Social media campaigns can help promote water conservation when they are strategically designed, sustained over time and framed to effectively engage audiences, a University of Kassel professor said during the 9th International Conference on Multidisciplinary Research.
Dr. Ralf Wagner, professor at the University of Kassel in Germany, presented the study “Clicks for Conservation: Can Social Media Save Water?” during the international research conference hosted by La Consolacion College Bacolod.
The study, co-authored by Valeriia Onutska, Yuliia Kubai, Mohammed Salem and Wagner, examined how social media campaigns influence water-saving behavior, particularly in the context of households’ indirect water consumption.
Wagner said the study was anchored on the growing global water crisis, noting that fresh water remains essential to health and living standards. He said water scarcity continues to worsen because of population growth, economic development and climate change.
The study focused on three key elements of social media campaigns: platform type, frequency of posts and message framing. It also examined the moderating role of campaign duration in strengthening the relationship between digital campaigns and water conservation behavior.
Using empirical data from 368 valid survey responses, the researchers tested the proposed relationships through Partial Least Squares analysis. The findings showed that platform type, frequency of posts and message framing had significant positive effects on changes in water usage behavior.
Among the three direct factors, message framing showed the strongest impact, followed by frequency of posts and platform type. Wagner said this suggests that how a water conservation message is presented matters greatly in influencing behavioral change.
The study also found that longer campaigns strengthened the effects of platform type, posting frequency and message framing on water-saving behavior. Wagner said this confirms that sustained engagement is important in environmental communication.
The model showed acceptable quality, with the adjusted R-squared value increasing from 0.547 without moderation to 0.585 with moderation. Wagner said the results demonstrated good predictive relevance and validity.
The study contributes to theory by extending the Elaboration Likelihood Model to social media research and environmental communication. It also provides empirical evidence from Ukraine, a context marked by water management and sustainability challenges.
Wagner said the findings offer practical insights for policymakers, environmental organizations and campaign designers seeking to use social media for sustainable water management.
The study, however, also noted limitations. It focused only on Ukraine, which may limit the generalizability of the results. The data were also based on self-reported questionnaires, while the cross-sectional design limited the analysis of long-term behavioral change.
For future research, Wagner recommended replicating the study in other countries and cultural contexts, examining additional moderating variables, studying newer social media platforms and technologies, and using longitudinal designs to observe long-term behavioral change.
The 9th International Conference on Multidisciplinary Research gathered scholars, graduate students and institutional partners for presentations on business, education, health and wellness, sustainability, technology, governance, social sciences and other research areas.