New research of NRERC member explores how social media can help understand people’s relationships with nature

When people share photos of a forest hike or write about a peaceful moment by the sea, they’re leaving behind digital traces that scientists can learn from. A new study led by Andrea Ghermandi from our NRERC, together with Fulvia Calcagni, Johannes Langemeyer (both at SE3DS Lab at ICTA-UAB), and Uta Schirpke (Eurac Research and Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München), takes stock of this growing field of environmental intelligence.

Published in the journal Ecosystem Services, the study reviewed 218 peer-reviewed articles that used social media data — from Flickr to Instagram to Weibo — to assess what researchers refer to as “cultural ecosystem services”, the non-material benefits people get from nature, like recreation, aesthetic enjoyment, or cultural heritage.

The findings are encouraging but also sobering. Most studies still rely on a single platform (Flickr dominates), and there’s surprisingly little agreement on how to define and identify these benefits consistently. AI-powered analyses are growing fast, but bring their own challenges around bias and transparency.

The authors propose clearer standards for future research — including being explicit about underlying assumptions, definitions, and potential biases.

As social media and AI continue to evolve, so does our ability to explore to how people value the natural world. 🌍

📄 Read the full open-access article here: https://lnkd.in/dutFX8Sk

Faculty of Social Sciences – University of Haifa
University of Haifa

NRERC