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Josephine BERTOUX: Environmentalism and social media, environmentalism on…
Josephine BERTOUX: Environmentalism and social media, environmentalism on social media
Environmentalism (Merriam-Webster) : advocacy of the preservation, restoration, or improvement of the natural environment
Climate change is becoming an increasingly important issue (see 6th assessment IPCC report) and environmental activism is prevalent these days (for example, 500,000 people participated in the Fridays for Future march in Montreal in September 2019)
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Media activism: putting technology (i.e. websites, videos, etc.) to the service of activism
Specifically, social media activism: using social media to conduct media activism
Negative connotation of social media activism as a way to wash one's hand without really taking action: can it really be effective? Is it always followed by concrete actions - and is that even necessary?
Generational aspect: the type of activism differs based on the age of the person that conducts it (i.e. Gen Z vs millennials)
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Reshares and everyday activists: examples of environmental news and events that went viral on social media thanks to mass sharing by individuals
The Greta phenomenon
Many aspects of Greta Thunberg's activism went viral on social media: skolstrejk för klimatet (internationally known as School Strike For Climate or Fridays For Future), speeches at the COP24 and the UN Climate Action Summit, etc.
Inspired a multitude of student movements and climate marches all over the world that were thoroughly relayed on social media (personal example with my local student movement back in Montreal called the Devoir Environnemental Collectif, for whom I was the social media manager)
Boycotting
Calls to boycott certain brands for environmental reasons have become commonplace; "boycott Black Friday" is also a recurrent theme that pops up in everyone's news feed each year
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How do bigger institutions (i.e. companies, governmental structures, NGOs, etc.) adapt their campaigns to the digital sphere?
Governmental structures
Put into place new communication strategies (i.e. European Commission's guide to "new tools for environmental campaigns"), try to rejuvenate their image, etc.
NGOs
Awareness campaigns: the example of Greenpeace, who are often lauded for the effectiveness of their communication, and WWF with the "endangered emoji" campaign
Private companies
Target audiences, emphasise environmentally-friendly aspects of products/company itself, etc.
Examples
2016: Patagonia tweets that it will donate 100% of its profits from Black Friday sales to environmental associations
Ben & Jerry's ice cream advertising their firm stance on the necessity of a search for climate justice
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