Louisiana Environmentalism: Digital Civic Engagement Spring 2023: Environmental activism in Louisiana

Instagram caption: The New Orleans City Council recently adopted a resolution against Formosa’s plans to build a plastic plant in Cancer Alley. This is a great start, but we can’t give up here. Comment things you think our City Council should do to keep fighting against the #ClimateCrisis.

Instagram caption: Swipe to learn about why the Gulf South is important in conversations about the #GreenNewDeal! Politicians must acknowledge what’s so special about our region and work for inclusive solutions to the climate crisis with us. For y’all who aren’t from Louisiana, what’s something different about this climate from the one you grew up in? If you’re from here, how has the climate changed since you were little? #GulfSouth4GND #LA4GND #WeDeclare #ClimateActionNow

This series of Instagram story graphics aims at educating Louisiana Bucket Brigade followers about how their drinking water is being threatened by YCI Methanol One’s initiatives. #GulfSouth4GND #LA4GND #WeDeclare #ClimateActionNow

I chose to make five Instagram posts for the Louisiana Bucket Brigade because Instagram has a variety of opportunities for engagement: commenting, liking, sharing, following, and direct messaging. Conversations on Instagram can be lengthier than those on Twitter, as there are no character limits. Therefore, it is ideal for starting conversations about environmental activism. Over summer 2020, Instagram graphics summarizing political issues became increasingly common, and the app is now widely used to share information in addition to photos.

My campaign for the Louisiana Bucket Brigade focuses on appealing to younger demographics because the non-profit specifically wanted to increase their youth engagement. To do this, I followed youth activism trends and designed graphics that were accessible. All five posts aim to provide informational content that stimulates online interaction. Each caption asks a direct question to further involve followers in discussions with the account.

The goal of this social media campaign is to inspire young activists to get involved with the Louisiana Bucket Brigade after reading about the impact of current initiatives in Louisiana that will harm the environment. This suited the non-profit’s goals as they had long hoped to expand their message to younger demographics.

The campaign’s success will be measured by the amount of comments, views, shares, and likes that each post gets. Instagram has a feature which tells the owner of the account how old their followers are, and the non-profit hopes to see an increase in young followers. The first graphic of mine to be posted received more likes than the account had since February.

This piece was edited by Evan Price as part of Professor Kelley Crawford’s Digital Civic Engagement course at Tulane University.