Dr. Katharine HayhoeJan 7, 2025

These are the key facts everyone needs to know about climate change, according to @yaleclimatecomm :

It's real.

It's us.

It's serious - and already dangerous.

But there are solutions.

I shared this post across 7 different social media platforms, including FB, LI, Mastodon, Threads, X and Twitter both pre-and post-Musk.

Here's how their engagement stacked up. 🧵

https://fediscience.org/@kathhayhoe/113507294720813822

Dr. Katharine Hayhoe (@[email protected])

Climate Change: It's real. It's us. It's serious - and already dangerous. But there are solutions. The science is clear: the faster we cut emissions, the less suffering we will cause, and the better off we'll all be.

FediScience.org
Show threadDr. Katharine HayhoeJan 7, 2025

I first compared normalized engagement: likes, shares + comments per 1000 followers.

You can see the big changes in Twitter/X over time, plus the stark differences in engagement between FB/LI versus Threads/Bluesky, with Mastodon in the middle.

Show threadDr. Katharine HayhoeJan 7, 2025

Comparing the percentage of comments that are negative versus neutral/positive on each platform, you can also see that (a) Twitter has always had proportionately more trolls than other platforms, but also (b) trolling has massively increased post-Musk.

Note 1: The reason there were no negative comments on FB is because my page there has been shadow-banned since Aug 2018 when climate change & clean energy were added to the list of politically sensitive topics and FB refused (twice) to verify my identity, the step they claim is needed to post on those topics. So only a tiny fraction of the people who already follow my page see my posts there. They are not shared beyond that tiny bubble.

Note 2: it's also interesting that negative comments on Twitter/X, LinkedIn and Threads are nearly 100% denial, whereas negative comments on Mastodon are 100% from people worried about climate but who are mansplaining me or who want to harass or attack me for different reasons (e.g. not explaining the science the way they think I should, saying that climate action can make a difference, standing firm on the social science of effective communication, being a person of faith, etc.). This platform is #1 for "friendly fire," which is why I still post but don't engage here very much. It's not good for my mental health. If you want to see more of my posts here though, no worries: I have a bluesky bridge account @katharinehayhoe.com

Onward!

Show threadDr. Katharine HayhoeJan 7, 2025
I didn't bother to analyze the negative X comments by category this time, but they are not substantially different than the analysis I did previously here. Little imagination, but lots of variety -- because the point isn't to make their point, but rather to reject the need for climate action. In pursuit of that goal, any excuse will do.
Show threadDr. Katharine HayhoeJan 7, 2025

Here's the even more interesting part: the absolute values.

Twitter used to be the clear winner for me, but Bluesky is rapidly catching up. Even though I have 3x more followers on X than Bluesky, the actual numbers on positive or neutral engagement here is nearly as high. That's amazing - and this is why, if you want to hear the most from me, I recommend following me on Bluesky directly or on my fediverse bridge account rather than this one. Here it is -> @katharinehayhoe.com

Spencer W HunterJan 19, 2025
Show threadDr. Katharine Hayhoe

Other interesting platform-specific tidbits:

On Mastodon people were most likely to share, while on LinkedIn they were least likely to.

More people hit the heart button on Threads, but Bluesky was tops for comments.
‪
Bottom line:

One of the main reasons I use social media is to provide accurate + relevant climate info, so I use analyses like this to help inform where best to spend my time. These days, engagement is:

* on its way up on LinkedIn + Bluesky
* holding steady on Mastodon
* headed down on Threads, Facebook + X

I hope this is of interest - feel free to comment and share your own experiences!

Jan 7, 2025 at 3:40pmWeb
Show threadDr. Katharine HayhoeJan 7, 2025

PS. I should also mention that my data shows clear evidence of algorithmic changes on Facebook (Fall 2018), X (Fall 2022 and ongoing) and now Threads (Nov 2024) explicitly downweighting climate content.

In Aug 2018, 'clean energy' was added to FB's "socially sensitive topics" list, and my page's growth was cut in half. A few months later, 'climate change' was added. My page growth froze at 46k then decreased, and my engagement dropped about 10x.

Now, changes in the Threads algorithm made in November have similarly frozen my Threads account and tanked engagement there as well. Here's the data below.

For more on how X's changes have boosted denial, read @ketan's analysis here: https://ketanjoshi.co/2023/03/28/musk-is-remaking-twitter-into-a-climate-denier-sanctuary/

Musk is remaking Twitter into a climate denier sanctuary

I got some data that analyses how climate deniers have changed their audience size, relative to pro-climate accounts, on Musk’s Twitter. It’s….not good.

Ketan Joshi
Show threadLazarou Monkey Terror 🚀💙🌈Jan 7, 2025
@kathhayhoe @ketan in other words "No, you are not being paranoid, they ARE doing this."
Show threadA.A. Delafin, radicalJan 7, 2025
@kathhayhoe @ketan But haven't you heard? Meta is going to allow more freedom of speech! This is entirely serious and not bowing before authoritarianism. So things will improve again in the future!
(And you're supposed to believe that)
Show threadK-ZO da SnowmanJan 7, 2025
@kathhayhoe Thanks so much for the important work you do and all the slings and arrows you endure (but shouldn't have to!) for it. A better world is possible.
Show threadDr. Katharine HayhoeJan 7, 2025
@kzodasnowman I agree. thank you! 😊
Show threadMartin SeegerJan 7, 2025
@kathhayhoe This will get worse after today. Look at the changes that Zuckerberg just announced and try not to despair.
Show threadLazarou Monkey Terror 🚀💙🌈Jan 7, 2025
@masek @kathhayhoe if we thought it was bad now, and it is, it's going to be hopeless once Trump ascends the throne.
Show threadDr. Katharine HayhoeJan 7, 2025
@Lazarou I was a lead author of the National Climate Assessment under the last Trump administration. Front row seat. https://www.eenews.net/articles/trump-team-takes-aim-at-crown-jewel-of-us-climate-research/
Trump team takes aim at crown jewel of US climate research

A top aide to the president-elect wants tighter control over the National Climate Assessment.

E&E News by POLITICO
Show threadLazarou Monkey Terror 🚀💙🌈Jan 7, 2025
@kathhayhoe in your opinion, must we see America as an antagonist in Climate Change now? Not even a pretense of being an ally?
Show threadDr. Katharine HayhoeJan 7, 2025
@Lazarou the US is much more than its federal government. https://www.americaisallin.com/
Show threadWolfgang CramerJan 7, 2025
@kathhayhoe @ketan I wonder if these algorithmic manipulations are not the biggest issue of all - I was certainly unaware of them.
Show threadDeborah Rose ❌👑Jan 7, 2025

@kathhayhoe @ketan We will start to see more #DataStrikes

How to poison the data that Big Tech uses to surveil you and mess with the algorithms.
https://www.technologyreview.com/2021/03/05/1020376/resist-big-tech-surveillance-data/

How to poison the data that Big Tech uses to surveil you

Algorithms are meaningless without good data. The public can exploit that to demand change.

MIT Technology Review
Show threadAlberto CotticaJan 7, 2025
@kathhayhoe @ketan really interesting data, thanks. Now I wonder why I do not draw that friendly fire. "No one cares/I am not important" enough is the most likely reason. Maybe #economics draws less engagement than the #ClimateCrisis? Or maybe mansplaining and pedantry do not manage to cross my attention threshold?
Show threadsleepy62🍁🛠️ 🖥️ 🔬 🌞Jan 7, 2025

@kathhayhoe @ketan

Any platform that is actively boosting or suppressing content needs to be viewed and regulated as a broadcaster. They should be required to get a broadcast license and be under the same scrutiny and anyone else in that position of mass influence.

This is no longer #FreeSpeech

#Facebook #Twitter #SocialMedia

Show threadyuhasz01Jan 7, 2025

@sleepy62 @kathhayhoe @ketan

Unfortunately net neutrality policy was denied last week by FCC

Show threadTed ReJan 7, 2025
@kathhayhoe @ketan <sarcasm> long live free speech!
Show threadJohannes RaggamJan 7, 2025
@kathhayhoe @ketan maybe the announced stop for content moderation on Metas platforms isn't so bad in the end. That could then give your posts there better visibility.
Show threadP StewartJan 8, 2025

@thet @kathhayhoe @ketan They aren't stopping moderation, they're getting rid of (supposedly) independent factchecking in favour of whatever "community notes" alternative they're setting up.

That's independent of their burial of posts whose politics Zuck et al don't like, which seems to have been ramped up recently.

Show threadSam Sethi  ⁂Jan 16, 2025
@kathhayhoe @ketan Time to leave Meta. Threads, FB, WhatsApp.
Show threadWolfgang CramerJan 7, 2025

@kathhayhoe Yes I do find your analysis really helpful, and I can guess how much work this actually is. I am still lukewarm about LinkedIn because I find it slow and in fact difficult to maneuver.

So a more or less parallel operation on bluesky and mastodon is the current answer for me.

Show threadDr. Katharine HayhoeJan 7, 2025
@wolfgangcramer yes, the demographics on LI are very different. Small fraction of academics, huge number of professionals.
Show threadRuth MottramJan 7, 2025
@kathhayhoe it's interesting, perhaps my posts aren't interesting enough? But I get lots of likes on Blue Sky, but few reposts and only a few comments, whereas here on Masto I get lots of reposts, lots of likes and then often a few comments. I haven't really worked out how to use LinkedIn otherwise...
Show threadDr. Katharine HayhoeJan 7, 2025

@Ruth_Mottram that is interesting - would you say that is true for normalised values (per 1k followers)?

LI is a very different platform. Mostly business/professional people. I've had to figure out how to use it very differently. Like a foreign language :)

Show threadRuth MottramJan 7, 2025
@kathhayhoe i have roughly the same number of followers on both platforms, although I think on blue sky there are more bots. It's hard to be sure.
Show threadSolar🌄GardenJan 7, 2025

@Ruth_Mottram @kathhayhoe

If it's of any interest to climate-study- or other -professionals who post here, it's engagement that matters to me. I follow individuals here largely to engage, trying /not/ to waste time by doing this on a trivial level, tho I do do trivia / humour in other ways, and think trivia / personal content / news / humour and discussion need additional tools for handling on mastodon. I can read news and in-depth didactic material elsewhere. Prompts about new material are adequately received by boost and hash-follows.

Show threadBob ThomsonJan 7, 2025
@kathhayhoe I can well imagine why LinkedIn folks don’t share. By its nature as a business networking / job seeking platform, folks are much more curative of their presence so as not to put anyone off. Personally I steer clear of anything remotely political other than on mastodon as LinkedIn and FB I just don’t want to deal with trolling and eejitry there.
Show threadteledyn 𓂀Jan 7, 2025

@kathhayhoe @noctuaminervae

I notice this dared not a stroll into Tumblr 🤣

but also, what value have interaction stats when we know those platforms constrain to bubbles? At best, it illustrates Hawking's assertion "There is no Archimedian Point."

And maybe, for that reason, Anecdote IS data, provided we sum all Feynman graphs! I often post identical items to Mastodon and Tumblr, and over the past two years, yes, the energy is very different, which is why I spend more time there: it's safer.

Show threadDr. Katharine HayhoeJan 7, 2025

@teledyn I'm just not there. As one human there's a limit to the number of platforms I can juggle.

As for bubbles, it depends on why you're on a certain platform. The reason I engage on different platforms is because of the different audiences on each.

Show threadteledyn 𓂀Jan 7, 2025

@kathhayhoe I had a professional interest in such things twenty years ago, so I joined and was active in all except WhatsApp, Discord and TikTok (because I couldn't figure out how)

Two decades on, I have left all in disgust, except Tumblr, which, while always questionable, I still enjoy, and Messenger that I will quit the very instant my adult children wake up.

It is, however, CURIOUS, as you say, that each behaves so differently, and each different again when their ownership changes.

Show threadSean BalaJan 7, 2025

@kathhayhoe

Thank you so much for being a positive presence here and for sticking it out. As someone passionate about creation care and the positive force religion can play in environmental conversations, your communications work has been very inspiring.

I am sorry about the know-it-alls here. I find them annoying too. I will definately follow on Fedi Bridge. I hope that BlueSky can resist the pressure that a lot of the other social media companies seem to be buckling under.

Show threadDr. Katharine HayhoeJan 8, 2025
@seanbala thank you Sean! I have a great starter pack on Faith + Climate on Bluesky if you are ever interested :)