Impact of Social Media in the Promotion of Climate Change Adaptation Actions: Case of the Use of LinkedIn by Climate Change Advocates in Kenya

Abstract

As climate change increasingly threatens communities worldwide, effective communication and advocacy strategies are essential for fostering adaptation actions. Social media platforms offer unique opportunities for engaging diverse audiences and mobilizing collective efforts towards addressing climate-related challenges. The objectives of this study were (i) to assess utilization of diverse LinkedIn features by climate change advocates in their quest to promote adoption of climate change adaptation actions in Kenya and (ii) to analyze the extent of agenda setting through LinkedIn by climate change advocates in their quest to promote adoption of climate change adaptation actions in Kenya. Diffusion of innovations theory and agenda setting theory guided the study. The target audience was made up of Kenyan climate change advocates who were actively participating in LinkedIn campaigns to adapt to climate change. Purposive sampling was used to select 32 profiles, and data was collected from 6 advocacy accounts, 6 advocates, and 14 followers through interviews, focusing on those actively engaging with LinkedIn posts. An interview guide and content analysis code were used as data collection instruments. Data presentation and analysis was done using thematic narratives guided by the study objectives. The study discovered that climate change advocates in Kenya made considerable use of a variety of LinkedIn features in their efforts to encourage Kenyans to adopt climate change adaptation measures, including the use of content format (text posts, articles, photos, and videos), engagement metrics (likes, shares, and comments), and post frequency. Most of the climate change advocates were found to have posted with a moderate to high frequency. The large number of shares and likes and comments by users also suggested that there was a high level of interaction with the climate advocacy posts. Regarding LinkedIn features, the findings indicate that multi-image posts featured posts and single-image posts had the highest engagement by having the highest number of shares, likes and comments. The findings also indicate that a bigger percentage of the posts emphasized on the topical issue of policy advocacy on climate change, with emphasis on sustainable operations and activities. The findings also show that majority of the messages were positively framed. Based on the results, the study suggests that social media should be aggressively exploited to educate and inspire young people to adopt a more environmentally conscious stance.