The big algorithm in the command center of the Internet has recently served up the same climate activist tidbits over and over again. In one such clip, a woman with a blonde ponytail grabs an activist by her loose hair and drags her across the street, pouring out a torrent of abuse at her. Or the little film in which a firefighter tries to chisel away the asphalt under the hand of a “Last Generation” activist. Suddenly the hardened man screams in an amazingly high voice, rips his flat cap off his head and hurls it to the floor like an acting student. The fireman pauses for a moment and a discussion ensues about whether there is a simulation or not.
After more than a year of sticky protests and sticky discourse, videos like this are now an integral part of everyday social media fare. This sticky content is consumed with the same attitude as a trashy reality format: the films arouse feelings such as anger, gloating, pity, indignation and often plenty of shame. What the videos and the actions of the activists are not: humorous. As well, one could object, this is about the end of the world, there is nothing to laugh about!
But maybe a bit of humor wouldn’t be such a bad idea, after all, the actions are about convincing people and motivating them to take action – at least in theory. A little less end-time seriousness and a little more fun could be a means to an end. Psychologists Chris Skurka and Julia Cunningham just did it a work in Current Opinion in Psychology publishedin which they compiled the study situation on the question of how much fun environmental communication can be.
You know that from advertising: funny spots get more attention
The short answer is: the situation is not very clear, humor is simply too diverse for that. But: with jokes, it is above all those people who can be reached who have so far hardly been interested in eco-climate sustainability issues. For this group of people, the best evidence seems to exist that a little fun lowers the defensive reflexes against heavy environmental food. It is also known from advertising that funny commercials generate more attention, are more likely to trigger positive affects and also make attitudes towards the advertised product more rosy than non-fun purchase recommendations. However, jokes reduce the credibility of the advertising company somewhat.
Similar findings exist from general communication research: If you want to convince others, you can rely on a little humor. Above all, a little fun ensures that more knowledge is imparted, according to the psychologists. Does this create enough urge to act? The evidence is less clear there, according to Skurka and Cunningham. Nevertheless, the researchers’ work can be read as a plea for more playfulness in environmental communication. The alternative, after all, is to continue to disturb the audience with shock news, doom and gloom, and moral curses. Many people find this about as pleasant as being dragged across the street by the hair – and opt out.