Abstract:

The digital transition represents an epochal shift, extending far beyond mere technological innovation and deeply affecting all dimensions of everyday life from information management and work practices to communication and culture.

In this context, it becomes essential to create channels for dialogue between experts and citizens, not only to raise public awareness on challenges and opportunities, but also to promote widespread digital literacy.

This contribution will be presented virtually; it shows the results from an informal education experience held on September 26, 2025, at the European Researchers’ Night (ERN), in Rome, Italy, within the framework of the NET scieNcETogether project (co-funded by the European Union under Horizon Europe, MSCA-2023-CITIZENS-01-01). The ERN, a successful initiative of the European Commission to heighten public interest and appreciation of European research, provides a space for dialogue, knowledge exchange, and public engagement. We were invited to take part in a “speed date with science”: a quick, structured event where participants rotate through short conversations on a predefined scientific theme. The speed date characteristics: quickness, participants with unknown educational and social background, limited possibility of support materials (no posters, no slides) and a general contest where hands-on experiments were the major attraction for the public represented quite a challenge, to respond to a specific tool was created. The distinctive feature of this experience was, in fact, the deliberate use of flashcards, an analog and traditional learning tool, to explore the digital world. Typically used for learning and memorization, flashcards were reinterpreted as a device for breaking complex topics into small, digestible talk, as well as engaging conversation triggers.

Participants were asked to choose one card from a specially designed pack, as if they were involved in some magic trick, and then engaged in a serious conversation started from the card content.

This double paradox, presenting the researcher as an unintimidating “magician” and the use of a tangible, “ancient” medium to introduce cutting-edge digital and scientific themes proved highly effective in capturing attention, fostering curiosity, and lowering barriers to participation.

Through this informal learning methodology, citizens and researchers engaged in short, dynamic exchanges that stimulated critical thinking and mutual learning. Researchers had immediate feedback not only on the understanding and interest of some issues, but also on the great appreciation of the ludic experience. To ensure that such valuable insight would not be lost, it was presented in a dedicated technical report, which is a first step in the development of our team’s methodology aimed at contributing to the engagement of civil society in the digital transition.

In an increasingly interconnected and digitalized world, equipping individuals with the tools needed to understand and navigate technological challenges, while also providing essential legal and regulatory references is widely regarded as a crucial achievement. The future of the digital transition does not depend solely on technological evolution, but on our ability to define appropriate boundaries and consciously shape its direction. The immediate challenge is to develop frameworks, tools and channels for a dialogue between the community of experts and researchers and civil society at large.

Keywords:

Digital Transition, Public engagement with science, Informal learning, Technology and society.