Media focus on the ecological transition in social networksbue

Abstract

Introduction: Climate change poses a significant threat to society, and as such, it is imperative that the media include raising awareness about the need for an ecological transition as part of their objectives. Given that social media platforms connect millions of people who can act as amplifiers of news on their personal profiles, the treatment of information on these platforms takes on greater importance. This study aims to identify and analyze the focus on ecological transition by six Spanish media outlets on their Instagram and Twitter profiles, which collectively have over 100,000 followers, during the first six months of 2022. Methodology: A content analysis will be conducted on the posts related to ecological transition made by these media outlets on both social media platforms. The analysis will take into consideration various variables, including the percentage of monthly news related to this subject, the most frequently used formats and structures, the approach of the information, the number of likes per post, an analysis of the received comments, content descriptions, and the identification of the most popular entities in this type of information, among other variables. Results: The results indicate that media outlets play a key role in raising awareness about ecological transition in Spain, especially through social media, where they have the ability to inform a large audience instantly. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that media outlets are an essential source of awareness in Spain regarding ecological transition, highlighting their influence on social media. The capacity to inform millions of people instantly makes the media a crucial channel for disseminating information related to ecological transition and raising awareness about climate change.