Anastasia Denisova, Senior Lecturer in Journalism, has written an article for The Conversation about how content showing positive solutions to tackle climate change is more effective than highlighting its negative effects.
In the article, Denisova discusses that although the majority of the global population are moderately concerned about climate change, research has shown that scaring people is more likely to make them avoid a piece of information altogether than engage with it.
Based on her research into viral journalism, she provides readers with three helpful ways to ensure that their posts on social media about climate change are impactful: help people see themselves, share small solutions, and stay positive.
Speaking about how sharing small solutions is an effective way to engage an audience into taking action against climate change, Denisova said: “Looking at individual solutions can seem trivial, but it is a great way to tap into the power of self-efficacy. Consider sharing information that helps people complete achievable steps, such as shopping second-hand, recycling more, changing their diet and voting for politicians who are serious about addressing climate change.”
On how keeping the tone positive when writing content about climate change is important, Denisova added: “Research shows that images and stories of achievements and solutions help generate feelings of self-efficacy in readers. People are more likely to change their behaviour after seeing solar panels in media stories, rather than smoke coming from a factory pipe.”
Read the full article on The Conversation’s website.
