Seoana Sherry-Brennan
Digital Communications and Prize Engagement Officer
04 Feb 2021
Social media is synonymous with many things – hilarious photo filters, DIY trends and lip-syncs to name just a few – but something else our beloved social platforms are becoming known for is their efforts to help save the planet.
Favoured by Gen Z, TikTok burst onto the social media scene in September 2016, originating in the home of new tech – China. The premise was for a platform that allowed you to make and share short-form videos in a variety of genres, from comedy to education. It was launched internationally on iOS and Android in 2017 and quickly became a replacement for the now defunct Vine. Even if you’re not a user of the platform, you’ll be hard-pressed to avoid seeing content from it, thanks to its popularity across Instagram and other social media platforms. Personally, I have at least three contacts in my phone who regularly send me links to their favourite TikToks, though I have as of yet resisted the urge to download it myself. But I may be tempted to now, after discovering a genre on the platform which is growing by the day and focuses on issues close to my heart.
Of TikTok’s 800 million+ users, many of them are ‘eco-influencers’ – who are using their platform and fan base to campaign for issues such as climate change and sustainable fashion. Thanks to young climate activists such as Greta Thunberg, who uses her social platforms to advocate on environmental issues, Millennials and Generation Z are increasingly engaging with these topics. The creation and sharing of ‘green memes’ on social media is rising rapidly, and it’s not just the big issues that are being covered either, the hashtag “moss” has over 84.3 million views! The 2020 survey of Generation Z and millennials by Deloitte found climate change and protecting the environment were top concerns for young people born between 1983 and 2002. The ‘Greta effect’, as it’s been dubbed, has seen more and more young people are engaging in online activism than ever before.
Another area which has seen a spate of new content emerge is upcycling, the process of adapting and reworking an existing garment into a new piece. In the age of fast fashion, where trends now emerge weekly and you can buy a bikini from as little as £1, it is great to see a movement to counteract the damage these large fashion brands are doing to the planet with their unsustainable practices. Videos of people creating brand new outfits from existing items in their wardrobe provide eco-conscious fashion fans with an alternative to yet another online order.
But what impact can a few funny videos have? Well, thanks to the upswell of advocacy from young people, which is in a much more public forum thanks to social media, Gen Z is shaping climate policy, finance and activism far more than any generation that has come before. It’s much harder for governments to ignore an issue once it goes viral, and social media has forever changed the way that people interact with each other and those in charge of society. In the United States, over half of social media users use their platforms mainly as a way to engage in activism and advocacy. Gone are the days of just using your accounts to share a selfie, we should be using social media to campaign for what we believe in and make real change in the world.
The team behind TikTok were quick to recognise the growth in the area of environmental activism and in response, launched TikTok for good. It’s aim is to ‘inspire and encourage a new generation to have a positive impact on the planet and those around them’. Previous campaigns which have succeeded in this aim include #PetBff which, in 2019, saw TikTok work with animal shelters and animal welfare organisations across the globe to mark International Homeless Animals’ Day. For every video posted with the hashtag, TikTok donated $1 to its animal protection partners. Similarly, #DanceForChange worked with the United Nations International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) to launch the world’s largest dance challenge to help people in rural areas of Africa and other developing countries. 33,000 videos were created with a whopping 81 million video views – demonstrating the power social media can have on spreading awareness of important issues.
The Amazon Longitude Explorer Prize team is hoping to captivate this generation of do-gooders and inspire them to take their activism to the next level by coming up with an idea that uses technology to improve the world in some way. As the leaders of tomorrow and the next generation of innovators, we know young people are using their creativity, drive and innovative thinking to tackle the challenges faced by millions across the world, which is why this year the Prize is calling on 11-16 year olds across the UK to answer the call to action:
How can you use technology to create an app, product or service that will make the world a better place, enabling people to live better, live longer, live greener and live together?
Fostering entrepreneurial spirit among young people is vital in order to successfully solve some of the greatest challenges of today, and the Prize is passionate about supporting those young people to take their innovative ideas and make them a reality. Innovation has been a driving force behind some of the most important inventions of our time and is about approaching a problem with a new perspective – not being limited by what has already been done.
In addition to the skills and experience young people gain through taking part in the Amazon Longitude Explorer Prize, the grants provided to the winning schools and youth groups helps them continue to support students to develop their STEM and innovation skills. The winning team of the Amazon Longitude Explorer Prize will gain £20,000 for their school or youth group, with £5,000 available for three runners up teams.
The team has created tons of fantastic resources to help inspire and motivate teams of young people to take part, which are available for free. Applications are open until 17:00 GMT on 12 February 2021.
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