Personalisation for the Planet: How Social Influence Can Power the Green Transition
In the new social age, where human attention has become the world’s most valuable commodity, the power of influence via social media has the potential to change behaviour on an enormous scale. And there is not a more important reason to do so than to protect our planet through climate action. So, how can we use personalised behavioural nudges to enact positive change in the green transition?
Introduction
Attention can be seen as the new currency in our collective ambition to halt the effects of climate change. Over recent years, the explosive impact of social media on the world’s behaviour – from how we are connected to one another, to how we consume news, to how we communicate and make decisions – has resulted in an opportunity too big to ignore: the chance to enact change on a global scale.
In effect, our consciousness has been rewired (a topic covered in depth in FSC’s latest white paper), and a large part of how that has happened is through hyper-personalisation – made possible by algorithms fed by huge amounts of data harvested from our every online interaction. Personalisation now lets platforms deliver bespoke nudges, little pushes that are timed, contextual and psychologically tailored. Too often, these nudges are geared towards driving consumption; but this capability also has the power to change how we live our daily lives, so that we protect our resources, rather than deplete them.
“Too often, these nudges are geared towards driving consumption; but personalisation also has the power to change how we live our daily lives, so that we protect our resources, rather than deplete them.”
The green transition – moving away from non-renewable energy sources in order to reduce emissions and stop the world’s temperature from rising at the untenable rate that it currently is – demands shifts in everyday habits at scale.
The question we need to ask, then, is how do we combine algorithmic persuasion and social influence to turn sustainable choices – changes in mobility, energy and consumption – from “extra effort” into default behaviour?
An untapped resource in the climate fight
Unlike traditional marketing communications, social media has a life of its own: messages spread in an organic, radiating fashion. Gone are the days of broadcast – ideas now jump from person to person, changing and morphing depending on the lens through which that person (or the tribe to which they belong) sees the world. It’s no coincidence that we use the term ‘viral’. Reaching people through social media moves the sharing of ideas from broadcast to contagion.
As our white paper reported, “When millions of people simultaneously react to the same piece of content, their collective response shapes what others see, think and ultimately do. A single post can trigger buying frenzies, political movements, or cultural shifts within hours.” Meaning that we no longer communicate with individuals, but instead plug into “a global nervous system where every message reverberates through interconnected networks, amplified or dampened by the collective intelligence of billions of users.” Traditional campaigns reach many, but social influence amplifies across networks.
Social scientists Nicholas A. Christakis and James H. Fowler theorised that through social networks, a person is not only influenced by their friends, but by their friends’ friends, and their friends’ friends’ friends – what they refer to as the “three degrees of influence.” So how can we harness this for good?
“People take sustainable actions when they believe ‘others like me’ are doing it.”
Research shows that people take sustainable actions when they believe “others like me” are doing it. In the climate fight, this has already proved effective: social proof appeals on social media have been shown to nudge energy conservation behaviours. Digital nudging is emerging as a tool for sustainability interventions, such as interfaces that highlight greener options. But the literature also cautions that exposure to climate content on social media doesn’t always translate to action – the effect is mediated by perceived efficacy, emotions and social identity.
Please, influence responsibly
“Modern algorithms don’t just show us what we like – they understand our deepest, unspoken feelings and feed us content that shapes desire itself.” (FSC’s Power of Social white paper.)
The way in which messages on social media are surfaced to us is already tailored to the individual. As our white paper set out, personalisation doesn’t just follow user preference; it shapes what users consider relevant. In this way, algorithms are not innocent conduits, but agenda-setters. The way that a social platform’s algorithm structures desire and attention can therefore (implicitly) frame what climate issues “feel urgent.”
“We must have clear ethical boundaries when wielding these weapons of mass persuasion.”
But, as that power is governed by the black boxes of machine learning, it is uneven and opaque – and we must therefore have clear ethical boundaries when wielding these weapons of mass persuasion.
Ethical considerations include, for example:
Nudge vs manipulation: AI-powered “green nudging” has to respect autonomy.
Risks of bias: predictive models may favour certain demographics or geographies, reinforcing inequities in who benefits.
Algorithmic governance: explainability, auditability and participatory design (involving communities in nudge design) are critical.
Of course, as with all the seismic changes that AI is bringing about, there must always be room to reflect, review and, when appropriate, criticise – so guardrails must be in place to allow for evaluation, feedback loops and honest discussions around counter-narratives.
Here are four ways in which algorithmic personalisation can be used – responsibly – to encourage climate action.
Contextual nudges in daily flows
This is where energy apps or smart thermostats send nudges at peak times, such as “Turning down by 1°C now saves you 4kg of CO2 today”, and interfaces are redesigned to show green options as the default (e.g. “opt into 100% renewables”). And on e-commerce or mobility platforms, carbon impact or greener alternatives can be highlighted in real time.
Social proof and peer comparison at scale
Here we tap into social behaviour theory, for example leveraging friend networks (prompts such as “Your neighbours reduced consumption by X%”), encouraging sharing of sustainable actions as micro social posts (e.g. “I charged my EV from solar today”), and using micro-incentives (badges, status) to reward visible sustainable behaviours.
Localised cultural narratives and micro-communities
As one of our white paper collaborators, digital culture expert Kyle Chayka explains: “Subcultures are culture. The highest value is belonging in a community.” Personalisation now needs to be hyper-niche. In the climate fight this means tailoring messaging to subcultures (this could be urban cyclists, rural homeowners, faith communities – every identity group has different values). It also includes using local peer leaders or “climate champions” as credible messengers, and focusing on community-based challenges (e.g. a solar adoption drive in a particular street or subdistrict) that make sustainable action shared and social.
Algorithmic triggers linked to external moments
Timeliness is important – being relevant on social is governed by speed to respond, after all. Tie nudges to real-world events (such as heatwaves, spikes in fuel price and weather alerts) and leverage the algorithmic opportunity. For example, as bad weather often increases social media activity, use that moment to push climate cues, and use causal models of activism (e.g. how exposure and social ties drive engagement) to time interventions.
A nudge in the right direction
From the passionate advocate that drums up support within their tribe to the influencer whose recommendations carry more weight than any message from a brand or institution, social media’s power to change behaviour is both indisputable and potent. But perhaps above all, algorithmic nudges can make the difference in our collective efforts to realise the green transition.
As this article from the Sustainability Directory so neatly puts it “The appeal of algorithmic nudges lies in their capacity for scalability and personalisation. Traditional environmental interventions are often resource-intensive and struggle to reach diverse populations with tailored messaging. Algorithms, on the other hand, can process vast amounts of data to identify patterns, segment audiences, and deliver precisely targeted interventions. This granular approach promises to overcome the limitations of one-size-fits-all strategies, making environmental stewardship more effective and efficient.”
“For anyone at the forefront of the green transition, social influence shouldn’t be an add-on or an afterthought, but a fundamental element of strategy.”
Social personalisation represents a largely untapped but very real accelerator in climate efforts – not a silver bullet, but a powerful complement to technology, policy and infrastructure. Using algorithmic power to subtly nudge individuals toward net-zero decisions, and having those behaviours ripple outwards through social networks, can truly help us get where we need to be. For sustainability leaders, platform designers, climate NGOs – anyone at the forefront of the green transition – social influence shouldn’t be an add-on or an afterthought, but a fundamental element of strategy. When we harness the full potential of technology and match it with good intent, we can advance the transition to a healthier and safer future for all.
Future Strategy Club (FSC) is an independent creative agency that uses a unique partnership model to deliver exceptional work for corporates and startups. With a global network of 500+ members covering the full creative spectrum, we deliver a full-service experience without the unnecessary costs of large group agencies.
FSC has direct experience of working in green energy with World Hydrogen Leaders (now part of S&P Global), Green Power Global, SAF and World Power Grid Leaders; and our members have worked across some of the biggest energy companies in the world, including Shell, BP, Exxon Mobile, Ovo and British Gas.
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