Hi everyone ! I hope you’re having a great Friday :)
Let’s talk about Social Media!
Social networks such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram have been great for connecting with persons from all walks of life and finding out about current events. Over the years it has been associated with climate change and environmental activism! I think that this is a great way of advocating for environmental sustainability and the rights of marginalised communities.
Both climate change and social media activity have been able to affect billions of persons around the world and have created somewhat of an ‘international civil society’ of persons who have the power to voice their opinions on issues with just a few keystrokes. What I love about these efforts is the elevation of the voices of young persons, the LGBTQ community, indigenous persons and persons with disabilities so that they can share their thoughts, experiences and efforts in advocating for climate change. Social media has given them a place in international fora in which they have not had the opportunity in previous times.
As a result, many governments and organizations have had to diversify the means through which they disseminate information and communicate with persons with the creation of social media accounts. I think this is a great way for persons to directly access information and updates about current events.
However, the instantaneous nature of posting and sharing on social media is of concern to many persons because it has increased the spread of false information. Oftentimes, this is a result of persons innocently resharing posts without having done research to verify the information. But you’re probably thinking, ‘Who has the time right? I didn’t mean to spread false information? Did it really harm anyone?’ - trust me, we’ve all been there. As for the impact, well...
Just like many other issues on social media, climate change has been the subject of ‘fake news’ or misinformation for a long while and has even been used to promote various political agendas leaving persons trying to figure out what exactly is the truth. Given the fact that with social media we tend to read less and consume a wide variety of content, it’s very easy to just take these snippets of misinformation and use them in conversation when attempting to educate others. I know it seems like an overload of information but I think it’s worth opening and fully dissecting posts that can have serious implications just to make sure that we’re engaging in environmental activism to the best of our abilities.
What are your thoughts on social media activism and who are your favourite climate change activists?
-Caron D.