A Methodology for Mapping Meanings in Text-Based Sustainability Communication

Abstract

Abstract:In moving society towards more sustainable forms of consumption and production, social learning must play an important role. Making the assumption that it occurs as a consequence of changes in understanding, this article presents a methodology for mapping meanings in sustainability communication texts. The methodology uses techniques from corpus linguistics and framing theory. Two large databases of text were constructed by copying material down from the websites of two different groups of social actors: (i) environmental NGOs and (ii) British green business, and saving it as .txt files. The findings on individual words show that the NGOs and business use them very differently. Focusing on words expressing concern for the natural environment, it is proposed that the two actors also conceptualize their concern differently. Green business's cognitive system of concern has two well-developed frames; good intentions and risk management. However, three frames-concern for the natural environment, perception of the damage, and responsibility, are light on detail. In contrast, within the NGOs' system of concern, the frames of concern for the natural environment, perception of the damage and responsibility, contain words making detailed representations.

Local Knowledge of Pond Fish-Farming Ecosystem Services: Management Implications of Stakeholders’ Perceptions in Three Different Contexts (Brazil, France and Indonesia)

“…Controversies surround the influence of age and gender but it seems that education and information have a consistent positive impact. This includes not only formal education but also tacit knowledge acquired through familiarity and proximity with the environment depending on use [18]. Several authors [32][33][34][35] show that actors' motivations and perceptions towards environmental conservation involve values of surpassing oneself.…”

“…Understanding actor perceptions clarifies if collective conventions to which they refer and facilitates the development and implementation of coordination mechanisms exist. In particular, avoidance behavior with respect to norms and control measures can be reduced [18]. Livet and Thé venot [19] underline the role of collective conventions to make individual actions converged.…”

Conceptualisation of Sustainability

“…Keulartz dealt with metaphors for nature originating from the domains of engineering, cybernetics, art and aesthetics, medicine and health care, and geography (2007, 29ff ). Another related study comes from Brown (2013), who in his analysis of NGOs and Green businesses and the corresponding framing processes finds lexical representations of a system of concern and frames for biodiversity (including 'degradation' , 'resources' , 'habitats' , 'impact' , and more).…”

Corporate identity and its variation over time

“…He notices that issues of profit are strictly connected to the concept of sustainability; he also observes that statements of intentions are more salient than references to concrete actions. Brown (2013) combines corpus analysis (keywords and collocations) and framing theory to identify differences and similarities in the meanings conveyed by NGOs and British 'green' corporations in their websites about environmental protection. He finds that the two groups have distinct cognitive systems of concern for the natural environment; businesses, in particular, rely heavily on meanings related to the frames of good intentions and risk management.…”