Abstract
Climate change has been one of the most debated topics in the past few decades, but a number of challenges have hindered the development of robust policies and strategies by nations. At the same time, social media platforms—such as Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook—have given the opportunity for the general public to share opinions and engage with the issue of climate change like never before. This phenomenon is considered to be a new form of soft power which can provide input into the discussion and possibly affect the current international political mechanisms. The present paper aims to (1) define the forms and characteristics of social media as a soft power method, (2) analyze its influence on the awareness of societies, and (3) assess if increased public awareness could influence the official political and policy processes. In order to assess if social media has influence on people’s relative awareness, we have focused on analyzing the links between a few highly visible climate change related events and the trends in people’s searches on the Internet in connection to those events. The study finds that even though it is difficult to assess the effects of social media as a soft power tool with certainty, there are visible links between social media and changing public perceptions, with the possibility of public opinion influencing political decision-making.
Highlights
Climate change has been one of the most debated topics in the past few decades
Social media platforms—such as Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook—have provided an opportunity for the general public to discuss and share opinions instantly with vast cross-border networks [1]. This phenomenon is considered to be a new form of soft power which can provide input into the discussion on climate change and possibly affect the current international political mechanisms
We provide a definition for soft power and why we consider social media as a potential soft power tool
Summary
Climate change has been one of the most debated topics in the past few decades. Even though the majority of nations agree on the basic ideas related to climate change and participate together in international initiatives, such as the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement, comprehensive and effective steps are yet to be taken. In trying to answer some of these questions, the authors of the current paper took a new approach, looking at social media as a soft power tool, using the definitions from International Relations theory, in order to underline the potential power of social media as a driver of change in tackling the negative effects of climate change. In this effort, we first provide a short overview of the climate change negotiation process and its misgivings, leading to the search of alternative methods by community groups or individuals. Secondary data from articles and publications is used to support the analysis and to provide additional information on the links between soft power mechanisms and social perception
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