How citizens engage with the social media presence of climate authorities: the case of five Brazilian cities

This study investigates citizen-government communication regarding climate change through social media, focusing on five Brazilian cities. Using Social Media Presence and Human Engagement frameworks, the study analyzes 10,200 publications from authorities and 5,500 citizen replies. Findings reveal that authorities primarily use passive posting for alerts and updates, while citizen engagement is short-term, offering corrections and additions but rarely connecting weather events to climate change. The study's implications relate to the effectiveness of social media for raising awareness, updating citizens, and building trust in climate authorities.

Lesandro Ponciano