Discourses, Modes, Media and Meaning in an Era of Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected all aspects of our everyday lives – from the political to the economic to the social. Using a multimodal discourse analysis approach, this dynamic collection examines various discourses, modes and media in circulation during the early stages of the pandemic, and how these have impacted our daily lives in terms of the various meanings they express. Examples include how national and international news organisations communicate important information about the virus and the crisis, the public’s reactions to such communications, the resultant (counter-)discourses as manifested in social media posts and memes, as well as the impact social distancing policies and mobility restrictions have had on people’s communication and interaction practices. The book offers a synoptic view of how the pandemic was communicated, represented and (re-)contextualised across different spheres, and ultimately hopes to help account for the significant changes we are continuing to witness in our everyday lives as the pandemic unfolds. This volume will appeal primarily to scholars in the field of (multimodal) discourse analysis. It will also be of interest to researchers and graduate students in other fields whose work focuses on the use of multimodal artefacts for communication and meaning making

Discourses, Modes, Media and Meaning in an Era of Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected all aspects of our everyday lives – from the political to the economic to the social. Using a multimodal discourse analysis approach, this dynamic collection examines various discourses, modes and media in circulation during the early stages of the pandemic, and how these have impacted our daily lives in terms of the various meanings they express. Examples include how national and international news organisations communicate important information about the virus and the crisis, the public’s reactions to such communications, the resultant (counter-)discourses as manifested in social media posts and memes, as well as the impact social distancing policies and mobility restrictions have had on people’s communication and interaction practices. The book offers a synoptic view of how the pandemic was communicated, represented and (re-)contextualised across different spheres, and ultimately hopes to help account for the significant changes we are continuing to witness in our everyday lives as the pandemic unfolds. This volume will appeal primarily to scholars in the field of (multimodal) discourse analysis. It will also be of interest to researchers and graduate students in other fields whose work focuses on the use of multimodal artefacts for communication and meaning making

Psychosocial support in emergency situations

In recent decades we have witnessed a growing number of major accidents and emergencies caused by natural hazards (floods, earthquakes, cyclones) and human factors (chemical and nuclear accidents, conflicts, terrorism). In such situations, people’s lives are fundamentally changed and accompanied by various social consequences: loss of loved ones, loss of control over one’s own life, loss of the sense of security, hope and initiative, social infrastructure, access to services and assets. Reactions may be various; shock, tears, anger, rage, a sense of hopelessness and an anxiety are just part of the whole range of unpleasant experiences. However, the intensity of the stress responses differs among individuals, but also communities, and thus the needs for interventions are different. The role of organizations dealing with the protection and rescue is to provide immediate assistance and protection, and also psychosocial assistance and support. The psychosocial support is the process of facilitating the recovery of individuals, family and communities from the effects of hazards and it plays a key role in the interventions at major accidents involving large number of victims. Psychosocial support means that in the approach to a person two dimensions are involved influencing each other mutually: psychological (inner, emotional and meditative processes, feelings and reactions of individual) and social (relationships with other people, family networks, social values and culture of the community). The third dimension involves the first responders. Stress can initiate the development of depression, depressive disorders, anxiety, professional burn-out, depersonalization, distress, emotional exhaustion and related mental health problems, as well as other indicators of psychological distress among members of rescue teams. Bearing in mind the importance of psychosocial programs of the nineties, their implementation is supported in many projects and it is proposed that the psychosocial care becomes an integral part of the emergency response of the public health care system

Ethics, Integrity and Policymaking

This Open Access book provides illustrative case studies that explore various research and innovation topics that raise challenges requiring ethical reflection and careful policymaking responses. The cases highlight diverse ethical challenges and provide lessons for the various options available for policymaking. Cases are drawn from many fields, including artificial intelligence, space science, energy, data protection, professional research practice and pandemic planning. Case studies are particularly helpful with ethical issues to provide crucial context. This book reflects the ambiguity of ethical dilemmas in contemporary policymaking. Analyses reflect current debates where consensus has not yet been achieved. These cases illustrate key points made throughout the PRO-RES EU-funded project from which they arise: that ethical judgement is a fluid enterprise, where values, principles and standards must constantly adjust to new situations, new events and new research developments. This book is an indispensable aid to policymaking that addresses, and/or uses evidence from, novel research developments

Digital accountability for LEAs: balancing technical possibility, legal permissibility and societal acceptability

The expansive proliferation of social media, electronic devices and data processing capabilities has presented Law Enforcement Agencies (LEA) with a dilemma. On the one hand there is a need for/opportunity to expand capability, adapting practices and policies to capitalise on what is now technically possible (not only in the application of data technology but also in the context of what can be achieved within the technical conventions of the law), utilising citizens’ data and actively encouraging their collation and sharing as part of everyday community policing. On the other, the development in data technology has been accompanied by a rapid expansion in public expectation and a need for greater legal regulation, all combining to bring an important extension of police accountability. The focus of the research is thus how can LEAs balance that which is technically possible against what is legally permissible and societally acceptable? Moving from the known to the needed, the published work draws upon and addresses the size and shape of the dilemma, identifying gaps and supplying “evidence-informed management knowledge” (Tranfield et al 2003) at both an individual and organisational level. Providing a themed and coherent new praxis for LEAs the work identifies how LEAs must balance the availability of data with the rapidly increasing public expectations of privacy, security, confidentiality and accountability, collecting and connecting the qualitative knowledge and practice that resides in distributed places and people, in order to establish a previously unrecognised body of work that focuses on both opportunities and obligations, in order to promote an understanding of the ‘law in context’ and ultimately increase police effectiveness. The direction of the work follows a series of influences and confluences, tributaries and deltas of change flowing towards the same unequivocal destination: an original contribution to “knowledge about the traditional elements of the law and also about the quickly changing societal, political, economic and technological … aspects of relevance.” (Langbroek 2017)

Efficacy of Community Education Programmes in Influencing Public Reception and Response Behaviour Factors Related to Tornado Warning Systems

The thesis explores the U.S. early warning system in the context of three separate but interlocking components: emergency management; special needs populations, in this case represented by the Deaf and hard of hearing community; and disaster education. Of importance is the need to bring further understanding to the relevancy of each and how the interrelationship among all three reflects a microcosm illustrative of the larger early warning paradigm and its challenges. Meeting those challenges requires implementation of innovative interventions and evidence-based approaches for adapting to the changing urban and rural demographics, climatological and technological environments. Severe weather and tornado hazard early warning is the embodiment of an integration of multiple systems requiring complex coordination of functions consisting of forecasting, detection, analysis, message development and dissemination, message reception, and action. This culminates in individual decision making for taking self-protection measures. The thesis methodological framework consisted of a mixed method approach. Data collection utilised a survey questionnaire instrument, individual interviews and focus groups. The research questioned if current warning processes within the U.S. tornado early warning system positively integrate with emergency management practices and effectively influence protective actions of the special needs population. Results indicate the emergency management system continues to be institutionally focused and operationally centric. Emergency managers recognise the need to become more of an integrated component between the warning mechanism and the communities they represent. Data indicate the Deaf and hard of hearing population remains underserved and generally ill-prepared for severe weather events. Disaster education programmes addressing their particular needs are scarce and current warning notification processes are often inadequate. Although tornado early warning detection and notification times are increasing, questions remain on how to more effectively encourage individuals to better heed warning messages

The Lived Experience of Virtual Environments: A Phenomenological Study

This is study of the experience of virtual environments (VE) in the context of safety training. Research involves participants from two companies who use VEs for safety training in hazardous work environments. The research approach is phenomenology. The key findings of the study show how the users actively form the VE experience. These insights will be useful for VE research and development

Ethics, Integrity and Policymaking

This Open Access book provides illustrative case studies that explore various research and innovation topics that raise challenges requiring ethical reflection and careful policymaking responses. The cases highlight diverse ethical challenges and provide lessons for the various options available for policymaking. Cases are drawn from many fields, including artificial intelligence, space science, energy, data protection, professional research practice and pandemic planning. Case studies are particularly helpful with ethical issues to provide crucial context. This book reflects the ambiguity of ethical dilemmas in contemporary policymaking. Analyses reflect current debates where consensus has not yet been achieved. These cases illustrate key points made throughout the PRO-RES EU-funded project from which they arise: that ethical judgement is a fluid enterprise, where values, principles and standards must constantly adjust to new situations, new events and new research developments. This book is an indispensable aid to policymaking that addresses, and/or uses evidence from, novel research developments