Social Media's Energetic Voices? Finnish Facebook and Biogas Strategic Management Niche Discussion and Heat Pumps

1Priyabrat Dash

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Abstract:

Strategic niches are protected areas for emerging technologies that express desires, build social networks, and generate learning. While Strategic Niche Management (SNM) can be carried out in a focused, strategic way, there are also more diffused, loosely connected and autonomous niches. The social media networks a group from Facebook was set up to discuss publicly the reform of Finland's energy policies in Finland and looks into the niches in a particular setting. Concentrating on debates around two innovations for renewables: biogas and heat pumps from ground-based sources. They analyze the social network and examine its substance, both quantitatively and qualitatively, in order to ask what kind of SNM is taking place in these conversations. Our findings show that networks for discussion can encourage broad involvement and the inclusion of new ideas, as well as subsets that can promote learning. But the negotiations are highly centralized. The debate of these two innovations does not overshadow the articulation of future expectations. Nonetheless, in its context as sustainable energy approaches, the quantum content analysis shows broad continuity, while the qualitative research often leads to important conversations that can promote awareness and further creation of common aspirations.

Keywords:

Biogas, Energy policy, Facebook, Heat pump, Social media, Strategic Niche Management

Paper Details
Month12
Year2019
Volume23
IssueIssue 6
Pages719-725