Exploring Food Waste Message Framing on X: A Social Network Analysis

What the paper says

Background Food waste has doubled since 2021. International organizations and researchers argue that multiple stakeholders—and the field of marketing in particular—can help mitigate this problem by promoting sustainable lifestyles through social media. Message framing is known to influence consumers’ sustainable behavior. However, there is a gap in the literature regarding how different sources frame food waste messages on social media or which groups lead these communications. Focus of the Article This research addresses this gap by showing what group of senders lead communication about food waste and how different groups frame food waste messages on X. Method Posts in English containing the hashtag #foodwaste published between May and October 2022 were collected using a combination of the Twitter API and the social networking scraper SNS in Python. Characteristics of users generating the posts were retrieved from their profiles and analyzed using content analysis. Using social network analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis, the main group of hashtags used as frames were classified to determine the frames used by every group of users. Research Questions What actors lead the communication regarding food waste on X? How do different actors frame their food waste messages on X? Importance to the Social Marketing Field This explorative study focuses on prospect theory, specifically on message framing for social marketing research. Results Companies led the #foodwaste communications on X. Among the 10 groups of message senders identified, seven used a “loss” frame, whereas five employed a “doing more” frame. However, these messages did not encompass all possible solutions to the problem, suggesting that #foodwaste communications on X emphasize the negative consequences of food waste more than the actions or behaviors needed to reduce it. Recommendations for Research or Practice Stakeholder groups seeking to combat food waste through social marketing campaigns on social media should focus on communicating practical, research-based actions and behaviors, using slogan hashtags to enhance engagement. They should also involve diverse stakeholders in the design process to create more targeted and effective campaigns. This study adds to the literature on food waste message framing for social marketing by providing a comprehensive view of the frames used by different sources when communicating about the food waste issue. Furthermore, it identifies information that could be disseminated, offers recommendations for stakeholders interested in enhancing their communication efforts to reduce food waste, and provides suggestions for future research.