When fear goes viral: Travel risk perception and viral discourse on Facebook and Twitter after the 2015 Paris attacks
Author
de Jong, Diantha Maria Johanna
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2016
Submitted on
2016-05-31
Abstract
Dette studie undersøger, hvordan den virale samtale på Facebook og Twitter efter terrorangrebene i Paris den 13. november 2015 kan have påvirket nederlandske brugeres opfattelse af rejserisiko, især i forhold til rejser til Paris. Som et casestudie af sociale medier analyserer projektet offentlige, rejserelaterede tweets og Facebook-kommentarer fra perioden efter angrebene med en induktiv, kvalitativ indholdsanalyse, suppleret af en kvantitativ ordklyngeanalyse af den bredere Twitter-diskurs og ustrukturerede interviews. Under en eksplorativ, hermeneutisk tilgang undersøges, hvordan betydning skabes og ændres i hurtigtspredte online-samtaler. Analysen viser, at omtalen af rejser både afspejler og former risikoperception på flere måder: at rationalisere frygt (fx fremhæve lav faktisk risiko, kritisere medier og betone sikkerhed og normalitet) mindskede frygtens gennemslag; modstand mod at lade sig styre af terror fik nogle til at tilsidesætte opfattet risiko; stærke destinationsbilleder og positive rejseerfaringer med Paris efter angrebene styrkede trygheden. Omvendt bidrog opslag om hyppigere og 'nærmere' angreb, social risiko og negative fortællinger om Paris til at forstærke frygt, svække destinationens image og sandsynligvis øge nederlandske brugeres oplevede rejserisiko. Samlet peger resultaterne på, at Facebook og Twitter er centrale arenaer for følelser og meningsdannelse i kriser, hvor viral diskurs både kan modvirke og forstærke terroristernes budskab om frygt og dermed påvirke rejsevalg.
This study examines how viral discourse on Facebook and Twitter following the 13 November 2015 Paris attacks may have influenced Dutch users' perceptions of travel risk, especially regarding trips to Paris. As a social media case study, it analyzes publicly available travel-related tweets and Facebook comments posted after the attacks using inductive qualitative content analysis, complemented by a quantitative word-cluster analysis of the broader Twitter discourse and unstructured interviews. Framed by an exploratory, hermeneutic approach, the study traces how meaning is created and shifts within fast-moving online conversations. The analysis indicates that talk about travel both reflected and shaped risk perception in several ways: rationalizing fear (e.g., emphasizing low actual risk, criticizing media coverage, highlighting safety and normality) reduced fear's impact; deliberate resistance to fear led some to set aside perceived risks; strong destination images and positive post-attack travel experiences supported feelings of safety. Conversely, posts suggesting that attacks were becoming more frequent and closer to home, social risk and peer pressure, and negative stories about Paris circulated through the viral discourse, undermining the destination's image and likely increasing perceived risk among Dutch users. Overall, Facebook and Twitter served as key venues for emotional expression and meaning-making in crisis, with viral discourse both amplifying and counteracting terrorists' messages of fear and thereby influencing travel decisions.
[This summary has been generated with the help of AI directly from the project (PDF)]
Keywords
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