Why would we believe them? Meat consumers’ reactions to online farm animal welfare activism in Australia

ABSTRACT

The use of social media by animal activist organisations is of interest to those in the livestock production industries because of the perceived increased use and effectiveness of this medium for influencing consumers. Using qualitative data derived from focus groups and interviews, we explore how Australian meat consumers interact with animal welfare activism content posted to social media, either by activist organisations or members of the participants’ networks. Results indicate that meat consumers dismiss online animal welfare activism due to a perceived lack of credibility and being associated with a vegetarian or vegan ‘agenda’. Activists also were considered by participants to be ‘ignorant’, with participants suggesting they needed to experience animal farming first hand. Online activism was described as ‘slacktivism’ by our research participants, who felt that sharing something online does not create actual change in the real world and hence is not an authentic or meaningful form of activism. While farm animal welfare is of increasing concern to Australian consumers, this research suggests that information generated by activist organisations and shared via social media is unlikely to change meat eaters’ perceptions, at least in the current form in which it is being provided.

KEYWORDS:

• Social media
• animal welfare
• activism
• meat

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Australian Research Council [LP130100419].

Notes on contributors

Emily A. Buddle

Emily A. Buddle is a postgraduate student at the University of Adelaide, completing her PhD exploring meat consumer attitudes towards farm animal welfare. Her primary research interests are in agriculture, food and communication.

Heather J. Bray is a senior research associate in the School of Humanities at the University of Adelaide exploring community understandings of, and attitudes to, the role of science and technology in food production.

Rachel A. Ankeny is a professor in the School of Humanities at the University of Adelaide. She is an interdisciplinary teacher and scholar whose areas of expertise cross three fields: history/philosophy of science, bioethics and science policy, and food studies.