The U.S. National Parks System (NPS) not only offers tens of millions of visitors the chance to explore scenic acreage, but increasingly park staff are providing digital experiences followed by millions online via the social media accounts of the individual parks.
At a time when few federal public institutions see high ratings and trust levels, the broad public continues to hold highly favorable views of the NPS and its 425 national park sites, making its digital communications platforms a unique asset for engaging the public on issues such as conservation, stewardship, and environmental science and policy.
As part of the Creative Climate Lab, based at the College of Arts, Media & Design at Northeastern University, our research team has begun preliminary work to study the dynamics of the use of Instagram, which many of the parks leverage to reach vast numbers of potential in-person visitors and casual fans alike.
In this research, Prof. John Wihbey and Avery King (M.S. candidate) are using a mixed methods approach, interviewing NPS social media managers while also analyzing online data from Instagram to examine patterns in content and engagement. We are examining NPS management’s usage of social media in communicating with audiences on specific topics such as climate change, as well as other science and environmental topics. The research also explores how NPS’s ongoing efforts to attract diverse visitors and audiences are framed within media engagement strategies, and how such efforts speak to important themes of environmental justice.