Talking to Twitter users: Motivations behind Twitter use on the Alberta oil sands and the Northern Gateway Pipeline

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dc.contributor.authorWhite, Brittany
dc.contributor.authorCastleden, Heather
dc.contributor.authorGruzd, Anatoliy
dc.date.accessioned2025-02-20T19:40:15Z
dc.date.available2025-02-20T19:40:15Z
dc.date.issued2014
dc.description.abstractEnvironmental issues are being discussed through social media with increased frequency. Researchers are starting to question whether social media demonstrates a green virtual sphere: a virtual public space to discuss environmental issues that is not governed by a single authority and that anyone can access. We investigate why people use Twitter to communicate about two Canadian-based environmental issues using interviews with 10 highly engaged users. We found that they used Twitter to access news and engage in debates; however, they also raised a number of concerns: the potential for overestimating the impact of their own and others’ online activities; the prospect of harassment from other users; and the possibility of being labelled an extremist. Given these findings, we conclude that in this case, Twitter only partially demonstrates the characteristics of a green virtual sphere because it increased access to information and provided a space for debate but access to the space was not equal and users were aware that discussions were likely being monitored.
dc.description.reviewstatusReviewed
dc.description.scholarlevelFaculty
dc.identifier.citationWhite, B., Castleden, H., & Gruzd, A. (2014). Talking to Twitter users: Motivations behind Twitter use on the Alberta oil sands and the Northern Gateway Pipeline. First Monday, 20(1). 10.5210/fm.v20i1.5404
dc.identifier.urihttps://doi.org/10.5210/fm.v20i1.5404
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/1828/21248
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherFirst Monday
dc.subject.departmentSchool of Public Administration
dc.titleTalking to Twitter users: Motivations behind Twitter use on the Alberta oil sands and the Northern Gateway Pipeline
dc.typeArticle

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