Communicating Sustainability with Visuals
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Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School 2015 Communicating Sustainability with Visuals: Issue Perception and Issue Engagement Zeynep Melis Altinay Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations Part of the Mass Communication Commons Recommended Citation Altinay, Zeynep Melis, "Communicating Sustainability with Visuals: Issue Perception and Issue Engagement" (2015). LSU Doctoral Dissertations. 3410. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations/3410 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized graduate school editor of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please [email protected]. COMMUNICATING SUSTAINABILITY WITH VISUALS: ISSUE PERCEPTION AND ISSUE ENGAGEMENT A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in The Manship School of Mass Communication by Zeynep M. Altinay B.A., Binghamton University, 2007 M.A., Indiana University, 2010 M.S., Indiana University , 2010 May 2015 ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my PhD advisors, Dr. Amy Reynolds, Dr. Meghan Sanders, and Dr. Margaret Reams for their excellent guidance, care, and patience. I would also like to thank Dr. Andrew Sluyter for his willingness to participate in my final defense committee and for his insightful feedback regarding my research. I will forever be thankful to my longtime advisor Amy Reynolds. She was one of the first people to welcome me to graduate school, and now eight years later, that same person will hood me at LSU’s commencement ceremony. I could not have asked a better person to share this special moment with. She recognizes the potential in each of her students, and has supported me from the very beginning. Her inspiration is contagious. She is and will always be my best role model for a scholar, mentor, and teacher. Critically important to this achievement is the advice, support and tutoring I received from Dr. Meghan Sanders and Dr. Margaret Reams. Dr. Sanders has been tremendously helpful in providing advice throughout my graduate career. I excelled in many areas of methodology thanks to her pushing me to my limits from day one. Over the past four years, I knew she was always watching over my shoulders even when she did not always want me to know that. I traveled to my first international conference in Seattle with her and I am looking forward to traveling to many more together in the future. I would like to thank Dr. Reams for introducing me to great research opportunities at LSU and providing me the resources and guidance to pursue my passion in environmental science and policy. I feel very fortunate to have worked with such an iii incredible scientist and overall great person during my education. I remember walking into her office as a fresh PhD student to inquire about research opportunities and she welcomed me with open arms from which great research and a strong friendship grew. She has been absolutely amazing over the past four years. I would like to acknowledge the financial, academic, and technical support of the Manship School of Mass Communication. I am so proud of representing such a prestigious institution. I am most grateful to Lyn LeJeune and Elizabeth Cadarette who made the Manship School feel like a home away from home. Manship’s state-of-the-art Media Effects Lab was an incredible resource during my time at LSU, and the facility quickly turned experiments into one of my favorite areas of study. I am most thankful to be a member of the Media Effects Research Group. I thank my fellow ‘labmates’ Pratiti Didi, Minjie Li, Kristen Higdon, and Arienne Ferchaud who have been wonderful friends and colleagues. I could always rely on their support and thoughtful insights. I have so many wonderful memories with this amazing group that I will never forget. I would like to thank Sheila Provost, the branch manager of the New Orleans Central City Library. My dissertation’s successful focus group discussions is in large part due to her generous hospitality. Thank you Sheila for helping me recruit participants, letting me use the facilities, and providing coffee for everyone! I will certainly miss my ‘visual communication family’ whose members include Josh Grimm, Alex Cook, Jennifer Macha, Lance Porter, and Michael Wunderlich. They turned iv visual communication from an area of interest to an area of passion for me. They have always been there to provide support and to celebrate my accomplishments. A special thanks goes out to Laura Crosswell, Newly Paul, Kaustav Bose, Britt Christensen, Jason Turcotte, Paige Brown, Chance York, Ellada Gamreklidze, Wayne Dussel, and Emily Pfetzer for their endless friendship and encouragement. My life would have not been the same without them. They always knew how to put a smile on my face and made this an extraordinary experience for me. They have been more than friends to me. I know we will build many more great memories together in the years to come. I will also miss seeing all of the friendly faces of Manship; including Elisabeth Fondren, Young Kim, Myoungi Gi Chon, Mingxiao, Paromitah Saha, and Renee Pierce. I have no doubt that I made the most amazing colleagues during my time at the Manship School. Many thanks to my lifelong teammates Gayathri Balasundar and Juliana Umeki, and Coach Mike Stevens, whose support extended all the way to Louisiana. I am so happy to have them in my life. Special thanks to my doctors, who helped me get back on track when I was going through one of the most difficult times of my life. Their words are still ringing in my ears “You are a trooper.” I would like to thank to my fiancée, Eric Rittmeyer, and his family for their encouragement. Eric was especially instrumental in ensuring my endurance as he remained patient and caring. He wore many hats for me; he was a cook; a coder; a confidante, and most importantly, a loving soul when I needed a friend. v Last but not least, I owe more than thanks to my family members for their support and encouragement throughout my life. Many thanks to my sister, Elif Altinay, and my brother-in-law, Paul Kweton, for opening their home to me and always providing steadfast support when I needed it most. My uncles Mehmet Selman and Tevfik Arguden, my grandparents, my aunt Sibel Hinz and uncle Suha Ozden, who always sent their love across the ocean, will forever be in my heart. I would like to thank Mom, who knew I was going to get a Ph.D. even before I did and Dad for his constant support throughout my life. Mom, thank you for being my best friend, travel partner, and roommate. Dad, you have given me so much, financially and emotionally; and I am so proud of being your girl. This dissertation would not have happened without you two. I would like to thank all the amazing people, including all faculty, staff, family and friends, who provided an amazing support system throughout my education. Without your involvement in my life, I could not have survived this journey. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................... iii ABSTRACT ..................................................................................................................... x CHAPTER ONE – INTRODUCTION AND RATIONALE ................................................. 1 The Need for Visual Imagery in Environmental Communication .................................. 1 Aims of the Research ................................................................................................... 3 Research Themes and Objectives ................................................................................ 5 CHAPTER TWO – PUBLIC PERCEPTIONS OF ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE ............ 7 Environmental Perception ............................................................................................ 7 Visual Environmental Communication .......................................................................... 9 Visual Persuasion ...................................................................................................... 12 Visuals and Risk Perceptions ..................................................................................... 16 Visual Framing ............................................................................................................ 17 Affective Imagery ........................................................................................................ 21 What Makes an Engaging Visual? .............................................................................. 22 Iconic Approach .......................................................................................................... 24 CHAPTER THREE – VISUALIZING THE COASTAL CRISIS: A CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK .............................................................................................................. 26 Visualizing the Future with Consequences ................................................................. 32 Cognitive and Affective Responses ........................................................................... 33 Background: Louisiana’s Environmental Crisis .........................................................