Information Behavior and Digital Activism: A netnographic Analysis of Women's Environmental Advocacy Networks on DOUYIN

Abstract

In recent years, there has been a growing influence of social media. It has heightened the need to understand the way
through which digital platforms such as DOUYIN facilitate information sharing and activism, particularly within the
women’s environmental advocacy networks. For this purpose, the present study aimed to explore the information
behavior and digital activism. To conduct this study, a netnography approach was implemented to assess the women’s
environmental advocacy networks on DOUYIN. For this purpose, both qualitative and quantitative methods of data
collection were leveraged. Data was collected through web scraping and assessed by utilizing the tools such as Atlas TI
for qualitative coding and various statistical techniques for engagement metrics. It also involved social network analysis
to assess influencers and network dynamics. Results showed significant engagement variations among DOUYIN
accounts with verified account generally exhibiting lower engagement rates as compared to the non-verified accounts.
Hashtags such as #woemenempowerment and #female leader demonstrated greater centrality metrics. Practically, the
findings underscore the importance of focusing on impactful hashtags and community engagement strategies to
enhance the effectiveness of digital activism. The study also contributes towards theoretical understanding of
information behavior by highlighting how digital activism shapes and reflect community engagement.