Climate change is a critical global issue which requires collective actions, and yet public understanding of climate change vary significantly across countries due to cultural, political, and media differences. Meanwhile, social media platforms have become primary sources of information and play important roles in shaping public perceptions of climate crises and policies. China and the UK, both major players in global climate policy, offer differentiated social media landscape and cultural contexts, making the two countries ideal for a comparative study.
The project addresses a gap in existing research by focusing on the digital storytelling aspects of climate change communication in both Western and non-Western contexts. It builds on previous work examining digital media’s roles in public understanding of science and technology but narrows its focus to climate change, which is a field of growing urgency and relevance. We aim to understand how climate change communication differs between the two countries. The focus areas include:
- Content analysis of social media narratives: We will collect and analyse climate change-related content to identify prevalent themes, main sentiments, and storytelling strategies.
- Public attention and engagement: The project will measure public engagement metrics such as likes, shares, and comments on social media platforms to understand the impact of various climate narratives.
Project Seminar
14:00 Words of welcome
14:10 Project introduction
- Opening remarks and overview of the project
- RAs presentations
- Data collection and analysis of results
- General discussion
16:00 Afternoon tea & coffee with biscuits
16:30 Guests comments
Round Table discussion
18:00 Reception
20:00 Close
