New social movements and digital activism: The role of environmental movements in raising climate crisis awareness

This study addresses the issue of identifying the role of environmental movement actors' digital activism activities in raising awareness of the climate crisis. Within the framework of new social movement theory, the aim is to determine the environmental movement actors' methods of combating the climate crisis, their roles in policy-making processes, their organisational practices, forms of action and strategies, and their digital activism activities. The main objective of the study is to determine the role of environmental movement actors' digital activism activities in raising awareness of the climate crisis. As a qualitative case study designed to determine the role of environmental movement actors' digital activism activities in raising awareness of the climate crisis, semi-structured interviews were conducted online with 25 movement actors who actively produce content on social media platforms. Data obtained from participants were analysed using the qualitative approach method with the MAXQDA qualitative analysis programme. It was determined that the digital activism activities of environmental movement actors play an effective role in raising awareness of the climate crisis. Individual actions carried out through daily life practices and social media contribute to increasing social awareness on environmental issues, while this awareness, which begins at the individual level, will evolve into community-based actions and contribute to the development of collective action. Digital activism facilitates effective communication with younger generations who will be directly affected by the climate crisis. The fact that young people are both content producers and the target audience increases the capacity to raise awareness in digital media. However, it is emphasised that existing campaigns and movements need to be supported and that collective support, rather than individual production, will yield effective results. In raising awareness and combating the climate crisis, it is stressed that focusing solely on individual behavioural changes is insufficient; structural elements such as global inequalities, national and international policies, and systemic structures must also be comprehensively addressed. In this context, adopting a holistic approach to the climate crisis is of paramount importance.