Share and Strike: Social Media Fuels Climate Action

In a 2022 poll, over 59% of young adults and children reported feeling worried about climate change, with 45% saying that the issue affects their daily lives (Chaaraoui). With the use of social media becoming increasingly prominent in the past decade, these sentiments have spread globally, resulting in more people becoming informed about climate-related issues. This increased awareness allowed for the formation of climate activist groups in the early 2000s. However, it wasn’t until the School Strike for Climate that the effects of social media on mobilizing people became more profound. The virality of posts, celebrity endorsements, and the ability to educate people on climate change led to the participation of 1.4 million students in Thunberg’s strike, highlighting social media’s ability to catalyze social justice movements (Carrington).

Until 1965, the impact of human activities on the climate wasn’t well known. While researchers recorded increasing temperatures during that year, it was only a decade later when the now well-known term “global warming” was coined by geoscientist Wallace Broecker (O’Connor and Harrity). Though there were multiple governmental summits in the remaining decades of the 20th century, climate protests defined the 2000s. One such protest was the Global Day of Action, erupting halfway through the Montreal Climate Talks in 2005. Although demonstrations took place in over 20 countries, others, like Australia, did not participate, reflecting the limited number of social media users during that decade; compared to today’s over 90% of young adults who utilize social media, in 2005, that number was closer to 12% (Campaign Against Climate Change; Perrin). In addition, many organizations at the forefront of climate activism lacked a social media presence for multiple years following the creation of platforms. For example, the Environmental Protection Agency hadn’t joined X, formerly Twitter, until May, 2008, while the World Wildlife Fund hadn’t until the beginning of the next decade (X Corp.). Geert Lovink, an academic, says there is an “emancipatory and democratizing potential of new media technologies,” describing how environmental organizations can utilize “tactical media” for the purposes of increasing public involvement and awareness (Franken and MacDiarmid). Despite not using social media, the campaigns of this decade paved the way for those in the subsequent one.

In August 2018, Greta Thunberg sat outside of the Swedish parliament holding a sign that read “Skolstrejk för klimatet” (“school strike for climate”). While she would have been sitting in a classroom that Friday, Thunberg posted pictures of herself and provided updates on the social media platform Twitter. Eventually, Thunberg’s strike received news coverage from organizations across the globe, with her posts gaining even more traction as a result. Following over 200,000 retweets of her post, students from over 270 regions organized local movements, with the number of strikes on a single day peaking in May of the following year (Euronews Green; Tait). Simultaneously, #FridaysforFuture, another name for the movement, began to trend on the internet, allowing more people to learn about the movement and the circumstances that led to its formation. Following her initial sit-out of her country’s parliament, Greta Thunberg protested for nearly half a decade, representing her movement at events like the U.N. Climate Action Summit and the World Economic Forum. The ability of Thunberg’s initial post to get millions of people involved with her movement and bring climate issues to the attention of others demonstrates how effective social media can be in connecting people with common goals. 

Following Greta Thunberg’s first posts and the news stories that covered her strike, many celebrities commented on the movement, increasing public awareness and participation. For example, on Instagram, Chris Hemsworth posted a video of himself and student activists with the caption: “What do we want? Climate Action! The kids have spoken! Well done to all the young climate strikers for taking part in #climatestrike drawing immediate attention to the climate change emergency” (Goodman). By doing so, Hemsworth spread the strike’s message and showed his followers that they should partake in the movement. It is also important to note that responses to the movement were not just limited to A-list movie stars. After meeting with Thunberg, former United States president Barack Obama uplifted her movement and others when he commented in a blog post, “That’s the power of young people — unafraid to believe that change is possible and willing to challenge conventional wisdom, Greta and her generation are making their voices heard, even at a young age. That’s what’s possible when we let young people lead the way” (Obama Foundation). Considering that people tend to make decisions aligned with those they look up to, the School Strike for Climate shows how public endorsements on social media can facilitate the growth of and encourage involvement in similar movements.

While viral posts and celebrity support have been instrumental in spreading the School Strike for Climate, the ability to educate people about climate change on social media has been equally so. With organizations like the World Wildlife Fund and Greenpeace posting on popular social media platforms, more people can receive information and statistics that make them more informed. From a poll on teens aged fourteen to sixteen, the EdWeek Research Center reported that 56% of respondents said they learn about the topic from social media (Prothero et al.). While concepts such as eutrophication, biodiversity loss, and acidification are nuanced and often confusing for people to learn, colorful infographics and videos uploaded by educators online have widened the means of communicating these climate-related issues. The U.S. National Park Service says social media has allowed them to “reach new audiences and create a vibrant community of park advocates” (National Park Service). By becoming more educated and understanding the exigence of climate-related issues from social media, people are more inclined to get involved with climate movements.

Throughout the social movements of the past, a continuity between them all has been the ability to break down geographic and linguistic barriers. However, with the creation and utilization of social media, even more so. As mentioned earlier, Greta Thunberg’s movement began outside the Swedish parliament. However, by connecting with prominent activists from other regions like Mitzi Jonelle Tan, she could assist in organizing and promoting strikes in places like the Philippines, nearly halfway around the world (Chen). In addition, features in these apps that enable users to translate text assist in increasing accessibility to information, educating people, and empowering them to become involved in the movement. In addition, another benefit of translating messages about the School Strike for Climate is bringing climate issues to the attention of those who don’t care about climate issues or those outright opposed to the calls for change. By doing so, the strike’s message reaches a larger audience and thus has a greater chance of changing people’s stance on the issue, an intended result of this movement. 

Starting as a girl sitting outside her country’s parliament with a small sign, Greta Thunberg’s School Strike for Climate Change started off with a small audience. However, following local and international news coverage and posts going viral on social media, the movement catapulted into the global spotlight in a way not seen by social movements before. With celebrity endorsements, the creation of educational content, and the translation of the strike’s messages on social media, Thunberg and other activists broadened the strike’s listenership while engaging with the youth. Considering that the School Strike for Climate Change became one of the most widespread social movements in the early 21st century, it is clear that social media fueled the momentum of and provided a foundation for its continued growth.

Works Cited

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