Paper short abstract:

This presentation applies code studies to environmental communication and explores the challenges of environmental NGOs acting as environmental data brokers through the application of web scraping techniques, tracing the socio-techno-natural-political networks conditioning their activity.

Paper long abstract:

In an era marked by information superabundance and fragmentation, environmental communication faces both unprecedented challenges and transformative opportunities. This presentation explores how different social actors, particularly non-governmental organizations (NGOs), act as data brokers by harnessing web scraping techniques to aggregate dispersed data and pursue sustainability agendas. From the perspective of software studies, the paper investigates two cases: one regarding air quality data and the other regarding water quality data. The methodology draws from code studies, ethnography and interviews. The first case study regards an Italian citizen association scraping dispersed air quality data from various online sources to supplement their its own DIY monitoring network. The second case study focuses on the failure of another Italian citizen initiative to aggregate water quality data through web scraping. Both cases showcase the techno-social webs that propel and limit such approaches in fragmented information landscapes. We highlight how web scraping proves instrumental - often the only solution - to provide vital aggregation of dispersed environmental data, enabling NGOs to craft targeted and impactful communication strategies, fostering public awareness and engagement. At the same time, we identify material and immaterial costs and challenges associated with web scraping, including ethical considerations, data accuracy issues, and legal implications. This new role of NGOs as environmental information brokers emerge therefore as risky, expensive and marked with significant tradeoffs.