Energy Communication in International Contexts Olga Menagarishvili Appalachian State University menagarishvilio@appstate.edu Clotilde Landais Purdue University clandais@purdue.edu Niall A. Peach Purdue University peach@purdue.edu Angela Armstrong Purdue University armstr50@purdue.edu Abstract - Energy communication is a relatively new subfield that explores energy’s role in society as well as ways of communicating about energy. Because this is such a new subfield, few contexts for energy communication have been studied. The purpose of this paper is to consider energy communication as found in international, digital contexts that have not been examined before, including several genres used in Sweden, Russia, France, the US, and Spain. First, we attempt to determine which aspects of energy’s societal role are discussed on four websites belonging to technical Swedish and Russian universities. Second, we look at cultural strategies of influence in French and US energy ad campaigns. Finally, we examine the website of a Spanish-founded multinational energy company using dromology (the study of speed) as our framework to explore the shift to green energy and the inclusion of the arts in energy communication. Future research includes studies of other genres of energy communication in an even wider variety of contexts. Index Terms - Digital communication, energy communication, international communication. INTRODUCTION Endres et al. define energy communication as “an emerging subfield of communication studies that examines the role of energy in society” [1] and call for more research on energy communication. Similarly, Cozen et al. point out that “a sustainable future depends on how we think about, communicate about, and use energy” [2] and propose new research directions in the field of energy communication. This panel paper’s overall goal is to consider energy communication in several international contexts. More specifically, we will discuss several genres that are used in energy communication in Sweden, Russia, France, the US, and Spain. ENERGY COMMUNICATION ONLINE: DISCUSSING ENERGY ON SWEDISH AND RUSSIAN TECHNICAL UNIVERSITIES’ WEBSITES Cozen et al. place energy communication in the social context: “Considering communication’s role in terms of transitions foregrounds how publics understand energy developments, but also how publics come to see themselves as engaged in energy practices” [2]. They also call for more research in this area by pointing out that “communication scholars can inform a better understanding of energy’s societal role” [2]. The purpose of this study is to explore several aspects of energy’s societal role in Sweden and in Russia by analysing websites of technical Swedish and Russian universities that have divisions (research clusters, centers, departments, or laboratories) conducting energy research. I could not locate any studies that would consider energy communication via university websites. Four websites were chosen for this study: two belonging to the top two technical universities in Sweden and two representing two leading technical universities in Russia. As stated above, another selection criterion was the presence of divisions conducting energy research. Only the pages of these divisions were analysed. The main research question was which aspects of energy’s societal role are discussed on these webpages. The results are presented in the sections that follow. I. Chalmers University of Technology: The Energy Area of Advance (Sweden) Chalmers University of Technology is one of the top two technical universities in Sweden, and Chalmers Energy Area of Advance is an interdisciplinary cluster that “covers the broader energy context” [3]. The Area’s mission is “to make a difference to major societal challenges,” and its vision to “further strengthen [their] position as an internationally leading university with regards to the future sustainable energy system with high relevance to industry and society” [3] emphasizes the connection between energy and society very explicitly. 8 2019 IEEE International Professional Communication Conference (ProComm) 2158-1002/19/$31.00 ©2019 IEEE DOI 10.1109/ProComm.2019.00008 Authorized licensed use limited to: Olga Menagarishvili. Downloaded on January 08,2023 at 06:21:24 UTC from IEEE Xplore. Restrictions apply.