Title: Environmental movements and social networking sites in Bangladesh

Authors: Shudipta Sharma

Addresses: Department of Communication and Journalism, University of Chittagong, Chittagong 4331, Bangladesh

Abstract: This paper aims to explore the current trend of environmental movements and its relationship with social networking sites (SNS) in Bangladesh, the most vulnerable country to climate change impacts in the world. SNS is increasingly being used in environmental movements in the disaster-prone country and it has a significant impact on activism. This study was undertaken on a recent protest against Rampal Power Plant project, designed to set up near Sundarbans, a UNESCO World Heritage site. On the basis of new social movement theory, this study engaged a multi-level, multi-methods approach to the analysis of the movement and found that SNS played an important role in every stage of the movement. This study also indicates that SNS motivates non-partisan people to join a movement on the ground. I argue that the new communication pattern among activists determines the new characteristics of the movement and helps it to be different from conventional social movements.

Keywords: environmental activism; SNS; social networking sites; new social movement; online activism; public sphere; information and communication technology; ICT; Bangladesh; Rampal Power Plant; information technology; environmental movements; climate change; World Heritage sites; communication patterns; activists.

DOI: 10.1504/IJISD.2014.066655

International Journal of Innovation and Sustainable Development, 2014 Vol.8 No.4, pp.380 - 393

Published online: 31 Dec 2014 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article