Project 1

This project began with a personal moment: seeing a trail I had hiked just weeks before engulfed in flames on TikTok. That quiet, emotional reaction struck me more than any infographic or lecture ever had, and it made me question why some climate messages resonate while others fall flat. My research explored how personality traits, using theories like the Big Five and Value-Belief-Norm framework, influence how people process climate communication. I analyzed studies on media exposure, social influence, and emotional engagement, uncovering how people with different personality profiles (introverts, extroverts, those high in openness or neuroticism, etc.) respond differently to tone, format, and delivery. I argued that one-size-fits-all climate messaging fails to account for the diversity in how people think, feel, and act. If we want more people to take action, we need to tailor climate communication strategies to reflect who people are, not just where they are. This project combined my interests in psychology, communication, and climate justice, ultimately highlighting that climate change is personal, and our responses must be too.