The Post Detection Protocol

The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) has been growing in confidence and repute lately thanks to astronomer's detections of habitable worlds and the private funding been poured into the enterprise. With renewed efforts afoot, it's worth pausing for a moment and asking - well what do we do if we succeed? How should the scientists communicate their results? How will the public react? Social media in particular disrupts the conventional pattern of scientific announcements and poses some interesting challenges for SETI. In this video we perhaps end up asking more questions than answers, but let's get into a discussion in the comments about how best to proceed!

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[Norman]

A verified alien signal would in my opinion be the most momentous event in human history. I personally would be overjoyed. Depending on its nature (content, complexity, character, etc) it would probably occupy my thoughts for the rest of my life.

[tomryner]

I would be intrigued, nothing more.
On the other hand, If a huge mothership presented itself at a distance from the moon :then I would wet myself.

[Namkify]

We expect aliens to repeat their signals they send outwards, even though we don't do it either.

[adamrebika]

I guess if they announced they found an intelligent alien transmition tomorrow I'd share the article on facebook where I'd get maybe 3 likes and 2 comments and... Well that's it!

[michalkowalczyk]

So the question is... what did you detect that you're asking us for advice on communicating that finding ? :)

[jartsan]

It would not change my daily routines other than not being able to sleep that night. But i would have such a wide smile on my face it would barely fit my head.

[THX..]

I think the wisest course of action is to be completely open. Make all research all data publicly accessible in as close to real time as is practicable. It's not the job of scientist to manage the public's reaction. Attempting to do so would effectively make you politicians. Which brings us to the second reason you should be completely open. Politicians. It will be the natural response of government to attempt to control the news of it's discovery. If the information is in the public it takes away suppression as an option...If Governments could keep the Manhattan Project secret with it's 125, 000+ participants spread across 3 countries. They can hush up some messages from little green men too.

[moose]

The internet would meme on the aliens until they broke contact and never communicate with us again.

[Triliton]

I would be glad if we confirmed an alien signal. We would know that we arent alone and that would change alot of peoples perspectives.

[PeterJackTheWhipMan]

Thank you so much for opening up this discussion to the world at large. Meaningful dialogue is more about where those who engage in discussions have an open mind about the subject. Ergo, in the way we communicate will lead to the way we perceive. If all is open then there is no hidden detail. Keep discussing all aspects of contact or communications leading to no conclusions, it is

[digitalghosts]

If an extraterrestial signal was detected, I'd be extremely scared and excited.

[phoule]

I hope most people would meet any announcement of definite alien contact, or signal, with due excitement as it would be the most important discovery in history, but stopping short at losing their minds like in the Orson Wells example.

[LovelyNucleus]

I would be skeptical at first but once we verified it is/was 100% a extraterrestrial signal I would feel both excitement and fear. I have loved this hobby long enough to know both the good and bad of finding aliens. There would be many mixed feelings and there will no shortage of intreigument.

[MagnusQuake]

I would cry for sure. There's so much to unpack, like the longest running mystery has finally been resolved. Can't help but shed a tear on humanity's behalf!

[theoneway]

I would be incredibly excited! Just knowing that we have an answer to the world's biggest question would be very fulfilling. I would truly hope that our scientists would share the information amongst each other and with the world while leaving the government AND the military out of it until it was public knowledge, so that it could be truly investigated and analyzed by the whole scientific community and the interested public before it was locked away in some "black" program or "classified" by whoever deems these things necessary.

[IBeScrappyDoo]

As for me, it would bring the common questions, ascertaining whether or not they are hostile or not. where they are
in the cosmos. I would want to be prepared rather than caught off guard. But at the same time, it answers the famous
question. We Are Not Alone!

[QwakSan]

I think it would be a lot of fun trying to convert the transmission into something humans can understand.
Getting some images would be awesome.
It's a pity we couldn't have a conversation with them... Even from Alpha Centauri would take 8 years to get a reply 😕

[justinrouton]

It's amazing to have content that is so consistent I can be confident in smashing that like button previous to watching!👍👍👍

[DeclanMBrennan]

When the "War of the Worlds" was staged by Radio Quito in Ecuador, it caused wide spread panic with army and police heading towards the apparent landing site. Once the crowd realized it was just a drama, they were so enraged that they stormed the radio station and set fire to it killing 6 people. I have a book on my shelf called "The Wisdom of Crowds" but it ain't always so.

[DaneliusUK]

I saw a red orb materialise through the fabric of spacetime and was suspended in mid-air. It then disappeared through the follicle on my chin. That has been my most profound encounter. I'd be interested in any social media but would have to come from a respectable public figure.