Multimodal Sensemaking and Sensegiving Processes of Discursive Threat Appraisal in Environmental Crisis Communication

Abstract

This study investigates how multimodal sensemaking and sensegiving processes of discursive threat appraisal are employed by global movements in their environmental crisis communication when disclosing how corporate commitments are failing to reduce the global plastic pollution. The theoretical framework includes perspectives on global sticky crises, threat appraisal, framing, crisis sensemaking and sensegiving, and multimodal discourse. Empirically, a series of brand audits reports of #breakfreefromplastic global movement are systematically examined. The analytical focus transcends the usual monomodal approach and is directed towards the multimodal interplay that builds strategic discourses through images and texts. Findings details, on the one hand, the multimodal discursive sensemaking processes of content enrichment and appeal bolstering as well as their outcomes related to the building of common sense, new sense, and non-sense; on the other hand, they clarify how prognostic, diagnostic, and motivational framing tasks are accomplished in environmental crisis sensegiving by the global movement. This study provides insights useful to corporations when reevaluating their own crisis sensemaking and sensegiving in corporate communications and, ultimately, contribute to changing risky corporate behaviour toward more effective and ethical environmental crisis prevention and communication.