Informal Environmental Education and Green Citizenship: Greenfluencers and Romanian Gen Z’s Eco-Conscious Social Media Practices

This empirical study investigates how social media “greenfluencers†– content creators who promote environmental awareness and sustainable living through their online platforms – contribute to informal environmental education and the shaping of green citizenship among Romanian Gen Z by motivating the display of eco-conscious attitudes and environmental responsibility online. Through focus group discussions and a survey of 395 respondents, we assessed young people’s trust in greenfluencers, their criteria for following environmental content creators, and their willingness to post such content themselves as part of their green civic identity. Results show that, despite heavy daily engagement with social media and consistent following of influencers, most Romanian Gen Zers feel that greenfluencers have limited success in raising awareness and changing behaviors. Although many respondents feel empowered to tackle climate change, they hesitate to share environmental content on their social media pages. This reluctance highlights their distrust of social media platforms and their wish to avoid being perceived as influencers. Our findings reveal important challenges for leveraging social media in informal environmental education and fostering active green citizenship among youth in Romania.