Environmental politics

Could social media in Greece foster the ground for an alternative environmental agenda?

Authors

  • Ioanna Archontaki National & Kapodistrian University of Athens
  • Achilleas Karadimitriou National & Kapodistrian University of Athens
  • Iliana Giannouli National & Kapodistrian University of Athens
  • Stylianos Papathanassopoulos National & Kapodistrian University of Athens

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.51480/1899-5101.17.3(37).631

Keywords:

climate change, legacy media, social media, environmental issues, climate news

Abstract

The sharing of news across various social media platforms has become an integral part of our daily information intake. But our understanding of the specific types of environmental news stories that gain widespread traction across diverse media platforms remains limited. In our study we examine the most popular posts appearing on Facebook and Twitter for a three-month period (September – November 2021). Our research revealed that social media users predominantly depend on traditional media outlets rather than seeking information from alternative news sources. The news shared on social media platforms primarily originates from political actors and institutions, either in the form of statements or press releases. This content tends to focus on the societal and economic implications of the crisis. Consequently, despite the unquestionable importance of the climate crisis, social media in Greece has not yet managed to establish an alternative narrative or agenda surrounding this issue.

Author Biographies

Achilleas Karadimitriou, National & Kapodistrian University of Athens

Achilleas Karadimitriou is Adjunct Lecturer at the Department of Communication and Media Studies of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. In 2022 he completed his post-doc research on public service media platforms in Europe focusing on the media markets of the UK, Denmark and Greece. He holds a Ph.D. Degree in Policy and Organisation of Public Service Television in the European communication field awarded by the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.

Iliana Giannouli, National & Kapodistrian University of Athens

Iliana Giannouli is a journalist and holds a PhD degree in communication studies awarded by the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. Her dissertation focuses on the foreign correspondents based in Greece and their occupational culture. Her research interests include international news, international journalistic culture and EU journalism.

Stylianos Papathanassopoulos, National & Kapodistrian University of Athens

Stylianos Papathanassopoulos is a Professor of Media Organization and Policy at the Department of Communication and Media Studies, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece. He has participated as a partner in various EU funded projects, the most recent “Euromedia Ownership Monitor and the Horizon 2020 Project “European Media Platforms: Assessing Positive and Negative Externalities for European Culture”. He has written extensively on European and Greek media and he is the author and editor of numerous books.

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CEJC vol17 no3(37) SPRING 2024 COVER

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Published

2024-12-30

How to Cite

Archontaki, I., Karadimitriou, A. ., Giannouli, I., & Papathanassopoulos, S. (2024). Environmental politics: Could social media in Greece foster the ground for an alternative environmental agenda?. Central European Journal of Communication, 17(3(37), 332-348. https://doi.org/10.51480/1899-5101.17.3(37).631

Issue

Vol. 17 No. 3(37) (2024): Spring 2024

Section

Scientific Papers

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