Communication: Social & Mass Communication Analysis Paper

Climate change is one of the controversial issues surrounding the political, economic, social, and scientific spheres. According to Hulme (2009), there are three main reasons for the current controversy surrounding climate change. The first reason is that the future risks that emanate from human-caused climate are largely undetermined by science. Second, truths do not speak for themselves because world political acts require the passing of scientific facts (Hulme, 2009). Finally, political consternation is required for reconciliation and achievement of diverse goals. That is why organizations such as the National Resource and Defense Council (NRDC) are working to spread awareness about climate change and lobby support for their cause of safeguarding the environment.

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NRDC focus on the protection of the earth’s life support systems such as plants, animals, and natural resources. They combine the insight of more than 3 million members, including approximately 700 scientists, policy advocates, and lawyers from all over the world to ensure the rights of all people to water, air, and the wild (NRDC, 2020). The specific change that the organization is hoping to advance is environmental protection.

Some of the strategies and tools used to produce outcomes include mass education regarding the importance of environmental protection and supporting clean energy solutions worldwide. Then there is helping build sustainable communities that are in tune with their environment. There is also litigation that sees the organization use its available team of lawyers to sue companies and other organizations and making them clean up their environmental pollutions (NRDC, 2020). The organization also conducts add campaigns through video sharing websites such as YoutTube.

Based on the available information, the site is effective in promoting the change and propelling NRDC towards achieving its goals. One of the reasons for such a conclusion is that the website is easily accessible. NRDC.org is one of the leading websites that appear on the first search results in the google search engine for the term “Climate Change.” Servaes (2007), the internet’s primary importance as a tool for communication of social change is that it is a point of access to the global knowledge infrastructure. That means that the site’s SEO mechanics that place it on top of search results is a useful tool for furthering its agenda. The website is also easily navigable, allowing even those with low computer literacy to navigate through the website. However, despite these strengths, the organization can use a few improvements to help it reach its goal.

The first recommendation for the organization is to reduce its over-reliance on electronic media platforms such as YouTube as its primary means of communication. Servaes (2007) indicates that while the internet holds an important place in the global internet infrastructure, access to knowledge requires telecom infrastructure unavailable to poor people. That is especially the case for those living in developing countries that have limited access to electricity and telecommunication network.

Another recommendation is for the organization to leverage the power of social media for more effective communication with members of the public. According to Kapoor et al. (2018), identifying specific segments across social media sites helps organizations target specific customers based on demographic patterns and similar interests. Therefore increasing their social media presence might help them reach the younger generation and not only increase their membership but also spread their message to specific audiences that have the power to influence policies.

Figure SEQ Figure \* ARABIC 1: A screenshot of one of the posts on the NRDC website. (NRDC, 2020)

Figure SEQ Figure \* ARABIC 2: One of the add campaigns by NRDC on YouTube. (NRDCflix, 2020)

References

Hulme, M. (2009). Why we disagree about climate change: Understanding controversy, inaction and opportunity. Cambridge University Press.

Kapoor, K. K., Tamilmani, K., Rana, N. P., Patil, P., Dwivedi, Y. K., & Nerur, S. (2018). Advances in social media research: Past, present, and future. Information Systems Frontiers, 20(3), 531-558. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10796-017-9810-yNRDC. (2020). About us. https://www.nrdc.org/about

NRDCflix. (2020, August 31). 50 years of protecting people and the planet [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cAvNUU3ysc&feature=youtu.be&ab_channel=NRDCflix

Servaes, J. (Ed.). (2007). Communication for development and social change. SAGE Publications India.