop effective targeted campaign strategies that enhance the target population's vaccination intention.

A Critique of Vanishing Voice in Noncooperative Spaces: The Perspective of an Aspirant Black Female Intellectual Activist

We adopt and extend the concept of 'noncooperative space' to analyze how (aspirant) black women intellectual activists attempt to sustain their efforts within settings that publicly endorse racial equality, while, in practice, the contexts remain deeply racist. Noncooperative spaces reflect institutional, organizational, and social environments portrayed by powerful white agents as conducive to anti-racism work and promoting racial equality but, indeed, constrain individuals who challenge racism. Our work, which is grounded in intersectionality, draws on an autoethnographic account of racially motivated domestic violence suffered by our lead author. Our analysis suggests that (aspirant) black women intellectual activists must develop courage to sustain their 'voice' within noncooperative spaces. However, the three interlinked dimensions of noncooperative spaces-namely, deceiving design, hegemonic actors' indifference to racism, and (some assimilated gatekeepers') false equivalence-may gradually erode a black female scholar's courage. This forces her 'voice' to vanish temporarily, or even permanently. Courage is thus fragile and depletable. Yet, courage can be regenerated, resulting in regaining voice. Consequently, we propose courageous collective action by white allies and black and brown individuals who voluntarily and officially cooperate within and across various spaces to achieve racial equality.

Women in Systems Science and Gender Parity: Why and How to Democratize the "Technology, Innovation, and Society Nexus"

A career in systems science offers exciting prospects as well as challenges around the world, which are often underexplored or unknown. Gender parity, diversity, inclusion, and equity are essential for knowledge production, systems science research, and innovation to be representative, democratic, and critically informed. By virtue of its focus on systems, omics science is ideally poised to understand and respond to systemic and structural issues that hinder gender parity, equity, and democracy in science and society. In this context, voices from women in systems science in resource-limited countries are often inaudible, a gap that this article aims to bridge. We present here some of the pressing issues and possible ways forward for equitable representation of women in science. We highlight emerging frontiers of systems science such as digital transformation, Industry 4.0, and cyber-physical systems where gender parity and equity are crucial. This article also examines some of the challenges faced by women scientists in Africa. All in all, much work is needed across communities and countries worldwide for diversity and gender equity in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM)-based programs. Adapting a critical lens that examines power asymmetries in STEM in Africa and around the world, and new ways of thinking for bringing women scientists in Africa to leadership positions in traditional STEM fields such as computer science and engineering where large gender equity gaps exist, is a timely and principled necessity in 21st century science and society.

Decolonizing Knowledge Upstream: New Ways to Deconstruct and Fight Disinformation in an Era of COVID-19, Extreme Digital Transformation, and Climate Emergency

Lies and disinformation have always existed throughout human history. However, disinformation has become a "pandemic within a pandemic" with convergence of COVID-19 and digital transformation of health care, climate emergency, and pervasive human-computer interaction in all facets of life. We are living through an era of post-truth. New approaches to fight disinformation are urgently needed and of paramount importance for systems science and planetary health. In this study, we discuss the ways in which extractive and entrenched epistemologies such as technocracy and neoliberalism co-produce disinformation. We draw from the works of David Collingridge in technology entrenchment and the literature on digital health, international affairs, climate emergency, degrowth, and decolonializing methodologies. We expand the vocabulary on and interventions against disinformation, and propose the following: (1) rapid epistemic disobedience as a critical governance tool to resist the cultural hegemony of neoliberalism and its master narrative infinite growth that is damaging the planetary ecosystems, while creating echo chambers overflowing with disinformation, and (2) a two-tiered taxonomy of reflexivity, a state of self-cognizance by knowledge actors, for example, scientists, engineers, and physicians (type 1 reflexivity), as well as by chroniclers of former actors, for example, civil society organizations, journalists, social sciences, and humanities scholars (type 2 reflexivity). This article takes seriously the role of master narratives in quotidian life in production of disinformation and ecological breakdown. The infinite growth narrative does not ask critical questions such as "growth in what, at what costs to society and environment?," and is a dangerous game of brinkmanship that has been testing the planetary ecological boundaries and putting at risk the veracity of knowledge. There is a need for scholars and systems scientists who break ranks with entrenched narratives that pose existential threats to planetary sustainability and are harmful to knowledge veracity. Scholars who resist the obvious recklessness and juggernaut of the pursuit of neoliberal infinite growth would be rooting for living responsibly and in solidarity on a planet with finite resources. The interventions proposed in this study, rapid epistemic disobedience and the expanded reflexivity taxonomy, can advance progressive policies for a good life for all within planetary boundaries, and decolonize knowledge from disinformation in ways that are necessarily upstream, radical, rapid, and emancipatory.