SOCIAL AMPLIFICATION

Murdock, G., Petts J. and Horlick-Jones, T. (2003) After amplification rethinking the role of the media in risk communication. In Pidgeon, N., Kasperson, R.E. and Slovic, P. (eds.) The Social Amplification of Risk. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp 156-178. 

Petts, J., Horlick-Jones, T. and Murdock, G. (2001) The social amplification of risk the media and the public. Contract Research Report 329/2001. HSE Books, Sudbury. 

Several theories seek to explain how these factors interrelate and why risks that are sometimes minor in quantitative terms sometimes produce massive socio-political reactions while major risks are sometimes ignored. The social amplification of risk model suggests that public (or stakeholder group) response to risk can be amplified or attenuated depending on how the reporting (i.e., risk communication) of the risk interacts with psychological, social,... 

R. Kasperson, The Social Amplification of Risk Progress in Developing an Integrative Framework, Social Theories... 

Kasperson RK and Slovic P (eds.) (2003) The Social Amplification of Risk. Cambridge, UK Cambridge University Press. 

A significant aspect of the responses to chemical events concerns when and how the event is communicated to local officials and the local public. While much of the focus of post-event response is necessarily on the requirements of the formal regulatory process, interactions with the affected local officials and public have important implications as well. From the perspectives of the public and their officials, chemical events are largely involuntary risks that are potentially catastrophic and of technological origin. These characteristics render chemical events and incidents subject to substantial social amplification in which the characteristics of the events interact with individuals perceptions of the risk associated with them and the pattern of communication with the public and their response to both the event and the communication (Kasperson, 1992 Kasperson et al., 1988). 

Understanding how chemical events might initiate the social amplification process is facilitated by elucidating critical aspects of the trust relationship engendered by activities such as the chemical weapons demilitarization pro-... 

Kasperson, R. 1992. The social amplification of risk Progress in developing an integrated framework. Pp. 153- 178 in Social Theories of Risk. S. Krimsky and D. Golding, eds. Westport, CT Praeger. 

Kasperson, R.E., Pidgeon, N.F. Slovic, P. (2003). The Social amplification of risk. Cambridge Cambridge University Press. 

Social Amplification and Attenuation - Concern can be increased because of media coverage or graphic depiction of events. Or reduced by economic hardship. 

Richard Eiset, professor of psychology at the University of Sheffield, defines social amplification as the many ways in which information about risks is amplified by some social processes and reduced by others. In processes of social amplification, a persons own knowledge is supplemented by other opinions which have been gathered and modulated by mote or less official media. Individuals use such information to determine their own opinions. In... 

Social amplification can lead to decisions that are politically unavoidable and are perhaps socially understandable, but which produce less than optimum results if the problem is regarded as being one of resource allocation. Full paper available at httpiUwww.foren t. gov. uk/Intellig nt Injrastructure Systems/long paper.pdf. 

Although the economic impact for the company affected in this scenario and its suppliers and customers could be enormous, the scenario as defined would not be considered catastrophic to the r onal and national economy because of redundancies in operations at other facilities. Given that the event resulted from terrorism, social amplification could occur with further impact on the national economy. 

Societal Response. Social amplification will depend on the specific circumstances of an event. An event in an urban area may lead to calls for permanent bans on shipping of hazardous materials through urban areas, with subsequent economic impacts. 

Social amplification plays a key role in this scenario. The impact— economic impact, strain on limited medical resources, and possible social disruption— depends, in part, on how the event is portrayed by the media and how well the government responds and communicates with the public. 

Lack of control is the characteristic that makes the misuse scenario possible. As Figure 3-1 indicates, inorganic chemicals, industrial gases, specialty chemicals, consumer products, and petrochemicals or fossil fuels should be of particular concern in this scenario. Because of the ubiquitous nature of consumer products in the U.S. economy, they have significant potential for widespread social amplification. 

Perhaps the greatest vulnerability posed by this scenario is the potential for large social amplification. It appears that the anthrax attacks in 2001 were timed to take advantage of the uncertainty and insecurity felt by the American public after the September 11th attacks a month earlier. A tampering attack may likewise attempt to maximize the publics reaction to a prior event in an effort to create as much disruption as possible. 

The misuse scenario reaches a catastrophic level of impact only through social amplification. Therefore, consequences are best mitigated through effective communication and emergency response. 

Social amplification The many ways in which information about risks is amplified by some social processes and reduced by others. 

Aircraft flight has been transformed from an adventurous activity enjoyed by a select few to a stable mass-market service industry which is largely taken for granted. .. until things go wrong. The industry is then dominated by public perception of risk and the social amplification thereof. Accidents resulting in hull loss often result in fatalities and are almost always treated to extensive coverage in the national, if not world-wide, press. 

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