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#ProtectNature—How Characteristics of Nature Conservation Posts Impact User Engagement on Facebook and Twitter

Author

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  • Annika Miller

    (Chair of Landscape Planning and Development, Technische Universität Berlin, 10623 Berlin, Germany)

  • Stefan Heiland

    (Chair of Landscape Planning and Development, Technische Universität Berlin, 10623 Berlin, Germany)

Abstract

Social networks expand the communication tools of nature conservation. Nonetheless, to date there is hardly any scientific literature on nature conservation communication in social networks. For this reason, this paper examines 600 Facebook and Twitter posts of three German nature conservation organizations: Federal Agency for the Conservation of Nature (Bundesamt für Naturschutz, BfN), Naturschutzbund Deutschland e. V. (NABU), and World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Germany. Using the Mann–Whitney U method and Spearman’s rank correlation analysis, it reveals how post design affects communication success and provides respective recommendations for German conservation organizations. Communication success was divided into four indicators: reactions, comments, shares, and overall engagement as a synthesis of the three. On Facebook, the use of hashtags, images, and many characters (up to 1500) leads to higher success, whereas emojis and videos can reduce it. On Twitter, links, images, and longer posts promote user interactions. Emojis have a positive influence on comments and overall engagement, but a negative influence on reactions and shares. In addition, hashtags reduce overall engagement on Twitter. These results are discussed with reference to similar studies from other political fields in order to provide recommendations for conservation organizations. A validation and expansion of the presented results is recommended due to the growing relevance of digital nature conservation communication.

Suggested Citation

  • Annika Miller & Stefan Heiland, 2021. "#ProtectNature—How Characteristics of Nature Conservation Posts Impact User Engagement on Facebook and Twitter," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(22), pages 1-13, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:22:p:12768-:d:682252
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    3. Tiago, Teresa & Tiago, Flávio & Faria, Sandra Dias & Couto, João Pedro, 2016. "Who is the better player? Off-field battle on Facebook and Twitter," Business Horizons, Elsevier, vol. 59(2), pages 175-183.
    4. de Vries, Lisette & Gensler, Sonja & Leeflang, Peter S.H., 2012. "Popularity of Brand Posts on Brand Fan Pages: An Investigation of the Effects of Social Media Marketing," Journal of Interactive Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 26(2), pages 83-91.
    5. D. Shiffman, 2012. "Twitter as a tool for conservation education and outreach: what scientific conferences can do to promote live-tweeting," Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, Springer;Association of Environmental Studies and Sciences, vol. 2(3), pages 257-262, September.
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