Communicating risks : towards the threat society

Communicating risks is an increasingly complicated task in contemporary society. Risks travel physically as well as discursively between continents, countries and cultures. Globalization itself has actualized new alleged risks in politics, media and public debates. Globalization and conflicts have become major issues. The growth of xenophobia and populism of various kinds has lead to dramatic changes in geographical and mental maps. In what direction globalization will take us depends on how the media portray the possibilities and problems associated with it. This volume is a contribution to these discussions, particularly with respect to the theme of media representations of identity conflicts connected to imagined dangers and risks in late modernity. It provides analytical tools for improved understanding of the multifaceted ways in which communication about different kinds of threats relates to social and cultural integration and hence has consequences for trust and legitimacy in society. One major focus is on the media’s role and the consequences of mediatized risk constructions as threats. But the authors also study risk rhetoric in various contexts, threat and risk communication within organizational settings, management decisions in media companies when a mega-news item breaks, citizens’ use of and expectations regarding mobile emergency call techniques or how communication systems for incident reports cause internal identity and competence conflicts. The authors are leading researchers in the field of mediated risk communication and rhetoric in the Nordic countries.