Ola Thufvesson
Senior lecturer
The narrative rhythm of terror: : A study of the Stockholm terrorist attack and the 'Last Night in Sweden' event
Author
Summary, in English
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine how the mediatisation of terror attacks affects the brand image of tourism cities.
Design/methodology/approach
Informed by theories of mediatisation and space, the study analyses two different types of terror attacks in Sweden during 2017 as media events. The focus of analysis is on identifying spatial and temporal patterns that underpin the narrative rhythm of the discussions of the events on Twitter and online news platforms.
Findings
The findings demonstrate that the unfolding of the events can be divided into three phases of varying intensity in rhythm and implications for city brand image. The manifestation of an imaginary terror attack in a digital environment had a greater impact on the narratives of the city than an actual one.
Research limitations/implications
Rythmanalysis is introduced as a useful device to examine how urban space is mediatised through social media and online news flows.
Originality/value
The study contributes with novel knowledge on the mediatisation of city space on digital media platforms in a post-truth world. It shows that city administrations need to deal with both real and imaginary terror attacks, especially when there is an already established negative image of the city.
The purpose of this paper is to examine how the mediatisation of terror attacks affects the brand image of tourism cities.
Design/methodology/approach
Informed by theories of mediatisation and space, the study analyses two different types of terror attacks in Sweden during 2017 as media events. The focus of analysis is on identifying spatial and temporal patterns that underpin the narrative rhythm of the discussions of the events on Twitter and online news platforms.
Findings
The findings demonstrate that the unfolding of the events can be divided into three phases of varying intensity in rhythm and implications for city brand image. The manifestation of an imaginary terror attack in a digital environment had a greater impact on the narratives of the city than an actual one.
Research limitations/implications
Rythmanalysis is introduced as a useful device to examine how urban space is mediatised through social media and online news flows.
Originality/value
The study contributes with novel knowledge on the mediatisation of city space on digital media platforms in a post-truth world. It shows that city administrations need to deal with both real and imaginary terror attacks, especially when there is an already established negative image of the city.
Department/s
- Department of Strategic Communication
- Department of Service Studies
Publishing year
2018-12-03
Language
English
Pages
484-494
Publication/Series
International Journal of Tourism Cities
Volume
4
Issue
4
Document type
Journal article
Publisher
Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Topic
- Social Sciences
- Media Studies
- Business Administration
Keywords
- terrorism
- place branding
- narrative
- rhythm
- tourism
Status
Published
Project
- The geography of fear: the tourist destination in the shadow of conceptions of terror
- The Mediatization of terror acts - how a destination is negotiated, managed and framed by different stakeholders
ISBN/ISSN/Other
- ISSN: 2056-5607