Laura Schuhn: “The Guardians of the Twitterverse”

The Guardians of the Twitterverse.

Narratives of Climate Change in the Saudi Twittersphere

Laura Schuhn

Under the umbrella of Vision 2030, the Saudi government makes efforts to develop more transparent, accountable, and responsive government agencies and to strengthen the participation and inclusion of citizens in political decision-making processes in specific policy areas. To this end, digital technologies are being promoted by implementing apps or e-participation platforms. In addition, government agencies in Saudi Arabia strongly encourage their citizens to express their feedback, criticism, and suggestions via social media and assure: Your Voice Matters! The relevance of social media in this context stems simply from the fact that the predominantly young population uses these platforms excessively.

Simultaneously, Saudi Arabia, like the rest of the world, is facing the challenges posed by global warming. According to projections, the physical effects of climate change will be particularly evident in water scarcity, extreme heat or more frequent extreme weather events such as heavy rainfall and flooding. Against this backdrop, the Saudi government has made considerable efforts to implement mitigation and adaptation measures as part of Vision 2030, the Saudi Green Initiative and the Middle East Green Initiative.

In this context, my dissertation project is guided by the question of how digital technologies are transforming the relationship between state and society in the light of climate change, towards greater responsiveness. In particular, I focus on how citizens and societal actors such as NGOs, companies, local communities, etc. use digital platforms to address issues such as climate change, the environment and sustainability, and what role these actors might potentially play in implementing and optimising corresponding policies.