Personoscience

A critical term for the individualization and personalization of science—the phenomenon where science becomes a matter of personal identity, consumer choice, and brand affiliation rather than a collective, self-correcting enterprise. Personoscience is the science of the influencer, the guru, the YouTuber, the "skeptic" celebrity. It is science as performance, where credibility comes not from training or evidence, but from charisma, aesthetics, and the ability to engage. It is science as a product, where you can choose the version that fits your identity, just as you would choose a playlist. Personoscience is the fragmentation of epistemic authority, where everyone is their own scientist, and truth is a matter of taste. It is the scientific face of neoliberal individualism, where knowledge is privatized and reason is personalized.

Example: "When a YouTuber with no scientific training debunks 'pseudoscience' to millions of followers, building a personal brand on 'rationality,' that's personoscience: science as performance, identity, and consumer product."

Personoscience by Abzugal Nammugal Enkigal July 12, 2026