Going the distance: information diffusion and influence dynamics of climate science on twitter

Thesis

An increasing distrust in scientists and experts has led to the polarisation of science. While there is a strong scientific consensus on human-induced global warming, ideological differences have led to public uncertainty around climate change and the polarisation of acceptance and rejection of the scientific authority. Climate change policies and net zero-emission goals become sources of contentious debates in the public, where the scientific evidence of climate change and the reliability of the science community are questioned. This has led to climate misinformation driven by the information asymmetry between climate experts and the public, which are further exacerbated by distortions of scientific framing in the media, or by the climate change countermovement.

While previous literature has studied the public opinions of climate sceptics and misinformation in the media, this dissertation considers the diffusion of climate science in climate change opinions and how climate misinformation spreads in online social networks. Through data gathered from Twitter, this research utilises temporal network analysis to achieve two research objectives: to analyse the diffusion patterns of scientific information in pro and anti-climate groups; and to understand the structural patterns of communities engaging in climate-related posts and their effect on the creation and spread of scientific-based ideas. In doing so, this thesis presents the current state of science-based discourse in climate change and sheds a light on the main challenges of climate misinformation and science communication, namely, the inherent uncertainty of scientific discovery.

Authors: Setiawan, MM

• Type of award: MSc
• Level of award: Masters
• Awarding institution: University of Oxford
• Language: English
• Keywords: climate change communication; trust in science; network analysis; information diffusion
• Subjects: Communication in science; Internet