Fostering Internet-base Values of the Environment
Do digital experiences shape societal nature values and foster environmental stewardship?
Overview
The BIG-5 project suggests that while direct experiences of nature may be declining, the internet and social media provide new ways to engage with and appreciate nature. With over half of the global population on social media, these platforms enable people to indirectly experience nature and foster environmental care. The project introduces the concept of Digital Relational Values (DRVs), which are nature-related values created within online communities.
BIG-5 explores how these values spread across social media, landscapes, and languages, aiming to understand their impact on both virtual and real-world environmental stewardship.
Duration
60 months
Objective
Investigate the role of social media in fostering Digital Relational Values (DRVs) related to nature and environmental stewardship.
Key Research Questions
(1) Do virtual communities shape societal relational nature values and thereby counteract the ‘extinction of experiences’?
(2) Do virtually produced nature values foster environmental stewardship?
The BIG-5 project will last five years and is structured into five work packages:
Seeding
Seeding will examine and classify DRVs on social media and automate their assessment.
Spreading
Spreading will explore the multiplication of nature values within virtual communities.
Grounding
Grounding, will investigate the environmental stewardship incentivized by DRVs.
Impact
Impact Insurance will manage public relations and the Supporter and Partner Programs.
Management
Management stage is responsible for overseeing external research collaborations, internal organization, communication, and ethics.