Online media positively influences your believes of climate change and its human

In addition, the effects of using new or user-generated media (e.g., sources on the internet, like social media or blogs) on believing that climate change is real and caused by humans is twice as big when compared to traditional or centralized media. According to VU-scientists Marit Bogert (ecology and science communication, principal investigator) Jacek Buczny (organizational psychology), Jeffrey Harvey and Jacintha Ellers (ecology and evolution): “Using media positively influences your climate change beliefs to be in line with scientific consensus, but using online media is much more effective.” The results are published in Environmental Communication.

These results indicate the importance of fostering trust in scientific findings and making effective choices in media types when communicating about climate change. “In simple terms, our study shows that, all known studies combined, trusting science and choosing where you get your information are important in shaping someone’s climate change opinion”, says Bogert. “So, next time you see a climate change post on social media or watch the news, remember that your choices can shape not just what you believe, but also our collective understanding of this important issue”, says Bogert.

Effectiveness of online media
New media are more interactive and may therefore be more effective in conveying information. For example, most people prefer watching videos over reading a long news article. Content on social media may reduce psychological distance to the issue, because the content you see is already filtered and adapted to your preferences, so it already may frame the issue in a way that is more accessible or personal for a certain individual.

There is research that indicates that the filter bubbles and echo chamber effects are not as strong as is often assumed and that echo chambers on one platform don't necessarily translate to other platforms. “Since people often use multiple media sources and platforms, chances are small they are caught in the same echo chambers everywhere. So online media diets may be more varied than thought”, says Bogert.

Climate change and opinions
In the complex landscape of opinions surrounding climate change, a consensus gap exists between scientific and public opinion on the existence and causes of this issue. 97% of scientists agree that climate change is happening and caused by humans, but among the public in many countries the percentage of belief in climate change is much lower.

In their research, Bogert, Buczny, Harvey, and Ellers wanted to understand why, so they looked into two factors that may influence people’s perceptions of climate change: 1) how much people trust science and 2) what media sources they use. “Our investigation compared and synthesized the results of many studies into a meta-analysis, where we look at all the results of existing studies, and extract the overall effect of trust in science and media use on someone’s climate change beliefs”, Bogert says.