Based on Atmosphere Field Theory, the Evolution of Online Public Opinion of Accident Disasters: A Case Study of the "March 13 Major Gas Deflagration Accident"

Abstract

To improve the accuracy of emergency management and public opinion regulation, we need to know how to alter emotions in the online public opinion of accident disasters. Traditional research has often treated "emotion" and "logic" separately, so this paper proposes the "Atmosphere Field Theory" and, based on the case of the "March 13" major gas deflagration accident in Yanjiao, Hebei, studies the emotional chain of public opinion development in detail. Based on the above research, the public's perception of the accident is in line with the progressive logic of "structure problem → moral shock → generalized belief → secondary stimulus → situational mobilization → ultimate stimulus", and it has two main evolutionary threads: first, there is a "safety-accountability chain" that starts with structural risks in urban gas safety, is promoted by improper emergency response behaviour, and finally leads to serious institutional accountability; second, there is a "rights-trust chain" that begins with the conflict over information control and the public's right to know, is triggered and amplified by the intervention of authoritative professional institutions, and thus damages government credibility. Therefore, this paper puts forward a four-in-one governance strategy with the qualities of being "forward-looking, collaborative, procedural and empathetic" to offer a theoretical support and practical reference for the fine governance of public opinion, giving full weight to both emotion and reason.