Gretathunberg: Navigating Critique and Identity Within Youth Climate Activism on Twitter
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University of Denver Digital Commons @ DU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Graduate Studies 2020 @GretaThunberg: Navigating Critique and Identity Within Youth Climate Activism on Twitter Carina Robin Weadock Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd Part of the Social Influence and oliticalP Communication Commons, Social Media Commons, and the Speech and Rhetorical Studies Commons @GretaThunberg: Navigating Critique and Identity within Youth Climate Activism on Twitter ______________ A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences University of Denver ____________ In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts ____________ by Carina Weadock June 2020 Advisor: Dr. Christina Foust ©Copyright by Carina Weadock 2020 All Rights Reserved Author: Carina Weadock Title: @GretaThunberg: Navigating Critique and Identity within Youth Climate Activism on Twitter Advisor: Dr. Christina Foust Degree Date: June 2020 Abstract Youth climate activist Greta Thunberg sat alone on the steps of the Swedish Parliament building in September of 2018, holding a bold black and white sign and demanding action be taken in the face of the climate crisis. Ever since, her activism and Twitter presence have sparked media attention, catalyzed youth activists globally to organize marches and strike from school, and have drawn critique. This thesis employs McKerrow’s (1989) critical rhetoric to uncover dominant discourses within tweets that undermine Thunberg based on identity and to explore the potential that Thunberg’s Twitter presence might or might not hold for future youth activist response to similar critique. I highlight implications of Thunberg’s Twitter presence on her own and other youth activist’s agency and on the collective identity of Fridays for Future, as well as pose questions that Thunberg’s Twitter presence raises for the potential of a more intersectional, networked youth climate movement. ii Acknowledgements I have so many to thank for helping me along the way while writing this thesis. My advisor, Dr. Christina Foust, was instrumental to this project. Dr. Foust provided expansive ideas, pushed me to continually interrogate and rework the paper to a higher standard, and was extremely supportive throughout the writing process. Dr. Foust’s work on the rhetoric of social movements, her mentorship, and her devotion to a critical lens not only have helped to guide this project, but have changed my worldview. I’m very lucky to have worked with her. I’d also love to thank Dr. Hava Gordon, whose work on youth activism proved integral to this thesis, and Dr. Mary Clair Loftus for her willingness to dive into rhetoric and provide insightful feedback. I also could not have done this without the continued support of friends and family. I am especially grateful for my dad, Glenn, my sister, Cecily, my uncle, Jeff, and my great aunt and uncle, Janey and Jeff, for their commitment to checking-in and their thorough editing of the paper. Further, I’d like to thank everyone who has been a mentor to me at University of Denver or who helped me to develop a deeper and more nuanced view of Communication Studies, identity, and the world around me. iii Table of Contents Chapter One: Greta Thunberg, the Climate Crisis, and Environmental Communication . 1 The Science behind the Climate Crisis ..................................................................... 5 Greta Thunberg and Fridays for Future: Growth of Social Movement .................... 7 Environmental and Climate Crisis Communication ............................................... 14 Youth Activism: Limiting Social Constructions of Youth ..................................... 19 Introducing the Thesis: Summary of Chapters ....................................................... 26 Chapter Two: Twitter as Site for Inquiry & the Interpretive Stance of Critical Rhetoric 29 Twitter and Movement: Networked, Hybrid Spaces .............................................. 29 Twitter’s Relationship to Social Movement and Youth Activism .......................... 33 Rhetorical Stance: McKerrow’s Critical Rhetoric .................................................. 37 Agency and Identity ................................................................................................ 41 Methodological Overview of Data Collection ........................................................ 43 Chapter Three: A Barrage of Critique @GretaThunberg ................................................ 48 Attacking Credibility: Undermining Thunberg’s Youth......................................... 48 Do You Have a Resume?: Greta Thunberg as Unqualified .................................... 49 “Youthful” Emotions: Temper Tantrums, Drama Queens, and Delicate Feelings . 53 Greta Thunberg Kills Joy ........................................................................................ 57 “Deeply Disturbed:” Oppressive Notions of Neurodiversity.................................. 61 Rhetorically Weaponized Misogyny....................................................................... 66 Conspiracy: @GretaThunberg in Cahoots .............................................................. 68 Chapter Four: #FridaysforFuture: Thunberg as Networked Node ................................... 81 Science as Agency: Bolstering Climate Activism .................................................. 82 Greta Thunberg’s Twitter Page as Fridays for Future Network “Node” ................ 87 “We’re Winning:” Collective Identity in Antagonism ........................................... 94 #Aspiepower: Thunberg Champions her own Identities ........................................ 97 Ironically Calling Out Critics................................................................................ 101 Agency and Collective Identity in Thunberg’s Twitter ........................................ 110 Chapter Five: Implications beyond @GretaThunberg .................................................... 114 Implications for Youth Climate Activists ............................................................. 117 A Nod to Critical Rhetoric .................................................................................... 126 Possibilities for Future Research .......................................................................... 131 References ....................................................................................................................... 134 iv Chapter One: Greta Thunberg, the Climate Crisis, and Environmental Communication Given the scope, complexity, and urgency of the climate crisis, the actions of individuals and governments to mitigate impact are crucial and must be timely. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (the IPCC’s) 2018 “Summary for Policymakers of IPCC Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5℃,” limiting warming to 1.5℃ would require “rapid,” “far-reaching” and “unprecedented changes” that would drastically decrease human-caused emissions of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere (“Summary for Policymakers of IPCC Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5℃ approved by governments,” 2018). While the science behind the climate crisis is undeniable and straight forward, the climate crisis is also embroiled in complex systems as well as varying ideologies that make taking action political and polarizing. Research on public attitudes and the climate crisis indicates that the “not- surprising politicization” and “institutionalization” of the climate crisis have made and continue to make communicating the climate crisis a “perfect storm” for those striving to effect change (Moser & Dilling, 2011, p. 161). Nevertheless, youth activists globally have taken action to combat the climate crisis in many ways: marching and writing bold messages on signs in support of saving the planet, communicating to their governmental leaders, and advocating for lifestyle changes towards more sustainable living, among other methods. What began in 1 September, 2018 with Swedish student Greta Thunberg sitting outside the Swedish Parliament building to demand climate action from her local government has evolved into a much larger youth activist movement: Fridays for Future. Fridays for Future is a global effort to save the planet, and it consists predominantly of youth activists who strike from school each Friday. In the words of Thunberg: “We are not just some kids who are skipping school...this is actually something much bigger. This is a movement and it will not stop....I think we are only seeing the beginning” (Good Morning America, 2019). While Fridays for Future is larger than any individual youth activist, Thunberg is nevertheless the catalyst of the movement. Her large Twitter following of 4.1 million followers and her deep connection to Fridays for Future make Thunberg’s Twitter presence especially important to considerations of social movement, collective identity, and youth activism. Despite lack of drastic systemic change Thunberg and Fridays for Future call for, Thunberg’s rhetoric and Fridays for Future activists have spurred reactions and acknowledgement from world leaders, have encouraged youth who haven’t participated in activism before to engage, and have changed voting turnout in some areas. German Chancellor Angela Merkel stated on July 17, 2019 that “the seriousness with which Greta, but also many, many other young people, are telling us that this is about their lives, and that their life spans extend further, has led us to approach