| 1. |
- Boholm, Åsa, 1953, et al.
(författare)
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Riskhanteringsbeslut inom transportsektorn: Slutredovisning av forskningsprojektet TRANSAM 2007-2010
- 2011
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Inom transportsystemet fattas dagligen otaliga beslut om att hantera risker som hotar människors liv och hälsa, ekonomiska värden eller miljön. Bland beslutsfattarna återfinns statliga och kommunala myndigheter på olika nivåer, privata företag som trafikoperatörer, bygg‐ och konstruktionsentreprenörer och konsultfirmor. Frågor om risk och säkerhet hanteras ofta av grupper och nätverk bestående av privata och offentliga aktörer som samverkar för att utföra och planera offentliga verksamheter. Riskbeslut i infrastruktur‐ och trafikplanering fattas därför ofta gemensamt av aktörer med olika mål, värderingar och prioriteringar. Skiljaktigheter i uppfattningar och erfarenheter bidrar tillsammans med organisatoriska specialiseringar och myndigheters specialiserade sektoriella ansvarsområden och beslutskompetens till hög komplexitet i beslutsprocessen. Syftet med forskningsprojektet Riskhanteringsbeslut inom transportsektorn (2007‐2010), vid Centrum för forskning om offentlig sektor (CEFOS), Göteborgs universitet, har varit att bidra med ökad kunskap om beslutsfattande som sker i komplexa beslutssituationer i samverkan mellan offentliga och privata aktörer. Projektet har varit ett samhällsvetenskapligt mångdisciplinärt forskningsprojekt baserat på ämnesperspektiv från socialantropologi, statsvetenskap, offentlig förvaltning, företagsekonomi, riskforskning och kulturgeografi. Inom ramen för projektet har faktiska beslutsprocesser studerats i realtid och i de institutionella, sociala och politiska sammanhang de ingår i.
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| 2. |
- Boholm, Max, 1982, et al.
(författare)
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Dis-Ag-reement: the construction and negotiation of risk in the Swedish controversy over antibacterial silver
- 2015
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Ingår i: Journal of Risk Research. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1366-9877 .- 1466-4461. ; 18:1, s. 93-110
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- What constitutes a potentially hazardous object is often debated. This article analyses the polemic construction and negotiation of risk in the Swedish controversy over the use of antibacterial silver in health care and consumer products. This debate engages the media, government agencies, parliament and government, non-governmental organizations and companies. Texts and websites from these actors were studied using content analysis. Antibacterial silver is construed by some actors as a risk object with harmful effects on a series of objects at risk: the environment, public health, organisms and sewage treatment. In contrast, other actors deny that antibacterial silver is a risk object, instead construing it as mitigating risk. In such a schema, antibacterial silver is conceived of as managing the risk objects of bacteria and micro-organisms, in turn managing the risk objects of infection, bad smell and washing, and in turn helping the environment and public health (objects at risk). The structure of the debate suggests two basic modes of risk communication. First, antibacterial silver is construed as a risk object, endangering a variety of objects at risk, such as organisms, public health, the environment and sewage treatment. Second, this association between antibacterial silver and objects at risk is obstructed, by denying that antibacterial silver is a risk object or by associating silver with the benefit of mitigating risk.
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| 3. |
- Boholm, Max, 1982, et al.
(författare)
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Risk Identification: A Corpus‐Assisted Study of Websites of Government Agencies
- 2020
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Ingår i: Risks, Hazards & Crisis in Public Policy. - : Wiley. - 1944-4079. ; 11:3, s. 242-269
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Government agencies have a key role in the regulation, management, and communication of risk. This paper explores how seven Swedish government agencies in the policy fields of (i) chemicals, (ii) civil contingencies, (iii) energy, (iv) environmental protection, (v) food, (vi) housing and buildings, and (vii) traffic identify risks on their websites. The relational theory of risk is used as an analytical tool to unpack risk identification. An analytical distinction is made between “risk objects,” that is, potentially harmful objects, and “objects at risk,” that is values at stake. The articulation of risk objects and objects at risk on government agencies’ websites is explored by using corpus linguistic techniques that reveal lexical and grammatical patterns of the word “risk.” The agencies identify an extensive assembly of risk objects of various kinds. The sets of risks identified are rather idiosyncratic and there is limited overlap between agencies. The identification of objects at risk is less varied and idiosyncratic than the identification of risk objects, were the agencies appear to be more in agreement. The findings are discussed in relation to the scope of risk identification; institutional explanations, and in terms of conditions for inter‐agency collaboration, identified as a key feature of effective risk governance.
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| 4. |
- Boholm, Max, 1982, et al.
(författare)
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The many faces of nano in newspaper reporting
- 2012
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Ingår i: Journal of Nanoparticle Research. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1388-0764 .- 1572-896X. ; 14:2, s. 722-740
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The morpheme nano in languages such as Swedish and English is a constituent of many words. This article linguistically analyses the meaning potential of nano by focusing on word use in a Swedish newspaper corpus comprising 2,564 articles (1.6 million words) covering a 22-year period (1988–2010). Close to 400 word forms having nano as a constituent have been identified and analyzed. The results suggest that nano covers a broad and heterogeneous conceptual field: (i) as a prefix of the SI system; (ii) in relation to the scientific activities of nanoscience and nanotechnology, including their sub-processes and actors; and (iii) in relation to objects. The identified meanings of nano, besides the standard definition (i.e. ‘billionth part’ in relation to SI units), are ‘operating at the nanometre level’ in relation to activities and their actors and ‘nanometre sized’ and ‘nanotechnological’ in relation to objects; in addition, the less precise and non-technical meaning ‘very small’ is identified. We discuss the implications of the findings for a hypothesis about media influence on public understanding of technology, suggesting that repeated findings in Europe and the USA of little self-reported understanding and knowledge of nanotechnology or nanoscience among the public make sense in light of the polysemy of nano reflected in its broad variety of verbal forms and usages.
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| 5. |
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| 6. |
- Arvidsson, Rickard, 1984, et al.
(författare)
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“Just Carbon”: Ideas About Graphene Risks by Graphene Researchers and Innovation Advisors
- 2018
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Ingår i: NanoEthics. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1871-4757 .- 1871-4765. ; 12:3, s. 199-210
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- © 2018, The Author(s). Graphene is a nanomaterial with many promising and innovative applications, yet early studies indicate that graphene may pose risks to humans and the environment. According to ideas of responsible research and innovation, all relevant actors should strive to reduce risks related to technological innovations. Through semi-structured interviews, we investigated the idea of graphene as a risk (or not) held by two types of key actors: graphene researchers and innovation advisors at universities, where the latter are facilitating the movement of graphene from the laboratory to the marketplace. The most common idea found is that graphene is not a risk due to, e.g., low toxicity, low amounts produced/used, and its similarity to harmless materials (being “just carbon”). However, some researchers and advisors also say that graphene is a risk, e.g., under certain conditions or due to a lack of risk-related information. We explain the co-existence of these seemingly contradictory ideas through (1) the semantic ambiguity of the word risk and (2) a risk/no-risk rhetoric, where risks are mentioned rhetorically only to be disregarded as manageable or negligible. We suggest that some of the ideas held by the researchers and innovation advisors constitute a challenge to responsible research and innovation regarding graphene. At the same time, we acknowledge the dilemma that the discourse of responsible innovation creates for the actors: denying graphene risks makes them irresponsible due to a lack of risk awareness, while affirming graphene risks makes them irresponsible due to their everyday engagement in graphene development. We therefore recommend more research into what researchers and innovation advisors should do in practice in order to qualify as responsible.
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| 7. |
- Boholm, Max, 1982, et al.
(författare)
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A Definition Framework for the Terms Nanomaterial and Nanoparticle
- 2016
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Ingår i: NanoEthics. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1871-4757 .- 1871-4765. ; 10:1, s. 25-40
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Scientific writings and policy documents define the terms nanomaterial and nanoparticle in various ways. This variation is considered problematic because the absence of a shared definition is understood as potentially hindering nanomaterial knowledge production and regulation. Another view is that the existence of a shared definition may itself cause problems, as rigid definitions arguably exclude important aspects of the studied phenomena. The aim of this paper is to inform this state of disagreement by providing analytical concepts for a systematic understanding of how, and even whether, nanomaterial and nanoparticle could and should be defined. To do this, we review definitions of nanomaterial and nanoparticle presented in research articles and policy documents. Definitions were identified by first conducting a Scopus search and then tracing cited definitions back to their sources. In total, 36 definitions were identified. Theories of definition from philosophy and linguistics provide analytical guidance for structuring and categorizing the identified definitions, and the main analytical dimensions of the definitions are then identified and discussed. Finally, we propose a framework for understanding the process of defining nanomaterial and nanoparticle. This framework considers both the generality needed for a shared understanding (by suggesting proto-definitions of nanomaterial and nanoparticle) and the level of precision required for different purposes (by allowing for various explications of the proto-definitions).
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| 8. |
- Boholm, Max, 1982, et al.
(författare)
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Controversy over antibacterial silver: implications for environmental and sustainability assessments
- 2014
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Ingår i: Journal of Cleaner Production. - : Elsevier BV. - 0959-6526. ; 68, s. 135-143
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The potential risks and benefits of using silver, especially nanosilver, as an antibacterial agent in consumer and healthcare products are under debate globally. Using content analysis of texts from newspaper and TV, government agencies, municipalities, government and parliament, non-governmental organizations, and companies, we analyze the argumentation in the Swedish public controversy over antibacterial silver and relate the findings to environmental and sustainability assessments.We conclude that silver is regarded as either beneficial or harmful in relation to four main values: the environment, health, sewage treatment, and product effectiveness. Various arguments are used to support positive and negative evaluations of silver, revealing several contradictory reasons for considering silver beneficial or harmful. Current environmental and sustainability assessments (i.e. substance flow analysis, risk analysis, multi-criteria analysis, and lifecycle assessment) cover many of the concerns raised in the public controversy over antibacterial silver and can therefore inform the debate regarding its toxicity, emissions, and environmental impact. However, not all concerns raised in the public controversy are covered by current environmental and sustainability assessments, most notably, concerns over public health and bacterial resistance issues are not paid full attention. For future environmental and sustainability assessments to make an even more significant societal contribution and to inform consumers and decision-makers about concerns articulated in the public debate, a wider range of issues concerning antibacterial silver needs to be considered through a unified framework.
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| 9. |
- Boholm, Max, 1982, et al.
(författare)
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Head movements and prosody in multimodal feedback
- 2011
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Ingår i: NEALT Proceedings Series: 3rd Nordic Symposium on Multimodal Communication, 27-28 May 2011, Helsinki. - 1736-8197 .- 1736-6305. ; 15, s. 25-32
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- The study analyses the relation between words, including their prosodic features, and head movements in communicative feedback, i.e. unobtrusive vocal and gestural expressions which convey information about ability and willingness to continue, perceive, and understand, as well as attitudes and emotions. Examples are words such as m and okay, and head movements such as nods and shakes. Six recorded first acquaintance conversations in Swedish have been analyzed. Initial direction, repetition, start time, and duration of head movements has been identified by frame-byframe video analysis. Start time, duration, F0- contour, and pitch of vocal-verbal feedback were analyzed. Main results of the study are: first, multimodal nods more frequently start before or at the same time as words, than words starting before nods. Second, nods have longer duration when produced with words than without. Third, certain words are typically associated with certain nod types, e.g. okay with up nods, and m with repeated nods. Finally, certain prosodic patterns are more associated with certain nod types, e.g. rising pitch and longer durations with single up nods, and falling or flat pitch with repeated down nods.
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| 10. |
- Boholm, Max, 1982
(författare)
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How do Swedish Government agencies define risk?
- 2019
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Ingår i: Journal of Risk Research. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1366-9877 .- 1466-4461. ; 22:6, s. 717-734
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This study is guided by two research questions: first, how is the word risk defined by Swedish Government agencies and, second, do these agencies use the word risk consistently with how it is defined? These questions are answered by first selecting relevant agencies and then systematically searching for definitions of risk on these agencies’ websites. The study demonstrates that risk is defined in 14 ways, many of which vaguely express the idea that risk is the probability of an unwanted event multiplied by some measure of its consequences. The study also demonstrates that agencies often define risk in ways that are inconsistent with how they use the term (i.e. over and above how it is defined). The findings are discussed in light of normative desiderata for effective risk communication and risk management. The paper concludes with six recommendations for improving definitions of risk used by public agencies.
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| 11. |
- Boholm, Max, 1982
(författare)
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Is IT safe? En studie av den publika diskursen av informationssäkerhet i Sverige: Populärvetenskaplig sammanfattning av ett postdok-projekt
- 2021
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Den offentliga bilden av cybersäkerhetsproblem i exempelvis nyhetsmedia och riksdagen bidrar sannolikt till att forma allmänhetens och beslutfattares uppfattningar och attityder på området. Kunskap om hur cybersäkerhet framställs i tidningar och riksdagsdokument ger därför möjligheter för aktörer, såväl offentliga som privata, att förbättra sina analyser och det stöd och den samordningen av cybersäkerhetsfrågor i samhället de kan erbjuda. För att bättre förstå vilka cybersäkerhetsrisker som uppmärksammas i det svenska samhället så har forskningsprojektet undersökt tidningar och riksdagsdokument. Projektet har fyra huvudresultat. För det första visar projektet på cybersäkerhetsproblematikens spännvidd i det offentliga rummet. Exempelvis framställs ett problem för och från information och informationssystem på makro-, meso- och mikronivå (med hot för och från stater, organisationer och individer). För det andra har projektet visat på stora likheter mellan tidningar och riksdagsdokument. Nästan alla teman för risker finns i både tidningar och riksdagsdokument. I många fall, uppmärksammas problemets delar i samma utsträckning, till exempel, sabotage, spionage, spam, bedrägerier, intrång och överbelastningsattacker. För det tredje har projektet pekat på ett antal skillnader. Exempelvis, politiska storskaliga hot som krig och terrorism är vanligare i riksdagsdokumenten, medan ”hackare” är vanligare i tidningarna. För det fjärde har projektet visat på förändringar över tid. Tidningsmaterialet uppvisar tre trender: en militarisering med ökat fokus på relationen mellan stater, ett ökat fokus på organisationer som hot, och hajper av illasinnade innovationer som till exempel spam, bedrägerier, virus och överbelastningsattacker. I riskdagsdokumenten har intresset för nästan alla teman tilltagit dramatiskt under senare år. Nästan inga teman har minskat med tiden.
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| 12. |
- Boholm, Max, 1982
(författare)
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Komplexa risker i Göta älvdalen: En innehållsanalys av medierapportering, 1994-2007
- 2008
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Ingår i: CEFOS Rapport. - 1653-1264. ; 2008: 1
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Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- I samhället uppfattas, hanteras, diskuteras, beskrivs och avfärdas risker på flera olika nivåer. Politiker, företrädare för myndigheter och näringsliv, experter och privatpersoner observerar och framställer olika fenomen som riskfyllda eller inte. Media är en viktig instans i samhället när det gäller rapportering om risk. Media har två roller när det gäller riskrapportering: dels som arena, media återger uppfattningar och hantering av risker i samhället, dels som aktör, media påtalar eller avfärda risker (jämför Hughes m. fl. 2006). Det finns med andra ord en kreativ sida såväl som en mer transparent sida av medias rapportering. Oavsett vilken roll som är mest framträdande, så sker medias rapportering mot bakgrund av en medielogik som gör att vissa saker har högre nyhetsvärde än andra (Altheide & Snow 1979). Risker kan ses som särskilt lämpliga för att uppfylla kriterier för nyhetsvärde. Vidare har media en inverkan på samhället genom att påverka människors uppfattning och därmed deras beslutsfattande. Denna rapport är en kartläggning av dags- och kvällstidningars medierapportering om risker i Göta älvdalen. Det empiriska materialet är hämtat från tidningar som Göteborgs Posten, Svenska Dagbladet, Borås Tidning vilka är arkiverade och sökbara via Mediearkivet (www.mediearkivet.se). Totalt ingår 166 artiklar från 1994 till maj 2007 i undersökningen. Artiklarna har sökts med sökorden "risk", och närliggande begrepp "säkerhet", "hot" och "fara", tillsammans med "Göta" och "älv". Syftet med rapporten är att beskriva vilka risker som rapporteras i tidningarna och hur dessa risker rapporteras. Vilka hotade värden identifieras? Vilka orsaksfaktorer och samband mellan fenomen beskrivs innebära risker? Vem kommer till tals? Finns det förändringar i rapporteringen över tid? Resultaten presenteras dels genom en kvantitativ översikt, dels genom en mer detaljerad (kvalitativ) beskrivning av riskrapporter i media.
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| 13. |
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| 14. |
- Boholm, Max, 1982, et al.
(författare)
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Political dogwhistles and community divergence in semantic change
- 2023
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Ingår i: Proceedings of the 4th Workshop on Computational Approaches to Historical Language Change. - : Association for Computational Linguistics.
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- We test whether the development of political dogwhistles can be observed using language change measures; specifically, does the development of a “hidden” message in a dogwhistle show up as differences in semantic change between communities over time? We take Swedish-language dogwhistles related to the on-going immigration debate and measure differences over time in their rate of semantic change between two Swedish-language community forums, Flashback and Familjeliv, the former representing an in-group for understanding the “hidden” meaning of the dogwhistles. We find that multiple measures are sensitive enough to detect differences over time, in that the meaning changes in Flashback over the relevant time period but not in Familjeliv. We also examine the sensitivity of multiple modeling approaches to semantic change in the matter of community divergence.
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| 15. |
- Boholm, Max, 1982
(författare)
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Political representations of nano in Swedish government documents
- 2014
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Ingår i: Science and Public Policy. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0302-3427 .- 1471-5430. ; 41:5, s. 575-596
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper addresses the political dimensions of nanotechnology and related nanophenomena, by conducting a systematic and detailed analysis of the linguistic practices in Swedish government documents. A total of 180 documents (1985–2011) referring to nano are analysed with regard to the types of phenomena referred to in terms of nano and what is said about these nanophenomena. More precisely, the lexical and grammatical context of nano in sentences is explored. Based on these linguistic patterns, general themes are identified, for example, knowledge, support, innovation, benefits, competence and competition, application, risk, and regulation. Based on the findings, the conclusion is drawn that government discourse on nano is political in three senses: it is articulated by politicians; it formulates matters of collective concern; and it expresses and promotes specific social interests, rather than others, namely, government support of an allegedly uniform nanofield.
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| 16. |
- Boholm, Max, 1982
(författare)
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Risk and causality in newspaper reporting
- 2009
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Ingår i: Risk Analysis. - : Wiley. - 0272-4332 .- 1539-6924. ; 29:11, s. 1566-1577
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The study addresses the textual representation of risk and causality in news media reporting. The analytical framework combines two theoretical perspectives: media frame analysis and the philosophy of causality. Empirical data derive from selected newspaper articles on risks in the Göta älv river valley in southwest Sweden from 1994 to 2007. News media content was coded and analyzed with respect to causal explanations of risk issues. At the level of individual articles, this study finds that the media provide simple causal explanations of risks such as water pollution, landslides, and flooding. Furthermore, these explanations are constructed, or framed, in various ways, the same risk being attributed to different causes in different articles. However, the study demonstrates that a fairly complex picture of risks in the media emerges when extensive material is analyzed systematically.
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| 17. |
- Boholm, Max, 1982
(författare)
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Risk and Quantification: A Linguistic Study
- 2019
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Ingår i: Risk Analysis. - : Wiley. - 0272-4332 .- 1539-6924. ; 39:6, s. 1243-1261
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In risk analysis and research, the concept of risk is often understood quantitatively. For example, risk is commonly defined as the probability of an unwanted event or as its probability multiplied by its consequences. This article addresses (1) to what extent and (2) how the noun risk is actually used quantitatively. Uses of the noun risk are analyzed in four linguistic corpora, both Swedish and English (mostly American English). In total, over 16,000 uses of the noun risk are studied in 14 random (n=500) or complete samples (where n ranges from 173 to 5,144) of, for example, news and magazine articles, fiction, and websites of government agencies. In contrast to the widespread definition of risk as a quantity, a main finding is that the noun risk is mostly used nonquantitatively. Furthermore, when used quantitatively, the quantification is seldom numerical, instead relying on less precise expressions of quantification, such as high risk and increased risk. The relatively low frequency of quantification in a wide range of language material suggests a quantification bias in many areas of risk theory, that is, overestimation of the importance of quantification in defining the concept of risk. The findings are also discussed in relation to fuzzy-trace theory. Findings of this study confirm, as suggested by fuzzy-trace theory, that vague representations are prominent in quantification of risk. The application of the terminology of fuzzy-trace theory for explaining the patterns of language use are discussed.
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| 18. |
- Boholm, Max, 1982
(författare)
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Risk association: towards a linguistically informed framework for analysing risk in discourse
- 2018
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Ingår i: Journal of Risk Research. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1366-9877 .- 1466-4461. ; 21:4, s. 480-501
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This article addresses a fundamental feature of risk discourse, namely, risk association, defined as the process whereby an agent establishes a connection between something, x, and the notion of risk. In addition, risk association can be defined as the result of such a process, i.e. an established connection between x and risk. A special case of risk association is when x is linked to harmful properties and thus is represented as a risk. Although fundamental to any analysis of socio-cognitive attention to risks, the process of risk association is often taken for granted in risk research. A layered model of risk association is presented taking linguistic practices, i.e. the use of words, as the point of departure. Accordingly, there are both central and more peripheral means of risk association. The central means include the morpheme ‘risk’. More peripheral means of risk association are close synonyms and antonyms of risk (e.g. ‘hazard’, ‘danger’, ‘safety’ and ‘security’) and other related words (e.g. ‘crisis’, ‘protection’ and ‘threat’). For an illustration, the model is applied to an empirical example: the instructions for Swedish government agencies. The example illustrates how the exact vocabulary considered for operationalization in analysis has important consequences for the conclusions that follow with respect to the extent to which government agencies are associated with risk.
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| 19. |
- Boholm, Max, 1982-
(författare)
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Risk, language and discourse
- 2016
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This doctoral thesis analyses the concept of risk and how it functions as an organizing principle of discourse, paying close attention to actual linguistic practice. Article 1 analyses the concepts of risk, safety and security and their relations based on corpus data (the Corpus of Contemporary American English). Lexical, grammatical and semantic contexts of the nouns risk, safety and security, and the adjectives risky, safe and secure are analysed and compared. Similarities and differences are observed, suggesting partial synonymy between safety (safe) and security (secure) and semantic opposition to risk (risky). The findings both support and contrast theoretical assumptions about these concepts in the literature. Article 2 analyses the concepts of risk and danger and their relation based on corpus data (in this case the British National Corpus). Frame semantics is used to explore the assumptions of the sociologist Niklas Luhmann (and others) that the risk concept presupposes decision-making, while the concept of danger does not. Findings partly support and partly contradict this assumption. Article 3 analyses how newspapers represent risk and causality. Two theories are used: media framing and the philosopher John Mackie’s account of causality. A central finding of the study is that risks are “framed” with respect to causality in several ways (e.g. one and the same type of risk can be presented as resulting from various causes). Furthermore, newspaper reporting on risk and causality vary in complexity. In some articles, risks are presented without causal explanations, while in other articles, risks are presented as results from complex causal conditions. Considering newspaper reporting on an aggregated overall level, complex schemas of causal explanations emerge. Article 4 analyses how phenomena referred to by the term nano (e.g. nanotechnology, nanoparticles and nanorobots) are represented as risks in Swedish newspaper reporting. Theoretically, the relational theory of risk and frame semantics are used. Five main groups of nano-risks are identified based on the risk object of the article: (I) nanotechnology; (II) nanotechnology and its artefacts (e.g. nanoparticles and nanomaterials); (III) nanoparticles, without referring to nanotechnology; (IV) non-nanotechnological nanoparticles (e.g. arising from traffic); and (V) nanotechnology and nanorobots. Various patterns are explored within each group, concerning, for example, what is considered to be at stake in relation to these risk objects, and under what conditions. It is concluded that Swedish patterns of newspaper reporting on nano-risks follow international trends, influenced by scientific assessment, as well as science fiction. Article 5 analyses the construction and negotiation of risk in the Swedish controversy over the use of antibacterial silver in health care and consumer products (e.g. sports clothes and equipment). The controversy involves several actors: print and television news media, Government and parliament, governmental agencies, municipalities, non-government organisations, and companies. In the controversy, antibacterial silver is claimed to be a risk object that negatively affects health, the environment, and sewage treatment industry (objects at risk). In contrast, such claims are denied. Antibacterial silver is even associated with the benefit of mitigating risk objects (e.g. bacteria and micro-organisms) that threaten health and the environment (objects at risk). In other words, both sides of the controversy invoke health and the environment as objects at risk. Three strategies organising risk communication are identified: (i) representation of silver as a risk to health and the environment; (ii) denial of such representations; and (iii) benefit association, where silver is construed to mitigate risks to health and the environment.
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| 20. |
- Boholm, Max, 1982
(författare)
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Textual Representation and Intertextuality of Graphene in Swedish Newspapers
- 2020
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Ingår i: Nanoethics. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1871-4757 .- 1871-4765. ; 14, s. 185-204
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Textual representation of graphene in Sweden's most circulated newspapers is analyzed in 229 articles from 2004 to 2018. What is and is not said about graphene is explored through systematically identifying the lexical and grammatical patterns of sentences using the word "graphene." Graphene is said to be a super material with certain properties, to be an object of research, commercialization, and application, and to have societal significance. Given frequent classifications of graphene as a nanomaterial in scientific discourse, there is notably limited reference to graphene as "nano" in the newspapers and only marginal reference to risk. This paper discusses the findings regarding this Swedish newspaper discourse on graphene in relation to its intertextuality, i.e., how texts draw upon and recontextualize other texts: the Swedish newspaper discourse on graphene echoes discourses of promise formulated elsewhere in society; it is not very diversified in terms of themes; it is dominated by positive and neutral representations rather than by risk; and it makes limited reference to the nano-discourse, even though, according to most definitions, graphene is a nanomaterial.
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| 21. |
- Boholm, Max, 1982-, et al.
(författare)
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The Concepts of Risk, Safety, and Security : Applications in Everyday Language
- 2016
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Ingår i: Risk Analysis. - : Wiley-Blackwell. - 0272-4332 .- 1539-6924. ; 36:2, s. 320-338
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The concepts of risk, safety, and security have received substantial academic interest. Several assumptions exist about their nature and relation. Besides academic use, the words risk, safety, and security are frequent in ordinary language, for example, in media reporting. In this article, we analyze the concepts of risk, safety, and security, and their relation, based on empirical observation of their actual everyday use. The "behavioral profiles" of the nouns risk, safety, and security and the adjectives risky, safe, and secure are coded and compared regarding lexical and grammatical contexts. The main findings are: (1) the three nouns risk, safety, and security, and the two adjectives safe and secure, have widespread use in different senses, which will make any attempt to define them in a single unified manner extremely difficult; (2) the relationship between the central risk terms is complex and only partially confirms the distinctions commonly made between the terms in specialized terminology; (3) whereas most attempts to define risk in specialized terminology have taken the term to have a quantitative meaning, nonquantitative meanings dominate in everyday language, and numerical meanings are rare; and (4) the three adjectives safe, secure, and risky are frequently used in comparative form. This speaks against interpretations that would take them as absolute, all-or-nothing concepts.
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| 22. |
- Boholm, Max, 1982
(författare)
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The representation of nano as a risk in Swedish news media coverage
- 2013
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Ingår i: Journal of Risk Research. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1366-9877 .- 1466-4461. ; 16:2, s. 227-244
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Focusing on the role of language in categorization and on the broad conceptual field centred on the morpheme nano, this study addresses the association between phenomena referred to by words having nano as a constituent and risk in Swedish newspaper reporting. The study raises the question of how nanoassociated phenomena (e.g. nanotechnology and nanoparticle) are represented as risks? Articles considered for analysis contain both a word having nano as a constituent and the Swedish words for risk or danger. Articles representing nano-associated phenomena (e.g. nanotechnology and nanoparticle) as risks mainly fall into one of five groups: (I) nanotechnology, without reference to particles, materials or products; (II) nanotechnology, nanoparticles, nanomaterials and/or products containing such particles and materials; (III) nanoparticles in products, but without reference to nanotechnology; (IV) nanotechnology and nanorobots; and (V) non-nanotechnological nanoparticles. For each group, using a theoretical approach addressing the relational nature of risk, the paper analyses representations of objects at risk, bad outcomes, causal conditions, reference to applications and sources cited. Various patterns of these categories emerge for the five groups, indicating a diversified set of associations between nano and risk. In certain respects, the findings support the results of other studies of media reporting on nanotechnology, suggesting certain international patterns of newspaper coverage of nanotechnology drawing on both science and science fiction.
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| 23. |
- Boholm, Max, 1982-
(författare)
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The semantic distinction between ‘risk’ and ‘danger’ : A linguistic analysis
- 2012
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Ingår i: Risk Analysis. - : Wiley-Blackwell. - 0272-4332 .- 1539-6924. ; 32:2, s. 281-293
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The analysis combines frame semantic and corpus linguistic approaches in analyzing the role of agency and decision making in the semantics of the words “risk” and “danger” (both nominal and verbal uses). In frame semantics, the meanings of “risk” and of related words, such as “danger,” are analyzed against the background of a specific cognitive-semantic structure (a frame) comprising frame elements such as Protagonist, Bad Outcome, Decision, Possession, and Source. Empirical data derive from the British National Corpus (100 million words). Results indicate both similarities and differences in use. First, both “risk” and “danger” are commonly used to represent situations having potential negative consequences as the result of agency. Second, “risk” and “danger,” especially their verbal uses (to risk, to endanger), differ in agent-victim structure, i.e., “risk” is used to express that a person affected by an ac- tion is also the agent of the action, while “endanger” is used to express that the one affected is not the agent. Third, “risk,” but not “danger,” tends to be used to represent rational and goal-directed action. The results therefore to some extent confirm the analysis of “risk” and “danger” suggested by German sociologist Niklas Luhmann. As a point of discussion, the present findings arguably have implications for risk communication.
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| 24. |
- Boholm, Max, 1982
(författare)
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The semantic field of risk
- 2017
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Ingår i: Safety Science. - : Elsevier BV. - 0925-7535. ; 92, s. 205-216
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A recurring theoretical focus in risk and safety research is the analysis of certain concepts of special interest (e.g. the concepts of risk, safety, and hazard) and how they are related. Together, related concepts form networks sometimes referred to as ‘semantic fields’. In this paper, the semantic field of risk is identified and analysed. Based on dictionaries, thesauri, and other lexicological resources, 244 words related to the concept of risk are identified. These words are classified into 25 specific categories based on their type of semantic relationship to the risk concept. Based on this semantic field analysis, three implications for risk and safety research are discussed: (i) the merit of an extensive and general overview of a conceptual field (previously subject to only partial and scattered treatment) for future analysis, (ii) methodological consequences for the study of social processes addressing risk and safety issues, and (iii) the opportunity for cross-cultural comparison.
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| 25. |
- Boholm, Max, 1982
(författare)
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The use and meaning of nano in American English: Towards a systematic description
- 2016
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Ingår i: Ampersand: An International Journal of General and Applied Linguistics. - : Elsevier BV. - 2215-0390. ; 3, s. 163-173
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The morpheme nano is today used in various words, such as nanometer, nanoscale, nanotechnology, nanomaterial, nanorobot, iPod nano, and nanotyrannus. This range of uses is partly explained by an interest in nanotechnology manifest in many spheres of society, including science, politics, and popular culture. These varied uses of nano challenge semantic description, as the meaning of nano in use greatly exceeds its precise meaning of “billionth part”, for example, in the modified SI unit nanometer. The aim is to analyze the use and meaning of the morpheme nano based on attested uses from the Corpus of Contemporary American English (COCA). The following six research questions are addressed: In what genres of COCA does nano occur? To what extent is nano a constituent of complex words? What are the most common positions of nano in complex words? In what types of words does nano occur? What do these words mean? How are they related? Contrary to the view that the morpheme nano is being misused (sometimes expressed in the literature), I argue that, while the use of nano is indeed varied, it can be systematically described.
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| 26. |
- Boholm, Max, 1982, et al.
(författare)
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The value of environment in the controversy over antibacterial silver: A Swedish case study
- 2015
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Ingår i: Communication for the Commons: Revisiting Participation and Environment. Proceedings of the 2013 Conference on Communication and Environment, Participation Revisited: Openings and Closures for Deliberations on the Commons, held in Uppsala, Sweden at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, June 6-11, 2013. ; , s. 65-76
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This study analyzes the argumentation used in the Swedish controversy over using silver as an antibacterial agent in consumer and healthcare products. The analysis is based on texts from the news media, government agencies, non-governmental organizations, municipalities, companies, and the Swedish parliament and government. Opponents argue that silver harms the environment, while proponents not only refute this, but even claim it to be beneficial. Refutation of opposing views and invocations of scientific evidence are overall argumentative strategies used by both sides of the controversy. These patterns of the controversy form a complex and multi-faceted context that can be expected to restrict citizen conceptualization, information seeking, participation, and deliberation.
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| 27. |
- Boholm, Max, 1982
(författare)
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Towards a semiotic definition of discourse and a basis for a typology of discourses
- 2016
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Ingår i: Semiotica. - : Walter de Gruyter GmbH. - 0037-1998 .- 1613-3692. ; 208, s. 177-201
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This article engages with the widely used academic concept of discourse. The aim is threefold: first, to provide a comprehensive overview of how the notion of discourse is conceived based on (a) definitions in the academic literature, (b) dictionary definitions, and (c) corpus data; second, to define discourse as a set of related representations; and, third, to suggest a basis for a typology of discourses. Following Peirce, a representation is regarded as a relationship between a signifier, signified element, and interpretant. A basis for a typology is developed by considering various types of representations and ways they are related.
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| 28. |
- Boholm, Max, 1982
(författare)
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Twenty-five years of cyber threats in the news: a study of Swedish newspaper coverage (1995–2019)
- 2021
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Ingår i: Journal of Cybersecurity. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 2057-2085 .- 2057-2093. ; 7:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper explores how cyber threats are represented in Swedish newspapers. The sample comprises 1269 articles from three newspapers (Aftonbladet, Göteborgs-Posten, and Svenska Dagbladet) covering 25 years (1995–2019). The study provides a text-near and detailed analysis of the threats covered. The study analyzes these threats along several dimensions: their modality (e.g. unauthorized access or manipulation); to what extent ambiguous themes (e.g. attack, crime, and warfare) are specified in context; how cyber-threat coverage has changed over time; and the event orientation of the coverage, i.e. whether articles address topical events and, if so, which ones. There are five main findings. First, the Swedish newspaper cybersecurity discourse covers multiple threats; in total, 34 themes (present in at least 4% of articles) have been identified. Second, the representation of cyber threats varies in specificity. While generic themes such as attack and warfare are mostly specified in terms of their modality, they sometimes are not, leaving the representation vague. Third, this study, given its general approach, provides insights into media representations of particular cyber threats. For example, this study finds the meaning of “hacking” in the media to be more diversified and nuanced than previously assumed (e.g. as simply meaning “computer break-in”). Fourth, newspaper coverage of cyber threats has changed over time, in both quantity (i.e. the amount of coverage has increased) and quality, as three general trends have been observed: the state-ification and militarization of threats (i.e. increased attention to, e.g. nations and warfare as threats), the organization-ification of threats (i.e. increased attention to, e.g. government agencies and companies as threats), and the diversification and hyping of threats (i.e. cumulatively more threats are added to the cybersecurity discourse, although attention to particular threats is sometimes restricted in time). Finally, parallel to coverage of particular topical events (e.g. the “I love you” virus), newspaper representations of cyber threats largely exemplify “amplification without the event,” i.e. threats are covered without linking them to topical events, as is otherwise typical of news reports. The findings in relation to previous studies of cybersecurity discourse and the implications for informal learning and threat perception are discussed.
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