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“School Strike 4 Climate”: Social Media and the International Youth Protest on Climate Change

Author

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  • Shelley Boulianne

    (Department of Sociology, MacEwan University, Canada)

  • Mireille Lalancette

    (Department of Communication, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Canada)

  • David Ilkiw

    (Department of Sociology, MacEwan University, Canada)

Abstract

Beginning in 2018, youth across the globe participated in protest activities aimed at encouraging government action on climate change. This activism was initiated and led by Swedish teenager, Greta Thunberg. Like other contemporary movements, the School Strike 4 Climate used social media. For this article, we use Twitter trace data to examine the global dynamics of the student strike on March 15, 2019. We offer a nuanced analysis of 993 tweets, employing a combination of qualitative and quantitative analysis. Like other movements, the primary function of these tweets was to share information, but we highlight a unique type of information shared in these tweets—documentation of local events across the globe. We also examine opinions shared about youth, the tactic (protest/strike), and climate change, as well as the assignment of blame on government and other institutions for their inaction and compliance in the climate crisis. This global climate strike reflects a trend in international protest events, which are connected through social media and other digital media tools. More broadly, it allows us to rethink how social media platforms are transforming political engagement by offering actors—especially the younger generation—agency through the ability to voice their concerns to a global audience.

Suggested Citation

  • Shelley Boulianne & Mireille Lalancette & David Ilkiw, 2020. "“School Strike 4 Climate”: Social Media and the International Youth Protest on Climate Change," Media and Communication, Cogitatio Press, vol. 8(2), pages 208-218.
    • Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v:8:y:2020:i:2:p:208-218
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    10. Giuliana Sorce, 2022. "The “Greta Effect”: Networked Mobilization and Leader Identification Among Fridays for Future Protesters," Media and Communication, Cogitatio Press, vol. 10(2), pages 18-28.
    11. Viktoriia Tomnyuk & Giuseppe Varavallo & Tania Parisi & Filippo Barbera, 2023. "All Shades of Green: The Anatomy of the Fridays for Future Movement in Italy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(18), pages 1-16, September.
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    14. Cato Waeterloos & Peter Conradie & Michel Walrave & Koen Ponnet, 2021. "Digital Issue Movements: Political Repertoires and Drivers of Participation among Belgian Youth in the Context of ‘School Strike for Climate’," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(17), pages 1-19, September.
    15. Therese Bonnici & Marie Briguglio & Glen William Spiteri, 2023. "Humor Helps: An Experimental Analysis of Pro-Environmental Social Media Communication," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-22, March.
    16. Nisbett, Nicole & Spaiser, Viktoria, 2022. "The Moral Power of Youth Climate Activists - Transforming International Climate Politics?," SocArXiv 5zsra, Center for Open Science.
    17. K.C. Busch & Regina Ayala Chávez, 2022. "Adolescent framings of climate change, psychological distancing, and implications for climate change concern and behavior," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 171(3), pages 1-19, April.
    18. Jarke-Neuert, Johannes & Perino, Grischa & Schwickert, Henrike, 2021. "Free-Riding for Future: Field Experimental Evidence of Strategic Substitutability in Climate Protest," SocArXiv sh6dm, Center for Open Science.
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    20. Marlene Schaaf & Oliver Quiring, 2023. "The Limits of Social Media Mobilization: How Protest Movements Adapt to Social Media Logic," Media and Communication, Cogitatio Press, vol. 11(3), pages 203-213.

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