Free-floating electric scooters: representation in French mainstream media.

From the time of their introduction in Paris and other French cities in the summer of 2018, free-floating electric scooters have quickly grown in popularity and numbers, creating a conundrum for Paris and other municipalities over their regulation. This study aims to explore the representation, in French mainstream newspapers with contrasting ideological viewpoints, of free floating e-scooters, their users and operators, as well as public authorities' response to the problems they caused. Articles from Le Figaro and Le Monde newspapers were collected between June 2018 and September 2019, generating a dataset of 107 articles and 741 occurrences of appraisal. The analysis highlights a very negative view of e-scooters, most particularly over safety issues and their use of public space. Articles from Le Figaro were also harshly critical of the ways in which public authorities struggled to regulate this new means of transport. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]