Author: Anastasiia E. Perova
Communicology. 2017. Vol.5. No.5
Perova Anastasiia Evgenievna, PhD student at the Department of Sociology, Faculty of International Journalism, Moscow State Institute of International Relations (University) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation; e-mail: aeperova@yandex.ru.
Abstract. The article represent a sociological analysis of the representation in the mass media of manifestations and consequences of the “new” catastrophism, as well as its narratives. Among the examples of this phenomenon one could name global warming, extreme weather events, “dead” land and water, the depletion of planet resources, highly mobile diseases, etc. The term “neocatastrophism” introduced by British sociologist J. Urry, is relatively recent for sociology and not too common. In the recent years, however, a lot of major sociologists have started to reflect upon the issues of the relationship between the society and nature and a drastic change in it.
The article presents an analysis of the role that the mass media play as the sources of information about “new” catastrophes. The latter are not just an attractive image in its epicism and immensity for an average man, and for the media. The mediated disaster narrative sometimes is used for political purposes; it is also socially significant in a way that it instills fear and connects people all over the world with a sense of community and shared tragedy. The three main “vectors” of “new” catastrophes are: climate change, anthropogenic changes of the planet and virus epidemics. Here one can note the existence of conflicting, competing and suppressed narratives. The examples of “new” disasters can reveal that they are also capable of evolving in time and of transformation. In the case of highly mobile diseases, the new pandemics of the 21st century, such as “swine” and “avian” flu, not only the critical approach in the perception of information in the midst of general panic sentiments becomes significant, but also the trust in certain sources. The specifics of risk communication play a particular role, that is the episodically city and short-term monitoring of a catastrophe, the absence of a clearly expressed analysis, and information bias – alongside a very high speed of message publication and borrowing materials from social networks. Neocatastrophe narratives are embedded into the global apocalyptic meta-narrative, with continuity as its feature.
Keywords: neocatastrophism, mass media, risk society, mediated disaster narrative, risk communications, environmental sociology, sociology of disaster
Text: PDF
For citation: Perova A. E. The Role of Mass Media in the Coverage of “New” Ecological Catastrophes: narratives and risks. Communicology (Russia). Vol. 5. No. 5. P. 48-58
DOI 10.21453 / 2311-3065-2017-5-5-48-58
References
Abeysinghe S., White K. (2011). The avian influenza pandemic: Discourses of risk, contagion and preparation in Australia, Health, Risk & Society. Vol. 13 (4), P. 311–326.
Beck U. (2016). The Metamorphosis of the World: How Climate Change is Transforming Our Concept of the World. Cambridge: Polity Press.
Bergmans A. (2008). Meaningful communication among experts and affected citizens on risk: challenge or impossibility? In: Journal of Risk Research, 11(1–2), P. 175–193.
Brunsma D.L., Overfelt D., Picou J.S., et al. (2010). The sociology of Katrina. Perspectives on a modern catastrophe. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield publishers, Inc.
Button G. (2010). Disaster culture. Knowledge and uncertainty in the wake of human and environmental catastrophe. Walnut Creek, CA: Left Coast Press, Inc.
Covello V., Sandman P., Slovic P. (1991). Guidelines for communicating information about chemical risks effectively and responsibilly. In: Acceptable evidence: science and values in risk management. New York: Oxford University Press.
Driedger S.M., Cooper E., Jardine C., Furgal C., Bartlett J. (2013). Communicating Risk to Aboriginal Peoples: First Nations and Metis Responses to H1N1 Risk Messages, PLoS ONE, 8 (8).
Garvin T. (2001). Analytical paradigms: the epistemological distances between scientists, policy makers, and the public, Risk Analysis, 21 (3), P. 443–455.
Giddens A. (2009). The politics of climate change. Cambridge: Polity Press.
Hannigan J. (2006). Environmental Sociology. 2d ed. Abingdon: Routledge.
Howe P.D., Boudet H., Leiserowitz A., Maibach E.W. (2014). Mapping the shadow of experience of extreme weather events, Climatic Change, 127 (2), P. 381–389.
Hulme M. (2009). Why We Disagree about Climate Change: Understanding Controversy, Inaction and Opportunity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Ivanov, A.V. et al. (2012). Social'nyj risk: mental'nye, cennostnye, kommunikativnye osnovanija [Social risk: mental, value and communicative foundations]. Saratov: Nauka. (In Russ.).
Luhmann N. (1989). Ecological communication. Cambridge: Polity Press.
McComas K., Shanahan J. (1999). Telling stories about global climate change, Communication Research, 26 (1), P. 30–57.
McLuhan, M. (2007). Ponimanie media: vneshnie rasshireniya cheloveka [Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man]. M.: Kuchkovo pole. (In Russ.).
Mol A.P., Spaargaren G., Sonnenfeld, D.A. (2009). Ecological Modernisation: Three Decades of Policy, Practice and Theoretical Reflection. In: The Ecological Modernisation Reader: Environmental reform in theory and practice. London: Routledge.
Moore P. (2016). The truth about ocean 'acidification”. In: The climate surprise: Why CO2 is good for the Earth. Arlington: The CO2 coalition.
Mythen G. (2010). Reframing risk? Citizen journalism and the transformation of news, Journal of Risk Research, 13 (1), P. 45–58.
Olive A. (2016). What Is the Fracking Story in Canada, The Canadian Geographer, 60 (1), P. 32-45. Perrow Ch. (2007). The Next Catastrophe: Reducing Our Vulnerabilities to Natural, Industrial,
and Terrorist Disasters. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Preston, Ch. J. (2015). Framing an ethics of climate management for the Anthropocene, Climatic Change, 130 (3), P. 359–369.
Sassen S. (2014). Expulsions: Brutality and Complexity in the Global Economy. Cambridge: Belknap Press.
Smil V. (2008). Global catastrophes and trends: the next fifty years. Cambridge: The MIT Press. Smillie L., Blissett A. (2010). A model for developing risk communication strategy, Journal of
Risk Research, 13 (1), P. 115–134.
Urry J. (2011). Climate Change and Society. Malden: Polity Press.
World Health Organization. (2005). Avian influenza: assessing the pandemic threat. Geneva: WHO.
Communicology. 2017. Vol.5. No.5
Perova Anastasiia Evgenievna, PhD student at the Department of Sociology, Faculty of International Journalism, Moscow State Institute of International Relations (University) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation; e-mail: aeperova@yandex.ru.
Abstract. The article represent a sociological analysis of the representation in the mass media of manifestations and consequences of the “new” catastrophism, as well as its narratives. Among the examples of this phenomenon one could name global warming, extreme weather events, “dead” land and water, the depletion of planet resources, highly mobile diseases, etc. The term “neocatastrophism” introduced by British sociologist J. Urry, is relatively recent for sociology and not too common. In the recent years, however, a lot of major sociologists have started to reflect upon the issues of the relationship between the society and nature and a drastic change in it.
The article presents an analysis of the role that the mass media play as the sources of information about “new” catastrophes. The latter are not just an attractive image in its epicism and immensity for an average man, and for the media. The mediated disaster narrative sometimes is used for political purposes; it is also socially significant in a way that it instills fear and connects people all over the world with a sense of community and shared tragedy. The three main “vectors” of “new” catastrophes are: climate change, anthropogenic changes of the planet and virus epidemics. Here one can note the existence of conflicting, competing and suppressed narratives. The examples of “new” disasters can reveal that they are also capable of evolving in time and of transformation. In the case of highly mobile diseases, the new pandemics of the 21st century, such as “swine” and “avian” flu, not only the critical approach in the perception of information in the midst of general panic sentiments becomes significant, but also the trust in certain sources. The specifics of risk communication play a particular role, that is the episodically city and short-term monitoring of a catastrophe, the absence of a clearly expressed analysis, and information bias – alongside a very high speed of message publication and borrowing materials from social networks. Neocatastrophe narratives are embedded into the global apocalyptic meta-narrative, with continuity as its feature.
Keywords: neocatastrophism, mass media, risk society, mediated disaster narrative, risk communications, environmental sociology, sociology of disaster
Text: PDF
For citation: Perova A. E. The Role of Mass Media in the Coverage of “New” Ecological Catastrophes: narratives and risks. Communicology (Russia). Vol. 5. No. 5. P. 48-58
DOI 10.21453 / 2311-3065-2017-5-5-48-58
References
Abeysinghe S., White K. (2011). The avian influenza pandemic: Discourses of risk, contagion and preparation in Australia, Health, Risk & Society. Vol. 13 (4), P. 311–326.
Beck U. (2016). The Metamorphosis of the World: How Climate Change is Transforming Our Concept of the World. Cambridge: Polity Press.
Bergmans A. (2008). Meaningful communication among experts and affected citizens on risk: challenge or impossibility? In: Journal of Risk Research, 11(1–2), P. 175–193.
Brunsma D.L., Overfelt D., Picou J.S., et al. (2010). The sociology of Katrina. Perspectives on a modern catastrophe. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield publishers, Inc.
Button G. (2010). Disaster culture. Knowledge and uncertainty in the wake of human and environmental catastrophe. Walnut Creek, CA: Left Coast Press, Inc.
Covello V., Sandman P., Slovic P. (1991). Guidelines for communicating information about chemical risks effectively and responsibilly. In: Acceptable evidence: science and values in risk management. New York: Oxford University Press.
Driedger S.M., Cooper E., Jardine C., Furgal C., Bartlett J. (2013). Communicating Risk to Aboriginal Peoples: First Nations and Metis Responses to H1N1 Risk Messages, PLoS ONE, 8 (8).
Garvin T. (2001). Analytical paradigms: the epistemological distances between scientists, policy makers, and the public, Risk Analysis, 21 (3), P. 443–455.
Giddens A. (2009). The politics of climate change. Cambridge: Polity Press.
Hannigan J. (2006). Environmental Sociology. 2d ed. Abingdon: Routledge.
Howe P.D., Boudet H., Leiserowitz A., Maibach E.W. (2014). Mapping the shadow of experience of extreme weather events, Climatic Change, 127 (2), P. 381–389.
Hulme M. (2009). Why We Disagree about Climate Change: Understanding Controversy, Inaction and Opportunity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Ivanov, A.V. et al. (2012). Social'nyj risk: mental'nye, cennostnye, kommunikativnye osnovanija [Social risk: mental, value and communicative foundations]. Saratov: Nauka. (In Russ.).
Luhmann N. (1989). Ecological communication. Cambridge: Polity Press.
McComas K., Shanahan J. (1999). Telling stories about global climate change, Communication Research, 26 (1), P. 30–57.
McLuhan, M. (2007). Ponimanie media: vneshnie rasshireniya cheloveka [Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man]. M.: Kuchkovo pole. (In Russ.).
Mol A.P., Spaargaren G., Sonnenfeld, D.A. (2009). Ecological Modernisation: Three Decades of Policy, Practice and Theoretical Reflection. In: The Ecological Modernisation Reader: Environmental reform in theory and practice. London: Routledge.
Moore P. (2016). The truth about ocean 'acidification”. In: The climate surprise: Why CO2 is good for the Earth. Arlington: The CO2 coalition.
Mythen G. (2010). Reframing risk? Citizen journalism and the transformation of news, Journal of Risk Research, 13 (1), P. 45–58.
Olive A. (2016). What Is the Fracking Story in Canada, The Canadian Geographer, 60 (1), P. 32-45. Perrow Ch. (2007). The Next Catastrophe: Reducing Our Vulnerabilities to Natural, Industrial,
and Terrorist Disasters. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Preston, Ch. J. (2015). Framing an ethics of climate management for the Anthropocene, Climatic Change, 130 (3), P. 359–369.
Sassen S. (2014). Expulsions: Brutality and Complexity in the Global Economy. Cambridge: Belknap Press.
Smil V. (2008). Global catastrophes and trends: the next fifty years. Cambridge: The MIT Press. Smillie L., Blissett A. (2010). A model for developing risk communication strategy, Journal of
Risk Research, 13 (1), P. 115–134.
Urry J. (2011). Climate Change and Society. Malden: Polity Press.
World Health Organization. (2005). Avian influenza: assessing the pandemic threat. Geneva: WHO.
