Abstract
The present study aims to analyze the usage of pictures and other visual materials, including static or animated graphics, infographics, maps, and videos, in covering climate change issues on Instagram and Twitter. The study examines user interaction with this visual content by tracking the characteristics of users’ comments on climate change posts published on both social media platforms between October 1st, 2021 and the end of June 2022. A theoretical and interpretive framework was built around concepts of the Public Sphere and the social media engagement theory advanced by Gangi and Wasko (2016),, which allowed a number of questions to be raised, most notably: How did the studied accounts on Instagram and Twitter visually engage climate change issues? What types of pictorial and visual materials were used to address climate change issues on both platforms? And what were the characteristics of users’ comments on this visual content? The results of this study show great diversity in modes of visual engagement with climate change issues. They demonstrate that realistic and on-site images were most used, alongside videos, live broadcasts, and 3D images, and that the users of both social media platforms extensively interact with graphic materials that express local climate issues that pose a direct threat to their lives. The study also reveals that the users’ comments on the climate change posts published on the Egyptian Ministry of Environment’s Twitter account were characterized by their critical, aggressive, and satirical tone, whereas the users’ comments on the posts published on the UK COP26’s Presidency Twitter account were characterized by their ability to create a public space and an arena for debate, criticism, and sharing of views. Likewise, the comments on the official Instagram account of the United Nations Climate Change Authority engaged in serious discussions, proposals, and solutions to various climate and environmental problems.
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