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Characteristics of the vegetable oil debate in social-media and its implications for sustainability

Elena Candellone,A. Aleta,Henrique Ferraz de Arruda,E. Meijaard,Yamir Moreno

Published 2024 in Communications Earth & Environment

ABSTRACT

The global production and consumption of vegetable oils have sparked wide-ranging and often emotive discussions on sustainable development, especially on social media. Here we analyze over 20 million tweets related to vegetable oils to explore the key factors shaping public opinion. Coconut, olive, and palm oils dominate social media discourse not proportionally to their global production. Olive and palm oil discussions remarkably correlate with Twitter’s (now X) growth, while coconut shows more bursts of activity. Discussions around coconut and olive oils primarily focus on health, beauty, and food, while palm oil draws attention to pressing environmental concerns. Virality is related to environmental issues and negative connotations. In the context of the Sustainable Development Goals, this study highlights the multifaceted nature of the vegetable oil debate and its disconnection from scientific discussions. Our research sheds light on the power of social media in shaping public perception, providing insights into sustainable development strategies. Opinions about vegetable oils in social media are dependent on the type of oil and shows a disconnection between the public discourse and the scientific discussion, according to a public perception study of twenty million social media posts.

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