FAITH MATHEI.

EH209/1989/2021.

CJM 304 - RESEARCH PROJECT.

DR. LIDUBWI.

INFLUENCE OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON CLIMATE CHANGE AWARENESS IN KIHARU SUB COUNTY,

MURANG'A COUNTY.

ABSTRACT.

The purpose of the research on the influence of social media on climate change in Murang'a is to
investigate the role in of social media in shaping attitudes and creating awareness on climate change
around Murang'a County. This research will help understand how social media platforms such as
Facebook, Instagram and Twitter contribute to the dissemination of climate related information on
environmental issues.

The study will employ a mixed-methodology approach. A combination of qualitative research and
quantitative research. On the quantitative analysis, content and temporal analysis will be used to
determine what people are saying and sharing on social media about climate change and when the
people are most active on social media talking about climate change. On qualitative analysis, in-depth
interviews, focus groups and open-ended surveys will be conducted. Interviews will be one on one with
concerned authorities and residents.

The research us based in the agenda-setting and medium theories. These theories will help shape
perceptions of climate by highlighting specific aspects and how communication channels shape content
and influence the information shared on social media. Through the application of these theories to the
context of Murang'a, the study aims at providing an understanding on how social media platforms
contribute to the prioritization of climate change issues in the area, influencing public awareness on
climate change and engagement with environmental issues and concerns.
CHAPTER 1.0: INTRODUCTION.

1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY.

Social media, as defined by Schultze (2009), encompasses a diverse array of online tools and platforms
designed to facilitate communication and information sharing for both individuals and businesses.
Gould's characterization of social networks underscores their role as digital spaces where members
contribute and consume content (Gould, year). Notably, Weinraitian's establishment of SIX Degrees in
1997 marks a significant milestone in the evolution of social media platforms (Author, year).

In the realm of environmental discourse, the convergence of "Climate Change and the Media," as
discussed by Nimish (2011), highlights the critical nexus between media representation and public
understanding of pressing issues like climate change. Media platforms serve not only to disseminate
information but also to shape public perceptions and catalyze action, as underscored by Shahannan's
(2011) and Rani's (2011) works on climate change education and advocacy.

As society increasingly turns to social media as a primary source of news and information, Mitchell et al.
(2018) note the platform's unique capacity to empower users in curating their information feeds and
engaging in real-time discourse. However, Bond et al. (2012) suggest that concerns over privacy and
information overload may prompt some individuals to opt out of social media usage.

Furthermore, the influence of social media extends beyond mere information dissemination. Anderson
(2017) posits that these platforms serve as catalysts for problem exploration and knowledge exchange,
thereby shaping public discourse and attitudes towards complex issues like climate change. The
proliferation of social media platforms has consequently spurred scholarly inquiry into the societal
implications of this digital revolution.

First, public opinion provides the public's interest and motivation to conduct research. Second, while soc
ial media creates challenges in establishing communication hierarchies, research organizations, and jour
nals, it also enables people to reach more people in ways never seen before. Finally, social media create
s and provides a wealth of information that can be analyzed. The availability of this information varies b
etween different social media platforms.

Researchers using these platforms can easily access data using terms such as username and keyword. T
witter and Instagram are the most suitable platforms for climate change awareness. Twitter is defined as
a digital forum where the public can explore and discuss scientific topics (Anderson, 2017). Research con
ducted on Twitter offers users the opportunity to obtain information and opinions on issues such as clim
ate change (Zhang and Lee, 2014).

In a diverse information ecosystem, individuals may be selected to present news and information that is
clearly biased. This is a particularly concerning issue on social media. While news media generally reduce
s psychological distress from the main issues of the day (H1), research shows that this effect is not consis
tent across groups. Research supports the idea that people use political reasoning when responding to n
ews, both in terms of news selection and news impact. Moreover, content analysis of international mod
els shows that media participants view the climate debate as ambiguous (Saphiro, 2018) or have unrelia
ble sources about science (painter, 2012).

Opinions can be collected because online conversations are voluntarily created and shared by users and
can now be verified (Jang and Hart, 2015). Social media platforms often appear to subvert media standa
rds, reducing the influence of mainstream media outlets and allowing non-mainstream actors to play a g
reater role in shaping public opinion, so much so that media has emerged as an important factor. Lately.
focus. Fake news (Herzog, 2016). Many studies have tracked these top users following major UN climate
change events, such as the Conference of the Parties (COP) or the publication of the IPCC documents (H
olmberg & Hellsten, 2016).

While 2012 data shows that climate skeptics are not given enough importance on social media, they also
show that there is interest in this information when it is featured in important news. Influential users fro
m various sources. Newman analyzed the 100 most retweeted posts in 2017 and found that 35% of twe
ets came from non-core users.

Climate change is a long-term change in weather statistics that spans decades to millions of years. Year.
Namrata Raut said that climate change projections show that precipitation and temperature will increas
e and change in the 21st century, water levels in basins will decrease, and water rains and floods will occ
ur across the country.

Polarization has long been a topic of interest in the climate change literature, and scholars have drawn a
ttention to political polarization on the issue (Kahan et al., 2012). Again, this issue is constantly on the ag
enda in social media literature, but this is not the case. Surprisingly, many scientists follow climate chang
e on Twitter.

A study on public relations in the USA shows that alarmist and skeptical voices about climate change attr
act media attention. However, Antilla's 2005 findings of newspaper articles from 2003 to 2004 and analy
sis of articles published in major US media between 1986 and 1995 show that "scientific ignorance" and
the leading representation of climate change are fraught with skepticism and controversy.

This situation is contrary to the opinion of Olausson (2009: 429), who found a "decision" regarding the e
xistence of global warming in Swedish newspapers between 2004 and 2005. The "risk creation" study co
nducted in Germany after the publication of the 2007 IPCC report pointed in the same direction in the p
opular media's handling of climate change.

Peters and Heinrichs found in 2008 that media coverage of climate change was consistent with the stanc
e of the scientific community documented in the IPCC document. Gramelsberger (2007) reaches a differ
ent point. Analyzes texts from the 1960s to the present. He believes that the epistemological perspectiv
e of science and journalism is not good: on the one hand, the accuracy of computer-based scientific pred
iction models is better, while on the other hand it provides greater confidence in research results. It is p
ossible that it differs from the general estimate and many factors are worth considering.

This present circumstance is in opposition to the assessment of Olausson (2009: 429), who saw as a
"choice" with respect to the presence of an Earth-wide temperature boost in Swedish papers
somewhere in the range of 2004 and 2005. The "risk creation" concentrate on led in Germany after the
distribution of the 2007 IPCC report pointed in similar heading in the famous media's treatment of
environmental change. Peters and Heinrichs found in 2008 that media inclusion of environmental
change was steady with the position of mainstream researchers archived in the IPCC record.
Gramelsberger (2007) arrives at an alternate point. Breaks down messages from the 1960s to the
present. He accepts that the epistemological viewpoint of science and reporting isn't great: from one
perspective, the precision of PC based logical forecast models is better, while then again it gives more
prominent trust in research results. It is conceivable that it contrasts from the general gauge and many
elements merit considering. This thus had the impact that some of the early fiasco situations must be
reconsidered and shrouded in a more nuanced way: the discoveries of environment research were
depicted as less horrendous than in the first place. Gramelsberger (2007) contends that because of
these progressions in media revealing perusers would most likely be more suspicious about bad
forecasts of environment scientists.

Peters and Heinrichs (2008) conjectured comparative impacts. As per their contentions, even single
explanations in the press which sort the outcomes of environmental change as less emotional or prevent
the impact from getting humanity on environmental change could make read-ers uncertain about how
authentic logical forecasts of environmental change truly are.

Late exploration has found a determined presence of mockery in environmental change correspondence
on twitter, (Anderson, 2017). These qualities are more connected with environment doubters. The
connection between environmental change mindfulness and web-based entertainment has gotten a ton
of insightful consideration especially in 2016 to 2017 As indicated by Mirriam Fernandez, environmental
change is currently generally acknowledged as a significant danger to universes biology, wellbeing,
security and economy. Pressure has been expanding on government and strategy creators to alleviate
the serious and quickly developing effect of environmental change. This was a reason for holding the
Unified Countries 2015 Paris environment meeting which created severe Public and worldwide fossil fuel
byproduct decrease targets Regularly, individuals don't comprehend the relationship between's their
singular way of behaving and its worldwide effect this misjudging their ability to impact environment
changes.
The Cambridge College says that a great many people's contemplations regarding world perspectives are
molded by what they see and hear in the established press which comprises basically customary vehicle
of correspondence, for example, TV, radio and papers rather than the web. The reasons for
environmental change can be separated into two classes, human and normal causes. It is currently a
worldwide worry that the climatic changes happening today have been speeded up due to human
exercises. The regular changeability and the climatic variances of the environment framework have been
in every case part of the world's set of experiences be that as it may, there have been changes in
convergence of ozone harming substances developing at unpresented rate and greatness, (Krishna
Kalra, 2008).

The adolescent have not been left in environmental change, in this manner, clinicians are very much
positioned to perceive the psychosocial factors related with environmental change for youngsters and
subsequently have an obligation to be engaged with answers for emerging issues (Clayton, 2020). An
extensive survey via virtual entertainment correspondence on environmental change (Pearce, and
Sánchez, 2019) states we really want more subjective examination and recognizes that youngsters are as
of now prohibited from the current information base since there are no investigations that report on
their favored virtual entertainment stages, like Instagram and Snapchat. Research from the Seat
Exploration Center demonstrates youths use YouTube (85%), Instagram (72%) and Snapchat (69%) the
most, trailed by Facebook (51%; 2018). To investigate the point of interaction between environmental
change and web-based entertainment revealing for youngsters to illuminate understanding regarding
youngsters' encounters to advanced detailing of the issue, virtual entertainment measurements were
examined.

In the Assembled Realm and numerous different nations all over the planet, youngsters have driven
social developments to focus on environmental change issues in approach (Marris, 2019), in spite of the
fact that they have been generally side-lined at political and strategy levels (Ojala, 2015). A new report
investigating youth activism and hit activity with youngsters via virtual entertainment found that while
data was spread broadly, somewhat little Tweet and microblog content zeroed in on preparation
(Boulianne, 2020). A more powerful way to deal with preparation has all the earmarks of being sharing
pictures of occasions, which can organize a visual record of discontent, prompting invitations to take
action.

Strangely, the Twitter stage as of late given an open door to youngsters to label world forerunners in
approach demand correspondences around the world, separating progressive and geological
boundaries, and interfacing youngsters to figures who have ability to achieve change at strategy level
(Boulianne, et al., 2020). ICT stages, for example, virtual entertainment have been adjusted by people
and gatherings for use in environmental change activism" (Titifanue, 2015) schooling, and it are featured
to draw in publics. For sure, Twitter permits correspondence science scientists to screen publics and
assess the outcome of their exercises.

One may likewise concentrate on the web-based entertainment action of researchers during
environmental change occasions, offering a window into proficient exercises and the reverberation of
the singular entertainers. Ideas from online activism, for example, "connective activity" are highlighted
in this sort of record (Bennett, 2012), as are enquiries into the "organizing components. Hashtag
hijacking"(Bode, and Shah, 2015) and "conversational connections" (Pearce et al., 2014) of expert or
extremist gatherings. Given the exceptional social and intelligent organizations these stages offer, web-
based entertainment might support propelled thinking on argumentative issues, for example,
environmental change (Lewandow, and Gignac, 2013). Then again, through accidental ex-posure to
news (Fletcher 2018), as well as openness to unopinionated and heterogeneous organizations (Bond and
Sweitzer, 2018), involving virtual entertainment for news might close data holes in Kenya. Broadening
ongoing work looking at the social settings of media impacts (Newman, 2018), this study analyzes the
individual-and nation level factors that impact how ordinary thoughtfulness regarding web-based
entertainment for news and public issues data.

Refusal of anthropogenic environmental change has just been widely concentrated on in the US and the
Unified Realm. In those nations, perspectives about environmental change are clarified by similarity for
political philosophy (Bolsen and Shapiro, 2018). Outside the West, ecological worries assume just a
restricted part in political distinguishing proof (McCright,2016). In these areas, online entertainment can
possibly work as an extra asset for diminishing psycho-legitimate separation from complex issues.

Shockingly little is had some significant awareness of web-based entertainment for news and
environment mentalities outside the West. In Murang'a, environment Emergency is going on each day
and it calls for pressing public consideration and radical activities. Virtual entertainment inclusion of this
disaster can assist with molding popular suppositions by working with the logical agreement on
environmental change that the worldwide typical temperature has obviously expanded by 1.1 degree C,
and it is all because of ozone depleting substance emanations initiated by people.

Environmental change is a squeezing worldwide issue that presents critical dangers to networks around
Kenya and generally Murang'a. Thusly, fostering a compelling correspondence system is basic in bringing
issues to light, captivating partners and elevating activities to moderate and adjust to its belongings,
(kituyi, 2016). The low open concern and mindfulness about environmental change notwithstanding the
critical provokes that it's stances to the general public, a scope of online entertainment stages and local
gatherings are suggested for raising the mindfulness,( Moses Oindo, 2014) Environmental change is as of
now influencing agrarian creation and ranchers in Murang'a and they need to adjust through the
reception of proper and current advancements. The trading of data online structures a center for
correspondence process in environmental change awareness,(Joseph Otieno, 2014).

A Palmer dry spell seriousness record determined for one station is contrasted and the nearby insights.
As indicated by them, there is a critical connection between dry season discernments and web-based
entertainment where posts are send by region board authorities and a local people which they use to
illuminate and help them adapt and embrace to systems, (Muchemi, 2016) As per Elegance in 2015,
studies iindicate that water shortage is brought about by institutional variables.

Be that as it may, in spite of execution of a decentralized and intergrated approaxh in water

administration, extra water pressure from environment related influences. Informal communities and
stages structure a linkage where Individuals are told the best way to protect the climate to keep away
from radical changes in environment, (Ngaruiya, 2015). Murang'a local people consume news ordinary
yet how much news about environmental change is still less in relation to the report about sports, big
names, governmental issues and economy. Regardless of whether the online entertainment inclusion of
environmental change has expanded, it actually isn't an adequate number of in nations with high fossil
fuel byproducts and low discharge decrease targets (Andreas et al., 2013).

Popular feelings and discernments about environment news depend on how much trust they have in the
web-based entertainment stages. More trust implies additional utilization of information from that
media source. Horticultural strategies in Murang'a a to further develop ranchers vocations. With
projected environmental change, these strategies are shy of components that advance ranchers
variations and subsequently, smallholders are stood up to with different difficulties including
environmental change which Hindes their Farming creation, (Ayeri, 2012). Nearby information can be
instrumental in helping them adapt to environmental change and fluctuation, ( Mwenda, 2013).

As per Krishna in 2008, weather conditions changed radically because of ozone harming substance
outflows. In Murang'a, local people use nurseries in establishing a few yields, some of them don't
comprehend the impacts that nurseries have on environmental change. Other explores show that
environment has changed in Murang'a because of consuming of fossils. On another hand, virtual
entertainment plays had an impact in establishing mindfulness about environmental change in Murang'a
since there is a high level of local people utilizing web-based entertainment like the young people,
(Clayton, 2020).

Consequently, this exploration targets examining how online entertainment targets making mindfulness
in order to forestall antagonistic environment changes in the area. It will decide how viable virtual
entertainment can be in spreading and making mindfulness and forming assessments and discernments
on ecological issues in the area. The examination will likewise help in preparing aggregate activity
towards moderating natural corruption. It will likewise target web-based entertainment crusades
pointed custom-made to explicit requirements and inclinations upgrading in general viability.
Furthermore, the exploration will likewise target illuminating local people on additional viable
techniques for involving web-based entertainment to bring environmental change mindfulness up in the
area.

1.2: The problem statement.

Although the influence of social media on climate change awareness have been the subject of several
studies, the same cannot be said for the locals in Murang'a county. Concern about the impact of social
media on the attitudes and actions of Murang’a locals has grown in recent years. The residents are
constantly filled with information, entertainment, and news from a wide variety of media due to the
widespread availability of these social media utlets. As a result, there is a need for a comprehensive
study of how social media affects the attitudes and actions of Murang'a people as a result of this
exposure.
Aleksandrina, Okky K. Rachman and Rajib Shaw examined the role of social media as a soft power tool in
raising awareness and engagement in addressing climate change in 2019, however, his research focused
on on social media as a soft power tool and not as a determinant of the impacts of social media on
Murang'a locals. Alexandra Segerberg studied online and social media campaigns for climate change
engagement in 2017, however his study focused on social media campaigns for climate change
engagement only. While Paul Waititu studied creating community based environmental awareness with
social media in 2021. In his study, he only focused on how people could create community based
awareness and not how these messages will be perceived by the locals. Their studies did not include
Murang'a county and particularly Murang'a residents. Therefore, this research will examined the impact
of social media since the existing ones studied in other places and not in Murang'a specifically.

1.3 Research Objectives.

The objectives of this study are:

1. To determine the accessibility of social media platforms available in Kiharu sub county.

2. To examine the locals perceptions of information on social media.

3. To study the locals engagement on social media.

1.4: Research Questions.

1. To what extent does social media Influence the perceptions, attitudes and beliefs of Kiharu locals?

2. Which social media platforma do kiharu residents engage in?

3. Do the residents trust social media information?.

1.5: Justification of the study.

Many forms of media, such as television, radio, social media, and the internet, are constantly
broadcasting content to Murang'a residents.. The potential influence of social media on residents
attitudes and actions is made more problematic by this saturation. Murang'a residents are at a pivotal
point in their lives, where they are actively shaping their identities and worldviews on climate change.
The government, policymakers, and all residents must be aware of the impact of social media on the
people. Examining how it may affect their health, occupations successful crop production in the area is
important.

Murang'a county's cultural background, as well as their demographics, will be considered in this
research. Social media messages can be received and interpreted differently depending on their cultural
context about climate change. Social media frequently contributes to the formation of cultural
standards and individual preferences. If we want our residents to develop in crop production and other
ways related to climate we need to help them see how social media affects their choices in their daily
activities. Social media plays a crucial role in disseminating news and information about global events
and issues. If we want bring about a thoughtful and active citizens,we need to learn more about how
social media shapes residents perspectives and actions. Literacy in the use of modern media is
increasingly important as time goes on. In order to improve their capacity to critically analyse, evaluate,
and navigate social media messages, the study can pinpoint specific areas in which they may be
deficient.

Stereotypes are pervasive in social media and can have an impact on how people view climate change
and others important issues. In order to encourage acceptance and diversity, it is crucial to learn how
social media influences the development and maintenance of stereotypes among residents. Theresearch
has important implications for the design of educational interventions and public-awareness
campaigns.Workshops on social media literacy and curricular revisions could all help mitigate the
potentially negative effects of social media exposure on Murang'a residents.

This research has the potential to inform the development of policies in Murang'a county and encourage
positive perceptions and foster a conducive environment for the residents to be at. This study provides
important context-specific insights into the climatic discussion of social media effects. The study will
also contribute to our understanding on the role of social media in shaping the attitudes and actions in
Murang'a county.

1.6. Scope of the study.

The study will be conducted around Murang'a County to understand the local dynamics of climate
change awareness influenced by social media within this specific region. The study will cover the period
between 5 years to the present since social media was not that active before. This will allow us to know
the history of information that was disseminated since the rise of social media and also the recent
developments and trends in both social media and climate change awareness. Murang'a locals will be
the primary participants in the research. Data from the locals can be gathered in a variety of ways
including through surveys, individual interviews, content analysis and even focus groups. Understanding
the impacts of social media is the focus of this study.

Framing on various social media platforms will be considered so as to determine the online interaction
metrics. These platforms will include Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and WhatsApp. This component
involves investigating how the locals perceive social media mesaages. Additionally, the research will
analyze information from different demographics such as age, gender, education levels, insights and
occupations. The research will also analyze the role of influencers, local environmental organizations
and community leaders in shaping the climate change awareness narrative on social media.

1.7: Limitations of the study.

Many social media platforms are flexible to sharing information of every kind. This makes it hard for one
to gather information from all of the platforms for data analysis. Some may not show the exact metrics
such as twitter. These platforms are also flexible to metrics such as comments and some people may not
be kind enough to perceive the information as it was meant to be perceived.

Government reports may be an issue since most people think that the government is always right. For
instance, during the last wet seasons in Kenya, metrologists made it clear that the country may
experience heavy rains but the government changed the statement saying that the country will
experience El Nino rains spreading the misinformation making people to tense and have different
attitudes on climate change in the country.

Even if the social media coverage of climate change has increased, it still is not enough in countries with
high carbon emissions and low emission reduction targets (Andreas et al., 2013). Public opinions and
perceptions about climate news are based on the amount of trust they have in the social media
platforms. More trust means more consumption of news from that media source.

1.8: Key concepts.

According to Kaplan and Heinlein in 2010, social media refers to a group of interest-based applications
that build on the ideological and technological foundations of web and that allows creation and
exchange of user generated contents.

Climate change awareness is the understanding and recognizing the long-term changes in earth's
climate patterns including human activities on the environment.

Online interaction metrics are a set of numbers or statistics used for measuring something especially
results that show how well a business or computer program is going, according to Oxford dictionary.
Some of these online metrics are likes, comments, follows and dislikes.

Behavioral change are observable alterations in individuals’ actions and choices.

Demographics are the statistical characteristics of a population such as age, gender, education level and
occupations.

Content analysis is a research method used to systematically analyze and interpret content in various
forms of communication such as text, images, audio and videos.

Qualitative research entails gathering and examining non-numerical data according to Aspers (1925).

A variable is an aspect or characteristic that is subject to change.

Perception is the ability of the senses to see, hear or become aware of something.
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW.

2.0 Introduction.

This chapter provides the literature review and theoritical framework to understand how social media
influences climate change awareness among the locals in Murang'a. Ex posure to social media,
credibility, social impact, views of internet news and attitudes toward it are only few of the
topics covered, along with the core elements of our theoretical model. We will also generate
researchable hypotheses on the relationships between social media, behavior, and perception.
The influence of the social media on people's actions on a local, national, and international
scale was explored. It nailed the effects of social media consumption on behavior. The
influence of internet news that process, and the relationship between the two.The study
reviewed previous research in the field, including its tools, and critical reception and it's
methodology.

2.1 Theoritical framework.

Medium hypothesis will act as the groundwork of the examination because of web-based entertainment
on environmental change mindfulness in Murang'a. The hypothesis contended that the media is the
message, this implies that the qualities of the medium effect how the message is seen and figured out
by the general public . It's likewise decides the impacts of the message you have. This thought was
promoted by a Canadian correspondence scholar, Marshall McLuhan in 1964, suggests that the medium
establishes a social and mental climate that supports particular kinds of collaborations and beats others
down.

In 1985, medium scholars contended that media are not just channels for sending data between
conditions but rather are themselves particular social pyschiological settings. This was in response to the
way that past examinations had just checked out at the prompt aftereffects of media utilization.
Subsequently, the effect of delayed media openness was not viewed as in investigations of its effects. As
individuals are presented to web-based entertainment consistently, they will continuously start to be
impacted by it. (Vinny, C., 2019. The motivation behind this study is to apply Medium Hypothesis to the
subject of what Murang'a occupants are meant for by online entertainment during the hour of changing
climatic circumstances.

A principal research question is whether or on the other hand in the event that the occupants
understanding on environmental change is molded by the media's depiction of normal practices,
convictions, and activities. The exploration will utilize surveys, inside and out meetings, and content
examination to decide how much sociall media impacts the occupants insights and activities. As per
(Luttrell and Wallace, 2021) Individuals who are continually drenched in media for broadened
timeframes, as the idea goes, come to see the world from the perspective of that media. Long haul
media utilization modifies watchers' mindsets and actions.Medium hypothesis sets that individuals'
thoughts, perspectives, and ways of behaving shift as per how much media they take in (Gerbner, 1987;
Morgan and Shanahan, 2010). This shows the influential force of virtual entertainment and its capacity
to adjust watchers' perspectives, particularly after delayed openness.

The essential case of this hypothesis is that "the additional time individuals spend in virtual
entertainment world, the almost certain they are to accept that social reality coordinates with reality as
depicted via web-based entertainment. Medium hypothesis sets that the equivalent or comparative
substance is frequently answered distinctively when convetes through various media, (Meyrowitz,
2020). Media impact individuals' contemplations, values, and positions similarly as it impacts their
insights and activities. In the 1998, Meyrowitz contended that every medium is a sort of setting or
climate that has somewhat fixed qualities that impact correspondence in a specific way, (Meyrowitz,
2020).

Gerbner and his associates adjusted it by adding the ideas of mainstreaming and reverberation to more
readily make sense of the impact of online entertainment and media overall. At the point when
individuals who watch a great deal of TV begin to have a typical perspective, this is called
mainstreaming, (Gerbener, 1980). In other words, notwithstanding their appearing variety, the
viewpoints of these watchers have merged toward a standard agreement because of their reliable
openness to similar virtual entertainment content.

The hypothesis could be utilized to plan speculations about how Murang'a inhabitants openness to
explicit online entertainment content might influence their way of behaving or mentalities. For instance,
you could conjecture that occupants who consume a lot of environment situated content are bound to
display activities advancing environmental change mindfulness in their online entertainment handles.
Medium hypothesis can illuminate your examination speculation, proposing that occupants who
consume a lot of online entertainment contents connected with environmental change mindfulness
might have insights and convictions that adjust all the more intimately with the stories. The hypothesis
inspects the connection between human detects that are expected to utilize a medium and the design of
the actual medium, (Marshall, 1985).

2.2 Conceptual framework.

2.3 Review of variables.

2.3.1 Accessibility of social media platforms.

2.3.1.1 Twitter.

Twitter is described as a digital forum where publics seek out and discuss scientific issues
(Anderson, 2017). Here, Twitter-oriented research offers opportunities for capturing “users'
knowledge of and views on issues like climate change” (Auer, Zhang, & Lee, 2014). Indeed, the
literature describes Twitter both as a widely used platform and a source for climate change
information-exchanges which has become “too important now to ignore” (Veltri & Atanasova,
2017). Twitter's broad user-base provides researchers with the opportunity to capture distinct,
contradictory, and marginal views regarding climate change; a site where the different sides of
a debate can be studied and that provide a continuous “picture of current public sentiment”
(McKinnon, 2016), for example, in the study of “climate skeptics” (Holmberg & Hellsten, 2016).
Moreover, as Twitter is used in a large number of countries it may also serve to capture a
diversity of cultural perspectives about climate change, including those “from the global south”
(Bosch, 2012) and from countries which have attracted less scholarly attention.
The features offered by Twitter are framed in relation to the platform's capacity to
generate thematic data sets, with hashtags or keywords being a common entry point. In
this approach, Twitter is a platform to be queried, as it hosts data that can be captured
and mined as well as text that can be analyzed with the help of computational techniques.
In this realm, the platform is described as an exciting source for “observational data,”
“real-time responses” (Kirilenko et al., 2015) and nonintrusive data (Kirilenko, 2017).
Prominent in this type of study are questions that ask what type of data or unit of analysis
a tweet represents. For instance, tweets are seen as “political texts,” privileging
longitudinal analysis but also the capturing of emerging themes, and as sources to study
sentiment (Reed, 2016).

The medium-specific characteristics of Twitter as means for analysis, such as @mentions,

hashtags, retweets, or the geographic location of tweets or users. From the above-
mentioned features, hashtags (user-generated topic markers) are approached as an
important organizing principle in Twitter (Small, 2011). Hashtags are studied to trace and
monitor their uptake and life-span during or after an event, publication, campaign, or
even following an extreme weather event (in the case of Anderson & Huntington, 2017).
Network analysis of either co-hashtags (hashtags mentioned alongside other hashtags) or
hashtag-user networks (consisting of hashtags and the users who mention them) offers
ways to retrieve influence and spread, for instance, by looking at issue coupling (or
hashtag hijacking) or tracking issue attention over time.

For example, Williams et al in 2005 combined data from five different hashtags around
climate change and global warming and uses the data to create three networks for each
hashtag, clustered by followers, retweets and @mentions. This approach is useful to
identify different subcommunities organized by the use of specific hashtags. In this case,
the researchers found that the hashtag for anthropogenic global warming, #agw, has
much larger skeptics' presence than the hashtags #climatechange or #globalwarming.

2.3.1.2 Blogs.

Blogs are regarded by researchers as a unique online communication platform. For instance, Rettberg
(2014) holds that dialogue and communication is remarkably advanced by the blogs’ technology and
structure. Rettberg argues that a blog “cannot be read simply for its writing, but is the sum of writing,
layout, connections and links and the pace of publication, while she also explains that links can be used
by bloggers to build their arguments by pulling ideas together from different websites. According to
Dean (2010), the domain of blogs that can be visually comprehended is a combination of colours, space,
and images. Bloggers can express themselves not only textually but also visually through “user icons,
memes, template selection, design and colour scheme, titles, sidebars, selection of images and typeface,
(hookway, 2008).

The material which is uploaded on a blog is known as “blog post”. More precisely, the term usually
refers to the blog’s textual material, the content of which commonly belongs to the blogger, the person
who owns and administers the blog. Nevertheless, blog posts can also include, or even consist
exclusively of, digital pictures, videos, links (hyperlinks), or other types of digital content (Lee and Webb
2012). In addition to the blog post, some other common features of a blog can be the following ones:

These blogs, which, unlike internet mainstream news media, have effectively common
rules of engagement in their comment sections’ discussions, seem to appeal to a rather
narrow audience who share a similar interest in the climate-related knowledge
communicated through them. At the same time, the climate blogs are part of a
broad setting in which various types of information, including climate-related
information, become largely available by various sources (online and offline media,
mainstream and alternative ones).

It is therefore important to discuss the notion of “information overload”, people’s

overexposure to the vast amount of information and data, which characterizes
considerably the digital media environment (e.g. Bawden et al. 1999; Eppler and
Mengis 2004; Koltay 2017). Different blogs also share similarities in their layout and also the
way they are usually visualized, (Rettberg 2014). Broadly speaking, the function of such
structural characteristics is enabled bytheancillarytechnologyof the internetand thesoftware of
a blog, the combination of which makes possible its ease usage (e.g. webpages can be generally
updated fast and easily), while bloggers can have several choices concerning the ways that they
can organize and use the structural and technological features of their blogs (Herring et al.
2004).

2.3.1.3. Facebook.

Facebook is often depicted as a platform to see and to be seen (Pempek et al., 2009). Facebook play
an important role in increasing public or social awareness and formation of their views and atitudes
toward certain issues like environmental issues and political issues. There is no denial that social
media like Facebook is playing a very significant role in making the world smaller. Facebook means
many things to different people. Since 2005, the use of social networking sites has risen rapidly and
the major services, particularly Facebook, continue to attract new users at an astounding
rate. Lipsman (2011), in 2004, a Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg created Facebook to connect with
fellow students. But, at present, it is the most promising of all social media.

Facebook has several advantages, benefits and possibilities allowing thoughts, ideas to spread faster than in the
old-fashioned Internet. For the purposes of promotion of certain slogans, content and ideas are created
even separate websites. But the main mechanism working in social media like Facebook is of viral nature, so if
one person performs an action - the whole group of people will immediately know about it. Any provision of
content, following action on the profile of another person and depending on privacy setings and platform
options and it is immediately visible, noticeable and observable to others. The existence of social service
agencies profiles creates communities cantered around provided service oriented-oriented content and it's
made up of six principal working components, such as personal profiles, status updates, networks
(geographic regions, schools, and companies), groups, applications, and fan pages.

The most popular of the SNSs, Facebook, now totals more than 500 million registered users
(Facebook, 2011). Based on a recent comScore report, Facebook is the number one social networking
site as of May 2011 with 157.2 million visitors per month. The use of Facebook as a business tool,
however, does come with a risk it may detract from productivity. This was found to be a
common position among employers (Survey, AON Consulting, 2009). While the debate continues, the
benefits of using Facebook continue to be recognized by countless organizations, especially its
relevance in employee communication and engagement strategies.

Bryson et al. (2010), investigate what the union movement, facing precipitous membership decline,
can learn from Facebook’s capability to attract millions of active members in a short period of time.
Social media is expanding its reach in every strata of the society in kiharu day by day, we have
195.16 million users of Facebook, (Singh 2016). Facebook has also become a medium to mobilize
and organise people for a cause and several social awareness campaigns.

2.3.2. Perceptions of social media information.

2.3.2.1 Trust.

2.3.2.2 influence.
 2.3.2.3 Reliability.

2.3.3. Locals engagement on social media.

2.3.3.1 Sharing of information.

2.3.3.2 Frequency.

2.3.3.3 Interactions.

2.3.4 Dependent variable.

2.3.4.1 Climate change awareness.

Climate change is a real phenomenon and is happening at an alarming rate. Social media can play an impressive part
in this regard. The modern man lives a hybrid life both in online and offline worlds, (Van Dijk, 2020). Mass consumption
of social media can be harnessed for smog and other climate-related concerns. Environment-related online
engagement is the most exemplary of newer forms of media engagement, (De Moor, 2017). Several studies have
demonstrated the dificulties many people face in personalizing the importance of climate change to
themselves, instead believing that it is an issue for other communities and future generations,
(Lorenzoni & Pidgeon, 2006). There is a widening gap between the public awareness of action that is
needed and action that is being taken (Schweizer et al., 2013 ). This is problematic given that without
an understanding of what to do, individuals, and in turn communities, may be left feeling
overwhelmed or afraid to act (Moser & Dilling, 2004).

Recent studies have estab-lished that individuals do not fully trust the climate information to which they
have access (Leviston, 2014) and may misinterpret this information, and are thus demonstrating
‘interpretation denial’ (Leviston & Walker, 2012). Identifying options to overcome these bar-riers to
engage local communities in climate action will be critical to the success of future climate initiatives
(Shaw, Dale, & Robinson, 2014).

Recently, there has been a growing recognition and discourse regarding the use of social networks to
engage communities in government actions, (Wellstead & Stedman, 2 0 1 1 ). Indeed, a network of
individuals may be considered as channels for knowledge and information flow, (Kogut, 2000). This is
because strong social networks have been shown to improve collaborative governance processes by
facilitating the generation, acquisition, and diffusion of different types of knowledge and information
(Burch et al., 2014) , thereby overcoming many of the tra-ditional barriers associated with knowledge
sharing. For example, social networks are believed to be more flexible th a n most top-down
communication strategies typically implemented by governments or other institutions.

As such, using social networks to disseminate information allows for messages to be tailored according to
individual or community perceptions and attitudes, and the tailoring of messages will occur naturally as
information is shared throughout the network. Despite increasing awareness about the potential
importance and benefits of using social networks to engage communities in climate policy, there is very
limited evidence of its application or proof of their utility.

Popular feelings and discernments about environment news depend on how much trust they
have in the web-based entertainment stages. More trust implies additional utilization of
information from that media source. Horticultural strategies in Murang'a a to further develop
ranchers vocations. With projected environmental change, these strategies are shy of
components that advance ranchers variations and subsequently, smallholders are stood up to
with different difficulties including environmental change which Hindes their Farming creation,
(Ayeri, 2012).

Nearby information can be instrumental in helping them adapt to environmental change and
fluctuation, ( Mwenda, 2013). As per Krishna in 2008, weather conditions changed radically
because of ozone harming substance outflows. In Murang'a, local people use nurseries in
establishing a few yields, some of them don't comprehend the impacts that nurseries have on
environmental change. Other explores show that environment has changed in Murang'a
because of consuming of fossils. On another hand, virtual entertainment plays had an impact in
establishing mindfulness about environmental change in Murang'a since there is a high level of
local people utilizing web-based entertainment like the young people, (Clayton, 2020).

2.4 Empharical review.

Pearce W. Orchid & S.M et. Al found out that social media is a transformative digital
technology, collapsing the “six degrees of separation” which have previously
characterized many social networks, and breaking down many of the barriers to
individuals communicating with each other. Some commentators suggest that this is
having profound effects across society, that social media have opened up new channels
for public debates and have revolutionized the communication of prominent public issues
such as climate change. In this article we provide the first systematic and critical review of
the literature on social media and climate change. We highlight three key findings from
the literature: a substantial bias toward Twitter studies, the prevalent approaches to
researching climate change on social media (publics, themes, and professional
communication), and important empirical findings (the use of mainstream information
sources, discussions of “settled science,” polarization, and responses to temperature
anomalies). Following this, we identify gaps in the existing literature that should be
addressed by future research: namely, researchers should consider qualitative studies,
visual communication and alternative social media platforms to Twitter. We conclude by
arguing for further research that goes beyond a focus on science communication to a
deeper examination of how publics imagine climate change and its future role in social
life.
One Mirriam Fernandez examined changes in people’s behaviour with regards to energy con-sumption which is
often regarded as key to mitigating climate change. To this end, endless campaigns have been run by
governments and environmental organisations to engage and raise awareness of the public, and to promote
behaviour change. Nowadays, many such campaigns expand to so-cial media, in the hope of increasing their
reach and im-pact. However, in spite of persistent e↵orts, public en-gagement with these campaigns tends to
be rather under-whelming. This demonstrates the need for adopting new strategies in designing and executing
these campaigns. To the best of our knowledge, these campaigns often overlook existing theories and studies on
user engagement and be-haviour change. To close this gap, this paper uses Robin-son’s Five Doors Theory of
behaviour change [26] to analyse online user behaviour towards climate change. With this approach, users’
behavioural stages can be automatically identified from their contributions on social media. We ap-ply this
approach to analyse the behaviour of participants in three global campaigns on Twitter; United Nations COP21,
Earth Hour 2015, and Earth Hour 2016. Our results pro-vide guidelines on how to improve communication
during these online campaigns to increase public engagement and participation.

Diana Maynard & Lara S.G Picollo studied that, while individual behaviour change is considered a central strategy
to mitigate climate change, public engagement is still limited. Aiming to raise awareness, and to promote be-
haviour change, governments and organisations are conduct-ing multiple pro-environmental campaigns, particularly
via social media. However, to the best of our knowledge, these campaigns are neither based on, nor do they take
advantage of, the existing theories and studies of behaviour change, to better target and inform users. In this
paper we propose an approach for analysing user behaviour towards climate change based on the 5 Doors Theory
of behaviour change [19]. Our approach automatically identies ve behavioural stages in which users are based on
their social media con-tributions. This approach has been applied to analyse the online behaviour of participants
of the Earth Hour 2015 and COP 2 1 Twitter movements. Results of our analysis are used to provide guidelines on how
to improve communication via these campaigns.

Brenda .M. Scoltz & Obrukevwe Okuach found out that there is a need for new inventive strategies to communicate to the public
on particular subjects such as climate change, biodiversity loss and sustainability. Social Media Influencers (SMIs) are an
emerging type of third-party endorsers who can aim to shape and influence the attitudes and perceptions of people through
social media. In the field of marketing, SMIs have had great impact on customer retention and relationships. SMIs could help
in engaging with the public to adopt pro-environmental behaviour. However, there is limited research related to SMIs
in the field of environmental awareness. This study reports on a grounded theory analysis that explored the literature related
to the characteristics of SMIs and the techniques used by SMIs that could be used by researchers for influencing the
public regarding environmental awareness and pro-environmental behaviour. This paper fulfils a need for identifying
strategies for a engaging and influencing the public to gain insights into their pro-environmental behaviour.

Peter Berglez & Walid Al-Saqaf investigated the link between extreme weather and climate change w h i c h w a s
h i ghlighted in ever more countries. Increased public understanding of this issue is essential for policymaking,
both in terms of climate change mitigation and adaptation. As social media are becoming central to the exchange
of information in society, the purpose is to analyze what generates intensfied attention to the connection
between extreme weather and climate change in digital communication. This is done by examining periods of
intensfied co-occurrence of mentions of extreme weather and climate change on English-language Twitter (N = 948,993).
Our quantitative analysis suggests that during the period 2008–2017 the years 2010, 2011 and 2017 exhibit a
considerable increase in ‘causality discourse’, i.e. tweets that articulate the topic of climate change + extreme
weather, in comparison with earlier years. These periods of signficant growth are interpreted as involving dynamic
relationships between three factors, namely mediated highlighting of previous or ongoing extreme-weather events
(extreme-event factor); connection of extreme weather to climate change by traditional media or other intermediaries
(media-driven science communication factor); and actions of individual users (digital-action factor). Through a
qualitative discourse analysis, how these factors jointly generate increasing attention to ‘causality discourse’ is
more closely explored for the case of 2017.

Farrah Minhaj studied in his research role of social media on climate change that climate is undergoing a constant
deterioration at a very alarming rate. Masud et al. (2016) observe that despite very little contribution to climate
degradation, poorer countries are more affected by climate change than developed countries. Pakistan is placed
at number six among the most affected countries by climate change. IPI Global Observatory reported in its recent
findings that Pakistan is a contributor of 0.3% of emissions and yet disproportionality far more affected by climate
adversities in the form of annual floods, heat waves, extreme weather conditions, and smog. The worst form of air
pollution, called smog, has been haunting Pakistan’s major cities for years. Lahore, a provisional capital of Punjab,
has topped the list of most polluted cities in the world consistently in years 2021, 2022, and 2023 due to the worst
situation of smog. The role of media is integral in this regard. This study explores the role of social media
campaigns in creating awareness about smog and encouraging sustainable behaviors. The survey method has been
used to collect data from 150 university students. The findings of the study reveal that social media can be best
harnessed to cope with smog or other climate-related issues through a well-structured and target-oriented
strategy of climate communication.

2.5 Critique of existing literature.

The research conducted are general and the findings may not be applicable to other counties or any
cultural context. This study will examine particularly residents in Murang’a county. Overtime social
media landscape will evolve and its effects can change a study conducted in the past may not reflect the
current evironment. This research study focuses on current affairs on social media and it's effect to the
current generation.

The studies conducted have studied other factors that influences the residents perception and behavior
such as environmental preservation and changes in amounts of rainfall. This study particularly studies
the influence of social media(Twitter). Studies conducted used mainly questionnaires and surveys but
this study uses mixed methods which will be able to collect more data on the influence and effects of
social media on climate change awareness.

2.6 Research gap.

Many studies have looked at how social media influences people, but this is not the case for residents in
Murang’a county. There has been growing concern in recent years regarding the influence of social
media on the impact on locals. Due to the pervasiveness of modern media, today's generations are
continually subjected to a bar rage of information, entertainment and news. However, there is an urgent
need for a comprehensive study of how exposure on social media influences the beliefs and behaviors
of residents in Muran'ga county .
Aleksandrina, Okky K. Rachman and Rajib Shaw examined the role of social media as a soft power tool in
raising awareness and engagement in addressing climate change in 2019, however, his research focused
on on social media as a soft power tool and not as a determinant of the impacts of social media on
Murang'a locals. Alexandra Segerberg studied online and social media campaigns for climate change
engagement in 2017, however his study focused on social media campaigns for climate change
engagement only. While Paul Waititu studied creating community based environmental awareness with
social media in 2021. In his study, he only focused on how people could create community based
awareness and not how these messages will be perceived by the locals. Their studies did not include or
even take place in take place in Murang'a county.

2.7 Summary.

This section gives a comprehensive review of the literature on the subject of how the social
media influences the attitudes, perceptions and actions of residents of Murang'a. Briefly, the
sections that make up a literature review include an introduction, a theoretical and conceptual
framework, a review of variables and empirical studies, a discussion of research gaps, and a
critical examination of existing research. Theories such as the agenda-setting theory and
medium theory provide the foundation for this research.The research void highlights
knowledge gaps that this investigation seeks to fill. A variable diagram (including both
independent and dependent variables) is part of the conceptual framework.

The literature review of the variables must include the empirical literature that is directly
related to the topic which is being addressed. What other researchers have done, the methods
that they have employed, and where there are gaps in the literature can all be obtained via an
empirical review. This section presents a high-leve a general l overview of social media
landscape, covering the development, scope and the effect of social media over time. This
section looks at the research done on social media platforms such as twitter and how they
affect public opinion. It discusses the fundamental ideas, theories, and models that are in this
study.