ANNOUNCEMENTS
As we traverse a period of extreme warming globally, the need to mainstream the adverse impacts of climate crisis along with adaptation techniques. While traditional media is fighting to stay relevant, unbiased, engaging and responsive today, we need to tap into the fruits of the Digital Revolution. Social media influencers (SMIs) are evolving as thought leaders through innovating storytelling and developing parasocial connections with their audiences as youth depend on these platforms for their daily news. This study adopts a case study approach to explore “how” mainstream Indian social media influencers are packaging climate and how their audience is reacting to the same. The study reveals that social media influencers package their content differently using narrative engagement, problem framing, stakeholder feedback and call-to-action among many other techniques. An analysis of the early engagement highlights that integrating climate messaging in their content can increase the overall performance of their content, increase audience interest and awareness (regarding the cause), while doing better than non-influencer led climate campaigns. These insights must be taken into consideration while planning climate messaging and lead to policy interventions in better integrating mainstream social media influencers in the same.
Keywords: Climate communication, social media influencers, audience engagement.
