Tracking the release of IPCC AR5 on Twitter: Users, comments, and sources following the release of the Working Group I Summary for Policymakers

Public Underst Sci. 2017 Oct;26(7):815-825. doi: 10.1177/0963662516628477. Epub 2016 Feb 11.

Abstract

Using the immediate release of the Working Group 1 Summary for Policymakers of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Fifth Assessment Report as a case study, this article seeks to describe what type of actors were most active during the summary release, the substance of the most propagated tweets during the summary release, and the media sources that attracted the most attention during the summary release. The results from the study suggest that non-elite actors, such as individual bloggers and concerned citizens, accounted for the majority of the most propagated tweets in the sample. This study also finds that the majority of the most propagated tweets in the sample focused on public understanding of the report. Finally, while mainstream media sources were the most frequently discussed media sources, a number of new media and science news and information sources compete for audience attention.

Keywords: IPCC; climate change; science communication; social media; twitter.

MeSH terms

  • Climate Change*
  • Environmental Policy
  • International Agencies*
  • Mass Media
  • Public Opinion*
  • Social Media* / statistics & numerical data