Digital Natives, Digital Activists: Youth, Social Media and the Rise of Environmental Sustainability Movements

TL;DR

This paper explores how young digital natives use social media to foster environmental activism, highlighting new online strategies, challenges like clicktivism fatigue, and the importance of integrating online and offline efforts for effective sustainability movements.

Contribution

It provides new insights into digital native activism, emphasizing the role of social media tools and storytelling in shaping youth-led environmental movements.

Findings

Social media accelerates youth engagement in sustainability issues.

Hashtags and visual storytelling are key tools for mobilization.

Combining online and offline actions enhances movement effectiveness.

Abstract

The research examines the challenges revolving around young people's social movements, activism regarding sustainability, as well as the accompanying social media aspect, and how social media impacts environmental action. This study focuses on the environmental craze on social media platforms and its impact on young activists aged 16-25. With the advancement of social media, new avenues have opened for participation in sustainability issues, especially for the marginalized, as information moved through transnational networks at lightning speed. Along with specific Formative Visual Storytelling methods, the young leaders of the movement deploy hashtags and other online tools to capture the attention of their peers and decision makers. Challenges persist with "clicktivism" fatigue from the internet, and site limitations. This article contributes to insights on emerging forms of civic activism by explaining how digital natives adapt technology to reframe green activism. The research suggests that effective digital environmental movements integrate online and offline action, make it simple for individuals to get involved, and promote tolerance to algorithmic modifications and climate care among participants.