Citizen Participation and Strategic Communication through Twitter: Food Waste Awareness in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Alkorbi, Nasser

Abstract

This study investigates the under-researched topic of the extent to which – and how – Twitter
is used to undertake food waste awareness campaigns by food bank organisations in the
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). It provides a better understanding of the role and relevance
of Twitter for Food Banks and from empirical evidence gathered presents a model of Twitterbased social media food waste awareness raising in KSA. A mixed-method approach was
deployed in the research with a focus on qualitative techniques to understand how Saudi food
banks utilise Twitter for their awareness-raising campaigns. The study analysed tweets
extracted from four food bank accounts on Twitter (Ettam, Ekram, Shukre, and FLW) using
content analysis. A range of semi-structured interviews was conducted with actors in food
banks to explore their perspectives on the use of Twitter in awareness campaigns. The study
used a framework based on Social Impact Theory (SIT) to analyse the factors that affect
Twitter content related to food waste in KSA. The Alkorbi model has been developed through
findings which yielded a process to explain how food banks in KSA employ a range of
strategies: presenting factual information; community engagement; religious
communication; highlighting regulation and policy; promotion of special events; and raising
ethical issues to achieve their objectives. These objectives included increasing awareness of
food waste in order to reduce it; engagement with the Saudi public; and promotion of food
bank services. The research argues that to enhance further their Twitter awareness campaign,
food banks can focus on seven core themes to engage their audience successfully, which are
elaborated upon in detail in the thesis.

Citation

Alkorbi, N. (2024). Citizen Participation and Strategic Communication through Twitter: Food Waste Awareness in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. (Thesis)

• Thesis Type: Thesis
• Deposit Date: May 24, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: Feb 27, 2024
• Award Date: Jan 26, 2024