Do Intergovernmental Organisations (IGOs) that discuss environmental topics on TikTok (e.g. UNFCCC, CBD, and UNEP) have an impact? How are references to and from IGOs conducting environmental activities circulated, accepted, and contested? In order to answer these questions, we examine videos from both official IGO accounts and from the general public that specifically reference IGOs in their hashtags or descriptions. IGOs increasingly conduct digital diplomacy through social media, but few studies have examined the effectiveness of such communication. Our study incorporates a two part, quantitative and qualitative design. First, utilizing a semi-supervised topic modeling approach, we quantify the amount that each IGO publishes about different environmental topics (e.g. land use, oceans, and indigenous populations), the amount that the public associates each IGO with each topic, and the correlations between topics and public reception. Second, we focus on examples of playful videos adapted to TikTok communication styles that convey each of the topics identified in the macro analysis. This analysis explores potential reasons that content went viral. Social media may communicate substantial information about global efforts to combat climate change, but it does so in an environment susceptible to echo chambers or debate. Subpopulations may respond towards certain climate change issues or IGOs with authentic concerns or conspiratorial rhetoric. While TikTok users are not representative of global society, the platform constitutes an influential digital public sphere, particularly among younger and transnational audiences. This study provides pragmatic action goals for IGOs to improve their communication strategies in potentially coercive social media environments.

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TikTok,social networks,international organizations,intergovernmental organizations,climate policy,climate crisis