Framing Across the Fractures: Visual Framing and Social Media Engagement With Indigenous Environmental Organizations

Abstract

The nexus of science communication, visual framing, and marginalized communities remains an under-researched area. In this study, we analyze the influence of multiple types of visual framing on social media audience engagement through a quantitative content analysis of photographs posted by Indigenous environmental organizations. Using multiple operationalizations of visual framing (decontextualization, recontextualization, and solutions), we find that social media posts featuring greater visual variety in composition, combined with human-focused content, predict greater engagement.

Keywords

indigenous peoples social media visual framing science communication

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