The contribution of X to youth environmental movements addressing climate change: Effective impact or distorting noise?
Abstract
Just Stop Oil and Last Generation have established themselves as two of the most prominent environmental activist movements, particularly in the context of the fight against climate change. Both movements have gained prominence through high-impact communication actions in both generalist legacy media and on social media. Given the significant influence and central role of the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) in promoting collective struggles and actions using hashtags, this study analyses the nature of the dialogue and the effectiveness of hashtags on the platform linked to the most controversial and subversive actions of these groups. Through an algorithmic analysis of nearly 280,000 tweets, the research characterises the main communities that have shaped the digital debate surrounding these ecological protest actions. Using social network analysis techniques, the study maps user interactions, identifies key nodes, and examines the centrality of influential actors within these conversations. Additionally, it assesses whether these actions foster meaningful engagement or, conversely, engender a polarised debate. The findings suggest that while these actions attract considerable attention, they may also contribute to a distorting effect associated with the increasingly prevalent paradigm of “climate obstructionism”, by shifting the focus away from substantive climate action towards divisive public discourse.
Keywords
environmental communication, social movements, activism, Twitter, Just Stop Oil, Last GenerationReferences
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