Environmental Sense of Gen Z in Online Communities: Exploring the Roles of Sharing Knowledge and Social Movement on Instagram

Abstract

. Although various studies have addressed environmental concerns, few studies use the cohort perspective to address them, mainly Gen Z online communities. The future of the earth is reflected in the awareness, thoughts, and actions of young people towards the environment. This article analyzes interaction, online community formation and examines knowledge sharing and social movement on Instagram among Gen Z in various countries. The online survey results revealed that Gen Z Instagram users (n = 258) interacted online to discuss environmental sustainability, SDGs, and the 'save the earth' campaign as a form of knowledge sharing and social movement. The research sample was taken from social media-based environmental care communities on Instagram with an age range between 19 to 29 years in various countries. The analysis was conducted empirically with descriptive statistics that describe Gen Z's attitudes, actions, and engagement in social movements. Research also shows the environmental sense among Gen Z regarding SDGs issues such as good health and well- being, poverty reduction, environmental sustainability, biodiversity conservation, and plastic litter oceans. Gen Z shows a relatively deep concern for the earth’s future because they associate it with themselves and humans' future. Most of Gen Z show deep concern about the negative implications of a development that exploits nature, unbalanced ecosystems, and the human ignorance of environmental sustainability. The implication of this research is to provide recommendations for future research in a multidisciplinary manner, examining the need for Gen Z leadership in building sustainability development from one generation to the next.