Sex Work and Professional Risk Communication: Keeping Safe on the Streets. (January 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Itchuaqiyaq, Cana Uluak; Edenfield, Avery C.; Grant-Davie, Keith
• Is Part Of: Journal of business and technical communication. Volume 36:Number 1(2022)
• Page Start: 1
• Page End: 37
• Publication Date: 2022-01
• Subjects: corpus-assisted discourse analysis -- marginalized populations -- risk communication -- professionalization -- sex work; Business communication -- Periodicals; Communication of technical information -- Periodicals; 658.45
• DOI: 10.1177/10506519211044190
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1050-6519

Abstract

Risk communication is traditionally authored by institutions and addressed to the potentially affected publics for whom they are responsible. This study expands the scope of risk communication by analyzing safety guides produced by a hypermarginalized group for whom institutions show no responsibility: full-contact, street-level sex workers. Using corpus-assisted discourse analysis and keyword analysis to reveal patterns of word choices, the authors argue that the safety guides exhibit characteristics and qualities of professional communication: audience adaptation, social responsibility, and ethical awareness. This area of inquiry—the DIY, peer-to-peer, extrainstitutional risk communication produced by marginalized people—widens technical and professional communication's approach to risk communication.