Can Social Media Aid to Save the Environment?

The environmental region has jumped on the social media trend swiftly and enthusiastically. Many environmental issues are being exploited to unite people both locally and internationally in favor of environmental concerns, including climate change. In addition, it gives users the ability to keep tabs on the air and water quality in their local vicinity and subsequently distribute that data to others. 

The following are five examples of how social media platforms like Pikdo, Facebook and Twitter have been used for environmental good: Individuals may become activists on their own by making it easy for them to do so; another approach is to create pressure points in campaigns, a fifth option is to use geotags and hashtags.

The rapid expansion of extractive activities to fulfill consumer demand has placed our shared environment at peril, driven by consumerism and defined by the industry. Technology developments have allowed us to adopt more environmentally friendly practices and conduct our organization in a more sustainable way, yet our use of resources still does not keep pace with environmental change. 

It has become more important for the public to be involved in the decision-making process when governments and corporations make decisions that affect us all. Through the use of this technology, we may connect local environmental challenges and solutions to larger-scale tales that will have a global impact. It is possible that new patterns of communication may emerge and that stakeholder participation will change as a consequence of the increased use of social media.

Social media is changing the environment in five ways, including:

1. The Crowd

 Using the “crowd,” which interconnects via social media, an organization may dynamically and rapidly promote and transmit environmental messages. Messages about the environment. 

One of the challenges of obtaining this kind of help is establishing the long-term commitment and depth of participation of individuals who rapidly click on support links (known as “clicktivism”). It’s getting more and more widespread in the environmental field as well.”

2. Increasing Self-Motivation

Due to the proliferation of social media, activists are becoming more self-motivated. During the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, Gulf Coast residents used social media to tell their own stories and present independent or alternative fresh sources and information gathered by their communities. 

People are increasingly depending on their social media feeds as their primary source of news and information in today’s digital environment, which may be both good and detrimental to their personal well-being.

3. Visibility

You may use social media as a pressure point to get people to take action on certain causes. Greenpeace was able to persuade Lego and other partners of Shell Oil in the Arctic Circle, for example, using YouTube movies like this one. Increasingly, the environmental movement is relying on visible public pressure to campaign for specific environmental measures.

4. Monitoring Air and Water Quality

Hardware sensors and personal wearables have made it possible for people to monitor themselves and their surroundings in real-time. People are now replacing traditional scent and symptom records with these gadgets and software. We can now monitor environmental issues like air and water quality because of the proliferation of sensors. 

Environmental monitoring via the use of sensors, wearables, and applications is a promising but still developing subject in which verification, calibration, and the availability of tools have yet to properly define its impact on environmental control.

5. Use of Hashtags 

 The use of geolocation and hashtags on social media platforms like Instagram and Twitter has an impact. It makes it simpler for individuals to post about their local ecosystems and to tie them to wider environmental problems. 

The 2015 California drought was documented using hashtags like “#californiadrought,” “#drought,” and “#droughtshaming.” It allowed people to relate their photos to the broader context of the long-term effects of the drought. 

Then Divest/Invest was launched by a small group of students. They used hashtags “#divest” and “#climate” to connect their efforts to the greater movement. For example, societal divestment, investment in renewables, and awareness of the consequences of climate change.

 Difficulties to Face

In the next years, new platforms that don’t communicate with each other will be an issue for environmental sensing networks. Users will have to work together in the next years to develop the most user-friendly data environment possible.

In the short term, clicking on links or buttons to support environmental campaigns may lead to a fragmented environmental movement. That’s because most supporters only participate via “clicktivism” behaviors that do not necessarily translate into environmental reforms. People who provide data should get something in return for their efforts, especially when it comes to environmental health information. This is especially true for media platforms that gather data.

Conclusion

Sensors that connect to internet networks and social media can have a tremendous influence.  For instance, environmental stakeholders in public to private sectors can better cooperate with each other and make decisions. 

Using social media, members of the public may influence environmental sector movements on a wide range of topics. From transitioning away from fossil fuel reliance to renewable energy, to changing the dynamic of present climate change discussions. 

Members of a community may exert influence via the use of social media. For example, developing a circular economy which is similar to the Divest/Invest movement. It requires the participation of all stakeholders, from consumers to producers. This kind of social media-based participation helps bring minor movements to the attention of a bigger audience.