The Study Of Environmental Mass Incidents In Social Media On The Perspective Of Risk Communication

In the context of risk society along with the rapid development of social media,the generative and evolutionary mechanism of environmental mass incidents become much more complicated.In recent years,there is a clear shift of the conflict among different bodies in environmental mass incidents,which from focusing on realistic pollution to potential risks.And during the environmental mass incidents,a large-scale collective action in reality coexists with a fierce competition of discourse on Internet.Studies on this type of environmental mass incidents are of great realistic significance.Meanwhile,from the perspectives of public crisis and social protest,previous studies are slightly insufficient in showing interaction among multi-participants and interpreting the mechanism underlying the conflicts,leaving a wide space for subsequent studies.Abandoning traditional perspectives,the study will adopt risk communication as a new perspective to explore environmental mass incidents,focusing on the issue of risk and figuring out how risk transforms into crisis.The overall aim of this study is trying to not only provide a new angle,but also offer more targeted measures for practice.With the theories of risk communication and frame analysis as theoretical basis,the study will cite two cases about anti-“PX” events respectively happening in Ningbo(2012)and Maoming(2014)and find out the frames characteristics of risk discourse of government,media and the public by analyzing their discursive texts of risk in social media.Thus,the conflict talk among government,media and the public can be comprehensively presented.The difference among risk perception of the three which can be regarded as a cognitive factor is a direct cause of the conflict talk.The study also attempts to explore structural factors which influence the formation of risk perception to delve deeply into the causes of environmental mass incidents.Chapter One,as an introduction,tells the background of the study firstly.To demonstrate its theoretical value and practical significance,the study adopts the perspective of risk communication as a new approach to the research on environmental mass incidents.The study then reviews the research history of environmental mass incidents as well as risk communication and makes a conclusion of the findings and limitations to point out the necessity of this study.In this part,the definition and characterization of two concepts “environmental mass incidents” and “risk communication” are fully explained.It also retrospects theoretical origins and development of risk society,risk communication and frame analysis to construct a definite analyzing frame.According to the study subject and content,the introduction also clarifies methodology of this study.Chapter Two is a detailed introduction of “PX” project and anti-“PX” events respectively happening in Ningbo(2012)and Maoming(2014).In order to show the study process,this chapter provides a description of the study design in great detail,including the operationalization of selecting discourse subject and sample texts.Chapter Three makes an overall presentation of the discourse competition about the risk of “PX” among government,media and the public during the anti-“PX” events.It further classifies the types of each body's frames and characteristics of discourse.Basing on the previous analysis of Chapter Three,Chapter Four firstly summarizes the embodiment of the discourse conflict.That is directly caused by the difference of risk perception and there are some structural factors lying behind.The study has reached the following conclusions: The government identifies risk under the progressive thinking that advocates scientific and technical rationality.Therefore,they have faith that all risks can be controlled and choose to linearly propagate the risk of “PX” project to the public,which called “Deficit Model”.Contrary to the government,the public's risk perception is a complicated integration.Besides the real risk of the projects,sense of injustice and lack of trust in the government construct the amplification of risk together.The remarkable difference of risk definition between them leads to a disruption during crisis.What's worse,the media who should have played an important role during risk communication,now fail to act,because of the dual constraints both from inside and outside as well as the impact of new media.Thus,government,the public and media cannot reach a consensus on risk.All this points to the reflection on Chinese risk society.Chapter Five explores two basic logics on risk communication during environmental mass incidents and discusses how to conduct effective risk communication from the position of the government.Inspired by governance theory,the study puts forward some suggestions on constructing an effective mechanism of risk communication,aiming to reconcile the conflict,reach to a consensus,then enhance relationships and promote a comprehensive development.The final chapter sums up the conclusion of the study and points out its shortcomings and possible research direction in future.