What makes a video “viral”? What makes people queue for hours to buy a new smartphone or eat in a modern restaurant?
And what does something of that have to do with conservation?
A new study suggests that some of the same characteristics that make a new device popular, such as simplicity, visibility and utility, also affect the rate at which conservation initiatives are adopted and propagated.
The research, published today in the Conservation Letters magazine, suggests that studying how and why conservation efforts are adopted, a concept called “dissemination of innovation theory”, can help them have faster and more durable impacts at less cost.
Human Nature spoke with Mike Mascia, a senior social scientist at Conservation International and the main author of the study.
Question: virality is not something that we necessarily associate with the environment – It is usually in the context of a video on social networks. How did you think of the idea of matching both of them?
Answer: Only in the last decade, billions of dollars have been invested throughout the world, in various degrees of success. But occasionally, an approach to help the environment “will become viral”, which means that it achieves generalized adoption, with a great impact both on people and the environment in a large area. Then we ask ourselves: why these projects? If we can understand what combination of factors promote conservation at scale, we have a better taking to replicate this process in the future.
Q: What factors did you see to determine if an approach had “turned viral”?
TO: We look at conservation efforts in tanzania and the pacific this Thingingsings: The Character Thingsings, Thingsings: The Character Thingsings, Thingsings: The Character Thingsings, Thingsings: The Character Thingsings: The Character Thingings, Things: Or Prospective Adopters of that Innovation and the broader social and environmental context. And when we analyzed the conservation approaches based on the community in Tanzania and the Pacific, these same factors made the difference between the approaches that became viral and those that struggled early or simply limited.
Our research is in its early stages, but suggests that the rapid and generalized adoption of new conservation approaches is more likely when “innovation” is simple, superior to the status quo, observable for others, consistent and valid beliefs and values and beliefs of valit and beliefs of valit and beliefs of Valit and brave and valid beliefs and contextual values. Moreoover, diffusion is more likely when the initial adopters have a high social status, are well connected to the outside world and for each ootter, have the ability to innovate without interference and compete with others. Finally, dissemination is probably in geographical, cultural and political support contexts, or where policies are created to support conservation intervention, if these policies are not yet present.
Q: If we know this, isn’t it possible to make each conservation effort viral?
TO: There are too many variables to ensure that everything becomes viral, but we can certainly do a better job by advancing in the rapid and wide adoption of new (and old) approaches for conservation.
For example, reflexive monitoring and communication efforts can play a fundamental role: measure the benefits of a new approach, in relation to the status quo and increase awareness of the benefits between the possible critical information of ADIDE and the price of WOBD. Working with well -connected and highly respected leaders could overcome other barriers. And, perhaps most importantly, working with government officials to create the support policy environment is essential for rapid and generalized absorption. Sometimes we take these steps through luck or proof and error, but we can be much more intentional about our implementation and scale approach.
Q: Can this concept be applied to existing projects or simply new projects?
TO: It is easier to imagine integrating these ideas about the design of a new program, since one is developing and implementing a strategy to implement and expand a new conservation approach. But it is possible to adjust, or even a review, an existing strategy to accelerate absorption and expand our reach. This research is the first step to understand exactly how to do it.
Q: What does this mean for the state of conservation efforts worldwide?
TO: We have the control of the legs the implementation and scale of our interventions as a non -scientific field, only the domain of experience and professional judgment, which has led to expensive strategies already ineffective of judgment and blur. If we adopt the evidence of mass scientific evidence on the dissemination of innovations, we have the potential to drastically remodel the practice of conservation and to offer faster and faster impacts at less cost.
Mike Mascia is the senior director of Social Sciences at Conservation International. Sophie Bertazzo is a senior editor at Conservation International.
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