Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/usfwspacific/16813892287
Read about the impact of the rise of social media on the wildlife on Earth. Understand how this influence plays out for the future of the planet.
Social media has completely changed how humans relate with one another and with the rest of the society, from individual relationships to worldwide movements. One of the more exciting effects of social media is its contribution to the cause of wildlife. Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and TikTok have emerged as wonderful tools in creating awareness for wildlife, but it has also created some risks that jeopardize the very animals that these mediums seek to help.
Raising Awareness
The World Wide Web contains the accounts and participation of several people with brave hearts who are still waging a war for the betterment of the planet and for its silent fauna. These online resources are used by them to raise awareness about every issue and news related to the flora and the fauna.
One of the key components of conservation does fundraising. The analysis of social marketing services such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, etc., has allowed us to choose the right communication tools to tell strangers about our rescue animals.
It is undoubted that social media has great capacity to change the perception of the society and so it can be used positively to influence policy, law and their implementation. In replicable situations with widespread exposure, social media can quicken the passing of laws as well as enhance cooperation in the defence of endangered wildlife. In addition to this, social media has played an important role in promoting essential campaigns to the relevant stakeholders. And it has also brought together people who have similar thoughts and opinions to form a large community.
Citizen Science
Another endeavour that has been supported by these social media platforms and the increase in usage of the Internet is to introduction of the latest conservation technologies developed to stimulate active people dealing with animal protection in mind.
Social media has emerged as an important tool of crowdsourcing where all members of the public can help out with some research work. Apps such as iNaturalist allows one to snap and upload pictures of animals they find and assists in the sharing of information to scientists about the location of certain species, evaluating the health of certain ecological areas, and tracking changes in populations of certain organisms. The information this data provides is very useful to conservationists and researchers.
More of such citizen projects are underway and the creation of such items can help the community get first-hand experience of how the protection programs work.
What psychology tells us
The overall impact of this whole attempt has been so positive that several research articles have been published to understand the complete phenomenon better. Today we have a few psychological terms that act as a link between the human psyche and their involvement in matter of nature:
- We have Cognitive dissonance which refers to a situation which “involves conflicting attitudes, beliefs, or behaviours. The feeling of discomfort can lead to an alteration in ones’ attitudes, beliefs, or behaviours to reduce said discomfort.” This phenomenon explains the link between plastic pollution awareness and the consequent positive response on social media.
- Another such term is Humoristic Persuasion which was observed in the case of influencers who were using comedic stances to keep the audience engaged and aware about what is going on.
- The Streisand Effect is “an example of a psychological reaction whereby the suppression or censorship of information has the unintended consequence of stimulating a greater demand for that information.”
- The Consumer’s doppelganger effect is all about a situation “whereby individuals consciously mimic others’ consumption behaviour to look or behave like those they admire. If the consumers’ preferences or beliefs are not (well) formed yet, they are especially likely to select options based on what other people are choosing.” Videos of animals doing cute and admirable things go more viral as people on the net try to mimic them. This generates more views and more awareness as well.
- Endorsement done by public figures and celebrities also helps out a lot. For instance, Actor Leonardo DiCaprio asked his Twitter following to ask the Mexican President to take action for the protection of the critically endangered vaquita porpoise. More than 200,000 people mailed the president and consequently, a new conservation measure was passed for the species.
- Social Media proof refers to “the phenomenon in which people copy the actions of others because they assume this action is “acceptable” if other people are doing it. Related to social media, the number of followers, likes, views, or positive comments on a given post can play a role in influencing user perceptions.” This can have both positive as well as negative influence on people’s decisions.
- Using good and powerful image works wonders on the “emotional side” of people and has a profound impact on how they perceive information on the net. This is known as the Effect of Visual Content.
- Lastly, we have the Confirmation Bias which is when people feel inclined to “give preference to information that confirms their existing belief(s).” Again, this particular thinking process can have negative impacts too.
Never just good
But nothing is completely good- there’s always a little bit of good in evil and evil in good. Similarly, as opposed to the many benefits of using social media, there are some risks, we need to look out for as well:
- Social media platforms and quick access to the internet has made illegal trading and species exploitation extremely easy. The large number of users on these platforms makes it difficult to keep track or manage finding poaching groups. The right kind of tools for this specific purpose haven’t been made yet.
- Influencers post about a lot of things. Many of these things go viral and crowds rush to experience what the influencer had. This is true for the case of protected wildlife areas as well. People have started going to such areas in big numbers which has resulted in an increase of pressure and overstimulation for the animals there.
- Since, there is no official body looking out for every rumour on the net, it is hard to keep track of and bash misinformation. This also includes looking out for other similar anti-conservation behaviours which are just as tough to manage.
All in all, we have a lot to take care of. Everyone can start by reporting bad behaviour they find on the internet and creators, especially, need to make sure that they are creating accurate and well-regulated stuff to put on the net where it will stay forever.
A few efforts will go a long way!
Resources
- Roy, S. (2023, August 24). Role Of Social Media In Conservation. Wildlife SOS. https://wildlifesos.org/chronological-news/role-of-social-media-in-conservation/
- Kirkpatrick, K. (2015, November 12). More Than a Hashtag: Can Social Media Help Save Endangered Species? HowStuffWorks; HowStuffWorks. https://animals.howstuffworks.com/endangered-species/social-media-help-endangered-species.htm
- Wu, Y., Xie, L., Huang, S.-L., Li, P., Yuan, Z., & Liu, W. (2018). Using social media to strengthen public awareness of wildlife conservation. Ocean & Coastal Management, 153, 76–83. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2017.12.010
Evaluating the benefits and risks of social media for wildlife conservation. (2022). FACETS. https://www.facetsjournal.com/doi/full/10.1139/facets-2021-0112
