Leveraging the power of internet memes for emotional contagion as effective strategy for environmental communication

Abstract

The article aims to address the research gap in the field of environmental communication by integrating the advances in emotional influence sciences to understand the mechanisms and pathways via social media by which emotions impact pro-environmental behavior. This research investigates how environmental communication can integrate research's results to design a more effective communication strategy that leads to environmental actions. Hence, the methodology of the article is an exploratory review of previous research on emotion in crisis and environmental communication, particularly on the role of social media and internet memes in promoting pro-environmental behavior through emotions and emotional influence. The findings are organized into three themes. First, we present the theory of emotional influence as a lens that can shed light on the underlying mechanisms in social media that awaken users' sentiments to modify or rectify their environmental behavior as well as entice their engagement in environmental preservation. Next, the main factors affecting emotional contagion in environmental communication are analyzed. Finally, we examine the empirical evidence of pro-environmental communication strategies that were successful under emotional contagion mechanisms. The article concludes that emotional influence by internet memes is a proper strategy, particularly for new generations, in crisis and environmental communication. This research contributes to science by highlighting the significant role of emotional influence and internet memes in environmental communication, emphasizing their potential to influence public attitudes and behaviors towards environmental issues, and providing a comprehensive understanding of how these factors can be leveraged to design effective communication strategies that lead to environmental actions, offering valuable insights for researchers and practitioners in the field of environmental communication and crisis management.