Beyond Awareness: An Analysis of Behavioral Framing in Digital Media Climate Change Campaigns in Pakistan

Abstract

In recent times, Climate change & environment concerns are high for both developing & developed states. Pakistan, as a developing state, ranked at 15th according to Climate Risk Index 2026. Pakistan is already struggling with many issues such as economic crisis, inflation, ethnic conflicts, political instability and security threats. In this scenario, environment & climate change is least discussed issue on mass media. There are few digital media campaigns in Pakistan which address the climate change issues, released by NGO’s & government. Researcher chose two digital media campaigns & analyzed the video content of them. Under the lens of Framing Theory, researcher developed themes of Risk Framing, Responsibility Cues, Action Directives & Emotional Appeals. The main focus of thematic analysis was behavior changing indicators portrayed in content. These themes helped the researcher to critically evaluate the climate communication messages of digital media & their ability to influence audience’s behavior. After the thematic analysis of content, researcher reveled insightful observations on digital media content which must be beneficial for future climate communication researches.