Using social media as a tool to encourage pro-environmental action in families

To stem the acceleration of global warming, the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has emphasized the need for individual or small groups to change their lifestyle and consumption patterns to more sustainable alternatives. This study looked the transitioning to a more sustainable lifestyle at the family level, as in many countries and culture, the family is considered the basic unit of social organization. Elements of the digital space, such as social media platforms, can help families live more sustainably by encouraging them to take pro-environmental actions like turning off the lights or recycling. However, there is a lack of research regarding the use of technology in facilitating pro-environmental behavior change in families. To address this, the researchers investigated how the use of social media could bridge the gap between intent and action in families interested in living sustainably. Specifically, the researchers looked at the influence of Facebook versus email on reducing electricity consumption among urban families.

A total of 39 families from two Canadian cities, Montreal and Moncton participated in the four-month study from 2016-2018. Families in Montreal were recruited through a family bulletin put out by the Parents' Committee of the Montreal School Board and families in Moncton were recruited through email. The chosen families were similar in socioeconomic status, specifically the upper-middle class, and family structure, with two parents and at least one school-aged child. They were divided into two similarly sized groups: one group received content from a private Facebook group (social media group), and the other group received content via email (email group). Both groups received the same content, which consisted of information and counsel on issues related to climate change and specifically on how to reduce their dependence on electricity at home. The content was provided to each group by an “expert family” that was well versed in household energy consumption reduction. The expert family served as the group facilitator on behalf of the researchers and was not involved in the study. The social media group was able to interact with one another on Facebook, but the email group only was able to email the group facilitator, not one another, in response to content. The researchers conducted a statistical analysis of Facebook posts and comments to measure activity in the social media group. To measure activity in the email group, they analyzed the frequency of email responses to the group facilitator. The researchers then calculated the amount of electricity each family used and compared it to the previous year to determine if their use of social media had an impact on their energy consumption. They conducted 32 exit interviews to understand the experiences of the families as they adopted pro-environmental actions.

The researchers found that there was more activity in the social media group than the email group. The families from the social media group also decreased their electricity consumption (measured through monthly electricity bill) more than that of the email group, albeit only by a marginal amount. The researchers also noted a positive association between the amount of electricity saved and the Facebook activity of each family in the social media group. These results demonstrated that social media engagement can aid in pro-environmental change, specifically energy usage reduction at the family level.

Families from both the social media and email groups reported higher levels of environmental awareness in their exit interviews. The families from the social media group, however, demonstrated more pro-environmental behaviors, as evidenced by their higher energy consumption savings. Families also reported having more family conversations about environmental topics in this group. The study found that children had higher level of participation in the social media group than the email group, and were more involved in energy reduction actions. This suggests that social media is a better tool for engaging the children of families than email. The social media group also mentioned that they felt a sense of support from other families within the social network.

The salient limitation of this study is that it does not apply to all families. The results are likely limited to families of similar structure, socioeconomic class, and/or geographic location. Many families may not have the same level of access to technology and social media or time to engage in such an initiative. Families who agreed to participate in this study were likely already interested in sustainability, thus, engagement strategies may need to differ depending on a family's initial interest in sustainability. Another limitation is that the researchers measured the level of activity in each group using distinct measurements. Facebook's “Like” and “Comment” buttons create more convenient opportunities for activity than sending out an email. The activity level of each group, therefore, may not be directly comparable.

The results of this study support incorporating either social media or email technology into pro-environmental behavior initiatives at the family level. This could aid in increasing pro-environmental behaviors in family households. To better engage children in such initiatives, these results suggest that using interactive social media platforms such as Facebook is preferable to email.