Social media content opens new frontiers for sustainability science researchers

New study shows social media content opens new frontiers for sustainability science researchers. With more than half of the world's population active on social media networks, user-generated data has proved to be fertile ground for social scientists who study attitudes about the environment and sustainability. But several challenges threaten the success of what's known as social media data science. The primary concern, according to a new study from an international research team, is limited access to data resulting from restrictive terms of service, shutdown of platforms, data manipulation, censorship and regulations. Study: Social media data for environmental sustainability: A critical review of opportunities, threats and ethical use The study, published online March 17 in the journal One Earth, is the first known to evaluate the scope of environmental social media research and its potential to transform sustainability science. The 17-member research team analyzed 415 studies, published between 2011 and 2021, that examined social media content related to the environment. "Ideas about climate change and our environment are increasingly coming from social media,” said Derek Van Berkel, assistant professor at the University of Michigan's School for Environment and Sustainability and one of the study- three lead authors.