Actors to Networks
The first network to discuss is the non-academic network. This network is comprised of mostly newspaper articles and some blog posts. The image below represents the non-academic network. This was created using Hyphe. Hyphe is an on-line crawling platform that builds non-linear networks based on your customized preferences using web-links that you have provided.
There are several important aspects about this graph. The black dots represent the actual sources used within this controversy map. The blue dots represent the web entities that were retrieved or crawled. That is to say the web entities that were linked or cited to the initial source used. The graph is dynamic and interwoven. The grey links represent the connection or relation between web entities. The highlighted sources were those deemed the most relevant and represent intimate connections with other web entities. Their links can be found below:
Huffington Post, Flipboard, Telegraph, Treehugger, The Guardian , Fusion, Independent, and Discardstudies
Analysis of Non-academic Network
Within the network generated using Hyphe and the sources that have been used we can extract some interesting information. The most noticeable aspect that we can decipher is that the conversation of food waste is being dominated by the Huffington Post. This source has the single most web entities that are linked to it. In order to provide important analytical insight we must understand why Huffington Post is so popular. Huffington Post is an internet newspaper, news blog, and video community. Its notoriety is correlated with the fact that it is a online aggregator. What this means is that it collects related items of content and displays them or provides links to them. Essentially, it collects data links and displays them using an appealing and easy to use interface. Its popularity is directly related to its intrinsic ability to penetrate social media and gain access to an almost infinite audience centred around an ethos of sharing and viewing (Salomon, 2011) .
Huffington Post shows some further interesting connections as it shares considerable common links with both Fusion and Flipboard. An another interesting thing to note is that the Independent and the The Telegraph (two major news outlets), while significant, are on the peripheral of the network. This suggests that Fusion and Flipboard, which are both platforms used to quickly share news and media between its users, are dominating the conversation of France's food waste legislation. Similar to Huffington Post, Fusion and Flipboard are online news and media aggregators that display wide varieties of subjects and news. Much like Huffington Post their notoriety is related to their ability to penetrate social media.
A Network of Academic Sources
1. The next network to expound upon is the academic network. For this section two representations have been created. The first network that has been created illustrated the academic network using three prongs. The network is divided into authors (the first column on the left), keywords (the intermittent column), and journals (the last column on the right). This network was created through ScienceScape using A-K-J Sankey. To use A-K-J Sankey you must begin by importing a valid CSV file obtained through a Scopus search. As we see below it illustrates the complex and dynamic relation between the three columns mentioned above. An important aspect of this network is that it explicitly highlights the interwoven relationship between authors, journals, and keywords. (Analysis of this network can be found at bottom of the page)*
2. The next network shows the relationship between actors and key terms. It was created using Get Network from ScienceScape. Similar to A-K-J Sankey you must first enter a CSV file from Scopus, in order to generate a network and view it. From there the network was exported into Gephi for the final step in its process. Gephi is a free downloadable application. Gephi provides a platform for visualization and exploration of graphs and networks. This particular network uses circular links to connect nodes between each other. Links arched clockwise illustrate that the initial node has cited the receiving one and vise-versa for counter-clockwise arched links. The highlighted areas tell us the most important terms used in that particular intersect. Further, they show us, which authors are being referenced the most. This is important as we can see what topics are being discussed and who is dominating the conversation. The importance of this image is that it shows the intimate relationship between authors and the keywords that they use. The salient value of the network is that it facilitates a reference for analysis.
Analysis of Academic Networks
Through the construction of the academic networks we can see that the discussion of food within the academic realm is convoluted and takes on equivocal and nebulous aspects. However, some important concepts can be sequestered from these networks.
The first academic network provides us with the ability to examine what journals and which authors are dominating the conversation of food waste. One journal that stands out it particular is Water Science and Technology. Water Science and Technology is and academic journal that centres its ethos around the science and technology of waste water treatment and water quality management on a global scale. Its five main focuses are; waste water treatment and processes, sources of pollution, effects of pollution on water, reusable water capacities, and management policies (IWA Publishing, 2016). The analysis of the journal of Water Science and Tecnology reflects the appearance of the prominent keywords displayed in the network, which include; contamination, sewage sludge, and trace element. Essentially, the keywords are indicative of Water Science and Technology's mission statement. Further, the network highlights the most significant contributors to the discussion. Among them are Maizl, Benbrahim, Balet, and Carnus. The network identifies these authors as the largest donors to the field of food waste.
The second academic network is more complex. Ergo, it highlights a more dynamic relationship within the academic community. Further, it also incorporates a larger amount of material illustrated through the use of its nodes. The most dense intersect in the network was concerned with ecological risk assessment and the intersects in close proximity reflected that. We see this as a common theme throughout the network with platonic topics such as emerging pollutants, quality assurance, industrial waste and recycling. Essentially, the network is dominated with discussion looking at combating food waste and its negative aspects. That is to say that this particular discussion is systemic. Some of the prominent authors that are influencing the discussion include Reish, Eudes, Verron, and Herke.
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