Actor-Network Theory Perspective on the puralistic practical mechanisms and optimization pathways of Science New Year's Eve Speeches

This study takes four Science New Year's Eve speeches delivered in 2026 as its research subject, introducing Actor-Network Theory (ANT) to analyze their translation processes and network configurations. The findings reveal that the four speeches respectively construct four types of heterogeneous networks: “authority-explanatory”, “dialogue-negotiation”, “emotion-mobilization”, and “critique-co-construction”. Together, they form a three-dimensional science communication ecosystem characterized by vertical stratification and horizontal complementarity. Translation is identified as the core operational mechanism, with non-human actors (e.g., live-stream duration, roundtable format, narrative templates, New Year’s Eve as a temporal setting) deeply participating in meaning generation through “frame pre-positioning”. The ANT perspective enables analytical advances from “viewership figures” to “mechanisms of meaning production” and from “knowledge transfer” to “logic of value guidance”. Based on these findings, optimization pathways are proposed from two dimensions—power adjustment and effectiveness enhancement: embedding polyphonic voices within grand narratives, balancing roundtable discursive power, avoiding oversimplification in heroic narratives, and moving beyond elite circles toward normalized community operations. ANT may serve as a “reflexive toolbox” for science communication practitioners, offering insights for building a vibrant public sphere of science and technology.