Social media deployment in climate change advocacy in South Africa: the case of Living Limpopo and Earthlife Africa organisations

Abstract

Social media has become a key tool for climate change advocacy, allowing environmental advocacy organisations to shape public attention, share information, and mobilise communities. In South Africa, where climate impacts are severe and access to information is unequal, effective communication is essential. Underpinned by the agenda-setting theory and media richness theory, this study investigates the deployment of social media in climate change advocacy in South Africa, using Living Limpopo and Earthlife Africa as case studies. How Living Limpopo and Earthlife Africa use social media for climate change advocacy, why they use social media for climate change advocacy, as well as the milestones and constraints they face in using social media for climate change advocacy, are the core questions in this study. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and textual/content analysis of social media platform posts. An interview guide was used to collect data from participants, while a code sheet was used to collect data from social media platforms. In this study, content analysis was employed to complement the findings obtained from interviews. The findings show that both organisations use social media to raise awareness, promote public education, and mobilise audiences around advocacy campaigns. The use of rich media formats such as images, videos, and infographics improves message clarity and audience engagement. However, limited resources, inconsistent posting, and digital inequalities affect the effectiveness of communication. The study concludes that social media is a vital agenda-setting and advocacy tool when integrated with rich media and supported by offline engagement in the South African context.