University of Twente Student Theses
Riding the Climate Wave on Reddit : A Study of the Emotional Landscape of Climate Change on Reddit
Ziegert, I.A. (2023) Riding the Climate Wave on Reddit : A Study of the Emotional Landscape of Climate Change on Reddit.
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| Abstract: | This study investigates how individuals discursively construct their emotions about climate change and how they engage in emotional discourse within the online community in the subreddit r/sustainability on Reddit. By adopting a discourse analytical and constructionist standpoint, a diverse range of emotional responses within six broader emotional discourses have been observed. These are the Discourse of Personal Engagement and Emotional Variability, the Discourse of Perceived Irreparability and Lack of Control, the Discourse of Criticism and Discontent, the Discourse of Structural Critique and Shared Responsibility, the Discourse of Empowered Action and Optimistic Outlook, and the Discourse of Dismissiveness and Trivialisation. The results illustrate that the commentators on Reddit most frequently constructed feelings of hopelessness within the Discourse of Perceived Irreparability and Lack of Control, whereas emotional detachment within the Discourse of Dismissiveness and Trivialisation was not as prevalent in the data. The findings reflect the multifaceted and complex nature of climate emotions and how they are constructed on Reddit. Commentators construct their climate emotions based on personal views and experiences related to the climate crisis. Overall, the constructed climate emotions in this study are predominantly negative, and they are often individualising as they are most frequently about the individual’s own feelings and not about them as part of a collective community. Thus, this research highlights the necessity for specific interventions designed to stimulate collective engagement and emotional resilience in tackling this global climate emergency. |
| Item Type: | Essay (Master) |
| Faculty: | BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences |
| Subject: | 77 psychology |
| Programme: | Psychology MSc (66604) |
| Link to this item: | https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/97113 |
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