Eagerly towards the future: The future consciousness of tourism in the discourses of media texts

Authors

• Eveliina Harju Lapin yliopisto

DOI: https://doi.org/10.33351/mt.130440

Keywords:

futures research, discourse analysis, media, future consciousness, tourism

Abstract

In this study the future consciousness of tourism using discourse analysis methods and media texts as main material. The media guides and shapes public opinion and the social status of tourism now and in the future. The theoretical framework of the research is the five-dimensional model of future consciousness, the dimensions of which are time perspective, agency beliefs, openness to alternatives, systems perception and concern for others. From the material, three discourses were constructed: the bright future of tourism, changed tourism, and unstable tourism, and in these discourses the five dimensions of future consciousness are intertwined. The research shows that the diversity and unpredictability of tourism’s futures are recognized with its opportunities and challenges, and the motivation to influence the future with one’s own actions is meaningful in the discourses.