Executive Summary:

The climate crisis is undergoing a communications reckoning right now. Stark images of a bleak future devoid of animal and plant life has turned many who might otherwise be engaged in building a cleaner, healthier, more just future away and left a huge portion of the population feeling helpless and hopeless in the fight against climate change.

Changing the framing of climate communication away from a negative, loss-framed approach and towards a more positive, gain-framed approach has been proven to engage more of the population, keep them interested for longer, and is more conducive to spreading information to an even wider audience¹. Language, too, has an extremely important role to play in effective communication. Studies show it is important to meet your audience where they are most comfortable – avoid using decisive language which may be divisive and initiate positive conversations rather than blaming specific industries or governments. 

This proposal aims to highlight the ways that social media, specifically visual media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok, can be used to create positive, gain-framed communication strategies and assist in re-engaging a despairing population in the fight for climate justice. 

Background:

There is no doubt social media holds a strong place in communications – for better or worse. By now we have all seen the rapid propagation of Covid misinformation and dis-information, and we have learnt of the ways that social media, specifically Facebook’s algorithm, has significantly aided its ability to spread so effectively. Climate communication too, has taken a beating on Facebook despite recent statements by the company that claims it is attempting to actively counter climate mis-information³. 

Instagram, while owned by Facebook (now Meta), has a significantly different engagement approach than the Facebook algorithm. While the Facebook algorithm aims to highlight posts that “spark meaningful interactions”⁴, Instagram has developed as an eCommerce and marketing tool for businesses and individuals alike. TikTok, while being used more and more by businesses, still operates primarily as a video sharing tool for individuals, with an algorithm that curates content recommendations based upon a number of subtle factors⁵. All three of these platforms rely heavily on user interactions, engagement, likes, shares and most importantly, trust. 

While visual media platforms, specifically Instagram, have been criticized for their addictive qualities and for causing severe mental health issues, specifically in teens⁶, to deny their worth as a communication tool would be to ignore the extreme hold they have on society. With an audience of over 4.15 billion people⁷, failing to utilize visual media platforms in climate communication is a huge disservice to the cause. 

Visual media platforms thrive on beauty and allow their users to curate a world built entirely of pleasing images. Yes, we know that Instagram life is not real life, but in a world where it can feel like everything is falling apart, visual media platforms provide a form of escapism that is greatly valued. 

But what if the images we saw on our screen felt tangible, instead of inevitable. What if businesses, governments and scientists used visual media platforms to share images of what our futures could look like with proper mitigation and adaptation policies, instead of bombarding us with terrifying images of a future without? Would attitudes towards the climate crisis change if more people could see what we were fighting for, rather than fighting against? 

Visual media platforms offer a unique opportunity to re-frame climate communication away from the bleak images we have grown accustomed to, and towards a future that is bright, green, flourishing and includes justice for all. They provide a space for users from all walks of life to share their visions of perfect, possible futures – whatever that might mean to them. This, in turn, would allow space for communities built on a shared vision of a future, which we know makes for more effective mobilization than communities built on fear of no future. 

Solution:

Engaging the public through visual media is not difficult, but will require creativity, collaboration, and some clever copywriting, to be sure. After all, we are marketing a new future here.

Hiring talented, engaging Influencers with a large number of dedicated followers who trust them and who already have made strides towards climate communication will be imperative. An audience who is already well-versed in the dangers of climate change, who trust the science and understand the basics is important as they are already primed towards positive climate communication. Effective climate communication relies heavily on openness and shared values², so finding the right people to communicate this message to your audience is key. Tailoring the message to cater to the specific concerns of the particular audience is also very important, as this will make the message feel more relevant and manageable. 

Strong visual communication is also a top priority, especially on visual media platforms, but also on other social media platforms such as Facebook or Twitter. The ability to visualize a new or different future could prove useful in making climate adaptation and mitigation policy seem less abstract to the average person, and provide a sense of relevancy and interest in the topic⁸. We know that “the way in which information is represented affects an individual’s interpretation and uptake, and how they see their present choices affecting their future and that of others.⁸”  Strong visual communication assists in making complex or new messages easier to remember by condensing it into smaller, succinct pieces⁸. As we discussed, negative visual communication has made the climate crisis feel inevitable and abstract, so providing visual communication that is localised, relevant to the specific audience and positively framed has the potential to change many attitudes around the climate emergency.  

Including BIPOC, LGBTQIA2S+, those with disabilities and neurodiversities is key as well. After all, it is everyone’s future, and it is key that all people see themselves reflected in the messaging. It is well known that the climate crisis tends to affect communities of colour and lower-income first, and disproportionately affects those with disabilities. There is an urgent need for more inclusive discourse around the climate crisis and adaptation policies, and social media provides an ample platform from which leaders within every community can share their unique experiences and needs. Including all people in climate messaging minimises the risk of creating an exclusionary response⁹, and allows for even more engagement and discourse. 

Language, too, is extremely important when it comes to climate messaging. Framing climate communication in ways that engage the reader or user and interpret the information provided in a way that feels relevant to their own lives is key¹⁰. Avoiding absolutes and generalizing language is also a factor when it comes to effectively communicating climate messaging, as it tends to be divisive. Similarly, language which makes reference to informed choice rather than compulsion tends to be more persuasive in the long run when discussing climate mitigation and adaptation policies². Language is just as important as visual communication on many social media platforms, especially as many people use them as a way to relax and escape their everyday lives. Positive, validating language that leaves room for open and constructive dialogue will encourage engagement with the message. 

Conclusion:

The climate crisis has become a mainstay in the lives of every single person on the planet. If we aren’t directly experiencing it, we are exposed to a myriad of media coverage and communication surrounding it. Changing the framing of climate communication to engage more of the population will take creativity, open-mindedness, collaboration and strategic efforts by business, government and media alike. Failing to embrace visual media platforms as a way to positively engage the population and re-frame the visual communication surrounding climate change is a risk both businesses and governments cannot afford to take. Engaging like-minded influencers, activists, and scientists to spread climate messaging that is encouraging, validating, inspiring, and which provides practical solutions for making realistic changes is imperative to re-engaging the population towards positive climate mitigation and adaptation actions. 

References:

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   Retrieved from http://albertanarrativesproject.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/ANP-Report-I-Final-Online.pdf

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8. Nicholson-Cole, S. A. (2005). Representing climate change futures: a critique on the use of images for visual communication. Computers, environment and urban systems, 29(3), 255-273.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compenvurbsys.2004.05.002

9. Bell, S. L., Tabe, T., & Bell, S. (2020). Seeking a disability lens within climate change migration discourses, policies and practices. Disability & Society, 35(4), 682-687. https://doi.org/10.1080/09687599.2019.1655856

10. Armstrong, A. K., Schuldt, J. P., & Krasny, M. E. (2018). Using metaphor and analogy in climate change communication. In Communicating climate change: A guide for educators. Cornell University Press. 59-80. https://cornellopen.org/9781501730795/communicating-climate-change/