Creating meaning on the climate crisis — An investigation of commercial algorithms as communication participants

Algorithms are a fundamental part of our increasingly digitalized lives. One example is search engines and social media platforms. Their algorithms collect, sort, and make large amounts of data comprehensible. As part of this, algorithms filter, select, and organize information. In this way, algorithms—like other forms of human communication—always favor certain perspectives over others.

Algorithms are not neutral. They reflect societal norms, values, and discourses through the built-in assumptions of their developers and through the data used in their development and training. In short, algorithms help shape how societies understand individual issues by being an ever-growing part of everyday life.

As an illustration, imagine someone wants to learn more about children's clothing. A Google search will return nearby and online stores as results. These search results suggest that the usual way to handle children’s clothing is to buy new items. To find information about swapping, repairing, or sharing children’s clothes, the searcher needs prior knowledge and must add specific search terms. This example shows how algorithms influence what we take for granted or consider normal.

Algorithms thus affect discourses, norms, and practices that inevitably have environmental consequences. The insight that algorithms contribute to the shaping of societal meaning is not new. However, the environmental dimension of this has so far been neglected. We address this gap in two steps.

First, we conduct two in-depth case studies on how digital platform algorithms shape our understanding of the climate crisis. One case study examines the extent to which search engines include environmental aspects in information about everyday practices. The second case study explores how specific social media platforms shape the communication of civil society organizations about the environment, for instance concerning controversial content.

Second, we organize workshops based on the case studies with various stakeholders. In these, we discuss the findings and collaboratively create potential interventions and strategic tools to experiment with the mechanisms identified in the case studies.

By linking academic research with society’s environmental and digitalization issues, we deepen the insights needed to address these challenges. The knowledge generated by the project can be used by environmental organizations, civil society, and public actors. It is intended to increase the visibility of environmental discourses, norms, and practices. Our findings may also be useful for increased regulation of digital platforms, serving the public good by making the societal impact of algorithms more visible.