Paper Short Abstract:

Here we qualitatively analyze 300 TikTok videos and 10.000 comments in Spanish to interpret discourses, assessing the influence of eco-activists. From a media anthropology perspective, we examine the development of a campaign launched by the UN and TikTok appointing official "climate ambassadors" who produce content as eco-influencers.

Paper Abstract:

This article, as part of a wider EU consortium project on emotions and climate change (CIDAPE), qualitatively analyzes 300 TikTok videos and 10.000 comments in Spanish to interpret digital practices and discourses, as well as assess the influence of eco-activists. From a media anthropology perspective, we examine and interpret the development and success of a campaign launched by the UN and TikTok, consisting of appointing official "climate ambassadors" who produce content as eco-influencers on the platform.

Are these officially appointed creators seen as less legitimized than "self-made" eco-influencers? How do audiences, users, and citizens, who are the same people, react to them? By looking at textual debates around issues such as the Agenda 2030, conscious-consumption, meat-less diets, mobility, and recycling, we aim to better explain how people understand sustainability in their everyday lives and up to what extent their perceptions are impacted by digital content creators.