The voices and actions of child activists against the climate crisis

Abstract

Aim. The work has as main objective to present some of the actions of children considered activists to face the climate crisis through social media. Technologies and social media allow them a new form of existence and action through their posts, whether is in video, photo or text format, promoting interactions and discussions that captivate hundreds or thousands of followers. Methods. Data collection was carried out from a digital ethnography, analysing the social media and linked news in the media of 13 children from different countries (Australia, United States, India, Holland, England, Indonesia, South Africa, Uganda and Sweden) over an 18-month period. Results. To understand the data, digital ethnography was used as a strategy to follow the main interactions and online mobilisations through different social media (Facebook, Instagram and Twitter), as well as linked news in the media about those children, and articulation of them with governmental, non-governmental organizations and private companies. In relation to the selection of participants, the pro􀃀 le of a child activist was added and through the algorithms of these platforms other activists with similar pro􀃀 les were found that promote content about climate justice. Conclusions. It was possible to identify that the Internet has enabled the visibility and articulation of children’s actions on the theme, and how this engagement has promoted awareness and changes to 􀃀 ght against the climate crisis. It is worth emphasising the importance of digital literacy so that access to these spaces is carried out safely and responsibly for this social group.