Advancing Sustainability Through Social Media: A Comprehensive Survey

In recent years, social media has emerged as a powerful tool for sustainability marketing. It leverages its extensive reach and interactive characteristics to raise awareness of environmental issues, promote community engagement, and influence policy development. This paper comprehensively analyzes different strategies used on social media platforms to support sustainability goals. We have classified these strategies into six broad categories: campaigns and education to increase awareness; activities that engage and build communities; efforts to advocate and influence policies; initiatives related to corporate social responsibility and branding; projects that use crowdsourcing and collaboration; and behavior change campaigns. We assess the effectiveness of these strategies based on case studies and key performance metrics for sustainable practices, public behaviors, and corporate marketing. Additionally, the presented survey highlights issues such as misinformation, engagement fatigue, and authenticity, necessitating solutions to address these concerns. This study highlights the vital role of social media in achieving sustainability objectives and outlines future research directions to improve its effectiveness in supporting these goals. Therefore, this research offers valuable insights for practitioners, policymakers, and scholars aiming to leverage social media platforms to advance sustainability goals.