Don't Just Sit There - Do Something!: Engaging and Empowering U.S. Adults Through Short, Funny, Internet Videos About Climate Change

Abstract:

Communitopia, a 501(c)3 organization, uses humor, new media, and the short video format to engage and empower audiences and improve climate literacy.

Our main project, the Don’t Just Sit There - Do Something! video series (http://djst.tv), takes the complex subject of climate science, breaks it down into digestible nuggets of short, funny video, and couples it with easy actions viewers can take to make a difference. The series has 25 episodes so far, and more than 80,000 views on YouTube. We are reaching our target audience of high-school-age and adult viewers in the United States (94% of viewers are known to fit this demographic).

Don't Just Sit There - Do Something! uses a strategic model for breaking through the fear and dread around climate change in the general population. It uses humor, positivity and brevity to frame the issue, and gives the audience simple actions designed to empower in each self-contained episode. We approach each piece of the climate puzzle with scientific rigor, and cite all our sources. Our approach is light-hearted and fun, because it is a more productive way to have a conversation about tough issues than scolding and guilt. The series is ongoing, and we are always focused on climate change.

To determine the efficacy of our approach and efforts, we measure video views and other metrics through our YouTube channel, compile feedback and comments through YouTube and other social media outlets, and track actions taken through web metrics (click-through rates).

We are also currently working with the Behavioral and Community Health Sciences Department at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health to evaluate the videos’ impact. From August-October 2015, we are using an online survey to evaluate the Don’t Just Sit There - Do Something! series. We will assess viewers’ climate change education and awareness, commitment to support action steps that alleviate climate change, and inclination to support policy action before and after watching. Where possible, we have aligned survey questions with those of other groups, such as the Yale Project on Climate Change Communication, to better assess our survey population vs. the general population.

We will share data about the benefits of using this novel approach for climate change communication.