Social Media as a Means of Environmental Advocacy: A Study of the #Saynotostyrofoam Campaign

In the long term, the involvement of media partners not only expanded the campaign's reach but also created corporate accountability by exposing companies that continued to use Styrofoam. Intensive coverage established a media precedent that facilitated similar campaigns in the future, while also creating a public archive of the Styrofoam issue that remained accessible even after the campaign ended. Thus, media partners served as a pillar of transformation, transforming #SayNoToStyrofoam from a mere social media hashtag into a sustainable social movement with a tangible impact on policy and public behavior. The research found that Instagram served as a primary platform for delivering emotional and interactive visual messages, while the official website served as a trusted information hub, bolstering the campaign's credibility. Collaboration with media partners successfully expanded the campaign's reach beyond environmental activist circles and lent social legitimacy to the movement. While the campaign generated high public engagement and drove some behavioral changes at the business level, the research identified several key challenges. These challenges included social media algorithm bias that limited reach, the gap between awareness and concrete action, and the echo chamber effect among supporters who already had environmental concerns. The implications of this research emphasize the importance of a multi-strategy approach that combines the power of digital media with cross-sector collaboration to create sustainable impact. These findings provide an important contribution to understanding the potential and limitations of social media as an environmental advocacy tool in the digital age.