Identifying Different Semantic Features of Public Engagement with Climate Change NGOs Using Semantic Network Analysis

Abstract

Social media platforms have revolutionized the engagement between climate non-governmental organizations (hereafter, NGOs) and their publics on climate issues. This research diverges from the traditional use of metrics like retweets and likes as simple indicators of identical success in ‘one-way’ climate communication. Instead, it underscores ‘two-way’ interactions and their connections that may vary by specific public engagement features, such as popularity, commitment, and virality. Using semantic network analysis, we analyzed tweets and replies between high-engagement NGOs and their publics, identifying communication patterns tied to particular types of public engagement. Additionally, we investigated shared meanings in these interactions with semantic similarity metrics and assessed sentiment alignment between NGOs and their publics as potential indicators of public engagement. Our findings suggest that climate NGOs should select resonating topics, ensuring their sentiments align with those of their publics. It’s also essential to tailor topics and focus points in climate communication strategies to reflect desired types of public engagement. This study offers insights into optimizing communication and engagement strategies for climate NGOs on social media.