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The social media life of climate change: Platforms, publics, and future imaginaries

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  • Warren Pearce
  • Sabine Niederer
  • Suay Melisa Özkula
  • Natalia Sánchez Querubín

Abstract

Social media is a transformative digital technology, collapsing the “six degrees of separation” which have previously characterized many social networks, and breaking down many of the barriers to individuals communicating with each other. Some commentators suggest that this is having profound effects across society, that social media have opened up new channels for public debates and have revolutionized the communication of prominent public issues such as climate change. In this article we provide the first systematic and critical review of the literature on social media and climate change. We highlight three key findings from the literature: a substantial bias toward Twitter studies, the prevalent approaches to researching climate change on social media (publics, themes, and professional communication), and important empirical findings (the use of mainstream information sources, discussions of “settled science,” polarization, and responses to temperature anomalies). Following this, we identify gaps in the existing literature that should be addressed by future research: namely, researchers should consider qualitative studies, visual communication and alternative social media platforms to Twitter. We conclude by arguing for further research that goes beyond a focus on science communication to a deeper examination of how publics imagine climate change and its future role in social life. This article is categorized under: Perceptions, Behavior, and Communication of Climate Change > Communication

Suggested Citation

  • Warren Pearce & Sabine Niederer & Suay Melisa Özkula & Natalia Sánchez Querubín, 2019. "The social media life of climate change: Platforms, publics, and future imaginaries," Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 10(2), March.
  • Handle: RePEc:wly:wirecc:v:10:y:2019:i:2:n:e569
    DOI: 10.1002/wcc.569
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    Cited by:

    1. Victoria Wibeck & Tina‐Simone Neset, 2020. "Focus groups and serious gaming in climate change communication research—A methodological review," Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 11(5), September.
    2. Lyytimäki, Jari & Assmuth, Timo & Paloniemi, Riikka & Pyysiäinen, Jarkko & Rantala, Salla & Rikkonen, Pasi & Tapio, Petri & Vainio, Annukka & Winquist, Erika, 2021. "Two sides of biogas: Review of ten dichotomous argumentation lines of sustainable energy systems," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 141(C).
    3. Debnath, R. & Bardhan, R. & Mohaddes, K. & Shah, D. U. & Ramage, M. H. & Alvarez, R. M., 2022. "People-centric Emission Reduction in Buildings: A Data-driven and Network Topology-based Investigation," Cambridge Working Papers in Economics 2202, Faculty of Economics, University of Cambridge.
    4. Lena Hinz & Anna-Maria Weber & Lara Koegst & Olaf Kühne, 2024. "A Neopragmatic Perspective on the Processual Nature of Landscape—Coastal Land Loss in Louisiana in the Context of Scientific Findings, Social Patterns of Interpretation, and Individual Experience," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(5), pages 1-26, March.
    5. Unay-Gailhard, İlkay & Lawson, Kati & Brennan, Mark A., 2023. "An examination of digital empathy: When farmers speak for the climate through TikTok," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 102, pages 1-1.
    6. Mike S. Schäfer & James Painter, 2021. "Climate journalism in a changing media ecosystem: Assessing the production of climate change‐related news around the world," Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 12(1), January.
    7. Arora, Swapan Deep & Singh, Guninder Pal & Chakraborty, Anirban & Maity, Moutusy, 2022. "Polarization and social media: A systematic review and research agenda," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 183(C).
    8. Kathie M. d'I. Treen & Hywel T. P. Williams & Saffron J. O'Neill, 2020. "Online misinformation about climate change," Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 11(5), September.
    9. Nuccio Ludovico & Marc Esteve Del Valle & Franco Ruzzenenti, 2020. "Mapping the Dutch Energy Transition Hyperlink Network," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(18), pages 1-24, September.
    10. Sujatha Raman & Warren Pearce, 2020. "Learning the lessons of Climategate: A cosmopolitan moment in the public life of climate science," Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 11(6), November.
    11. Graves, Rose A. & Nielsen-Pincus, Max & Haugo, Ryan D. & Holz, Andrés, 2022. "Forest carbon incentive programs for non-industrial private forests in Oregon (USA): Impacts of program design on willingness to enroll and landscape-scale program outcomes," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 141(C).
    12. Joseph P. Reser & Graham L. Bradley, 2020. "The nature, significance, and influence of perceived personal experience of climate change," Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 11(5), September.
    13. Rodrigo Costas & Sarah de Rijcke & Noortje Marres, 2021. "“Heterogeneous couplings”: Operationalizing network perspectives to study science‐society interactions through social media metrics," Journal of the Association for Information Science & Technology, Association for Information Science & Technology, vol. 72(5), pages 595-610, May.
    14. Wei, Yigang & Gong, Ping & Zhang, Jianhong & Wang, Li, 2021. "Exploring public opinions on climate change policy in "Big Data Era"—A case study of the European Union Emission Trading System (EU-ETS) based on Twitter," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 158(C).
    15. Hasini Gunasiri & Yifan Wang & Ella-Mae Watkins & Teresa Capetola & Claire Henderson-Wilson & Rebecca Patrick, 2022. "Hope, Coping and Eco-Anxiety: Young People’s Mental Health in a Climate-Impacted Australia," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(9), pages 1-12, May.

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