September 8, 2010

Communicating Climate Change

As tens of thousands flocked last December to Copenhagen for the United Nations Climate Change Conference, Maggie MacAulay was among them.

Once there, the MA student in Communication Studiesbought a cheap cell phone to observe how environmental non-governmental organizations and protesters communicated using social media, specifically Web 2.0 sites such as Twitter and Facebook. The Winnipeg native also interviewed 20 activists, journalists and communications practitioners.

MacAulay’s research became a case study for her MA thesis, which she successfully defended in July 2010.

Her findings were surprising.

“I had an idea [advocacy groups] would be using these new technologies to mobilize people on the ground,” explains MacAulay. Her expectations were supported by literature, which emphasized the conversational and tactical uses of Web 2.0.

“But when I get there, it [Web 2.0] was used more as a tool to
promote and disseminate information, particularly mainstream news reports” says MacAulay, who continues her studies this fall as a PhD student at Simon Fraser University.

MacAulay’s MA thesis grew out of a larger project headed by Josh Greenberg. The associate professor of Communication Studies recruited MacAulay as a research assistant for his SSHRC-funded project on the public relations and climate change debate in Canada.

“Maggie’s thesis focused on a particular aspect of the project—how advocacy groups use social technology,” says Greenberg, MacAulay’s supervisor.

According to the professor, his student’s research made significant contributions to existing research on social media and the broader understanding of climate change communication.

Greenberg adds: “Maggie’s work not only enhances what we know about Web 2.0 and climate change activism, it also provides insight for advocacy groups on the benefits and limitations of new media.”

Share: Twitter, Facebook