Despite the rising use of social media, little research has been conducted on its potential role in global ecological politics. Thus, the aim of this study is to determine whether social media can contribute towards addressing the challenges that currently face global ecological politics. The challenges include: the absence of a public space in order to discuss ecological politics; the deficiency of voices included in discussions on ecological politics; and the limited access to information regarding ecological issues. In order to assess the role of social media, a literature review was conducted. Two findings were revealed. First, using Habermas’ public sphere, Papacharissi’s virtual sphere, Castells’ network society and Lipschutz’s global civil society, it is clear that social media has a role to play in global ecological politics. Second, social media effectively addresses the challenges of ecological politics because it: creates a space for discussion and debate; increases the level of communication by including more voices in the discussion; and improves the public’s access to information. Finally, it was found that social media has some limitations – its potential commercialization, its unequal access and its predominant use for entertainment – which need to be addressed. This study opens the discussion on the use of social media in global ecological politics and may lead to future research.
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