ROLE OF DIGITAL MEDIA IN ENGAGING UNIVERSITY STUDENTS OF SINDH, PAKISTAN IN PARTICIPATORY CLIMATE CHANGE COMMUNICATION

<p>The role of young people is considered significant to combat climate change across the globe and<br>digital media has played a commendable part in engaging the young generation in climate<br>change communication as well as motivating them for climate action. This article examines the<br>role of digital media platforms in engaging the university students in online communication<br>about climate change. The data was gathered by conducting a cross-sectional survey in six public<br>sector universities of Sindh province. The sample was consisted of 600 students. A close-ended<br>questionnaire was used for data collection and the data was analyzed with SPSS software. The<br>findings point towards a positive role of digital media in engaging the university students of<br>Sindh in online climate change communication. The results indicate that formats of social media<br>posts, videos, and climate change-related content supported by relevant images and research<br>were effective in attracting the attention of university students. However, the participation of the<br>students in climate change communication was limited to liking and sharing of the content.<br>Finally, the lack of internet and skills to provide feedback on digital media emerged as the major<br>hurdles in the online engagement of university students with climate change communication in<br>Sindh, Pakistan.<br>Keywords: Climate Change Communication, Participatory Communication, University<br>Students, Digital Media</p>