International Journal of Agriculture Extension and Social Development

author(s)
Nikita Danu, Mandeep Sharma and Ritu Mittal Gupta

abstract
The environment is essential for the survival of all living and non-living entities, yet rapid industrialization, population growth and resource exploitation have caused climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution and ecosystem degradation. Despite governmental efforts to address these issues, public awareness remains insufficient. Social media has emerged as a powerful tool to complement traditional awareness strategies by providing widespread access to information, facilitating engagement and promoting active participation in environmental sustainability. This review examines the roles of social media platforms in enhancing environmental knowledge, encouraging sustainable behaviours and mobilizing collective action. Findings indicate that Instagram is effective for visual storytelling and emotional connection, Twitter for policy discussions and timely updates, Facebook for community-oriented action, TikTok for lifestyle-based behavioural change and LinkedIn for professional and technical engagement. Social media enables real-time information sharing, transcends geographical barriers, supports interactive discussions, promotes advocacy campaigns and holds policymakers and corporations accountable. However, challenges such as misinformation, short attention spans, echo chambers, low translation of online engagement into offline action, greenwashing, algorithmic biases, unequal access, privacy concerns and the environmental impact of digital infrastructure limit its effectiveness. Strategies including targeted platform-specific messaging, fact-checking, participatory campaigns, inclusive and localized content, and sustainable digital practices can help overcome these obstacles. Overall, social media plays a crucial role in raising awareness, shaping social norms, influencing behaviour and driving collective action for environmental sustainability, complementing broader systemic and policy-level interventions toward achieving sustainable development goals.