Communicating Climate Change In Internet Discussion Fora: Processes and Implications

Hsu, Po-Han (2014) Communicating Climate Change In Internet Discussion Fora: Processes and Implications. Doctoral thesis, University of East Anglia.

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Abstract

Communicating climate change issues in the Internet era requires new strategies
that incorporate online communication. The rapid growth of new media and
widespread use of the internet has marked everyday lifestyles in modern society.
Information on a wide range of social issues, including climate change, is
disseminated and debated through online discussions in internet fora.
In this research, communication on internet fora and other potential forms of
online social interaction are explored, to identify ways to enhance climate change
communication on the Internet. The thesis raises three research questions to explore
the communication context of internet fora discussion, namely: what are
characteristics of the communication process on internet fora? Who is involved in the
communication process? What influences do these online communication activities
have on users’ everyday activities? The research applies a mixed-methods approach of
analysing the usage of Internet fora and the contents of fora communication activities
to explore these questions. This includes qualitative reviews of topic-thread
discussions to reveal users’ roles in discussions, as well as surveys of fora users. It is
argued that with increasing levels of interaction among communicators (people who
post or reply to articles in order to express or respond ideas) on internet fora, these
communicators are mobilised to join the online discussion process, competing for
opinion leadership. The online discussions further contribute to the formation of
opinions on climate change, as climate change and related issues are discussed The
thesis thereby aims to contribute to the development of effective approaches for
opinion formation and climate change communication online, and to encourage
individuals to discuss changing behaviour patterns and public engagement of
greenhouse gas reduction actions.

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Science > School of Environmental Sciences
Depositing User:	Users 2259 not found.
Date Deposited:	11 Jun 2014 13:47
Last Modified:	11 Jun 2014 13:47
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/48710
DOI:

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