Politics of Visibility: Climate Narratives on Social Media

Author: Megan Buchovecky

Field of Study: Philosophy, Politics and Law

Program Affiliation: Source Project Research Program

Faculty Mentors: Matthew Cole

Easel: 111

Timeslot: Morning

Abstract: Social media has emerged as a tool for climate activism. Online, climate change is frequently framed as a generational issue, since emissions and extraction peaked within lifetimes of older generations and young people will bear the brunt of the consequences. At the local level, organizations strive to uplift community voices and spread awareness of isolated climate injustices. This project will explore the varied approaches of framing climate-related posts on social media, critically comparing the way social media magnifies youth-led climate initiatives while struggles of frontline communities and systemic problems elude public perception. Specifically, it will analyze the gap between conversation online and the realities of frontline communities and explore the way social media reproduces unequal visibility, influencing what content gets amplified. The study will examine trends in rhetoric of climate organizations through discourse analysis of posts on TikTok, X, and Instagram to identify patterns in representation and engagement, highlighting limitations of digital climate activism.