In our paper, Characteristics of the vegetable oil debate in social-media and its implications for sustainability published in Communications Earth & Environment, we analyze over 20 million tweets to characterize the online debate around vegetable oils. Our findings reveal discrepancies between the scientific community's discussions and public perception regarding the sustainability of vegetable oils.

Sustainable Development and Vegetable Oils

In 1987, the Brundtland Commission introduced the idea of Sustainable Development, highlighting the importance of balancing today's needs with those of future generations. This concept has become the cornerstone of global initiatives to achieve the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as part of the 2030 Agenda.

Vegetable oils play a crucial role in our global food system. They provide essential dietary energy, serve as animal feed, and are used in biofuels. However, the rapid expansion of oil crops, especially in tropical areas, has caused significant environmental damage, including deforestation and the loss of biodiversity. The complexity of the problem increases even further when one looks at different types of plantations. For instance, recent research has shown that improving smallholder plantations could contribute to improving several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including No Poverty (SDG 1), Good Health and Well-being (SDG 3), Quality Education (SDG 4), Life on Land (SDG 15), and Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions (SDG 16). Despite these potential benefits, the sustainability of vegetable oil production and consumption remains a contentious issue among the scientific community, policymakers, and the general public.

Key Findings

We analyzed over 20 million tweets related to vegetable oils, spanning from 2006 to 2021. Our analysis revealed that coconut, olive, and palm oils dominate Twitter discussions, despite their lower overall production compared to oils like soybean or sunflower. Among these three oils, the debates focus on different topics and are distributed differently across the platform.

• Coconut Oil: Focus on Health and Beauty.  Popular hashtags related to coconut oil emphasize its health and beauty benefits. In the early 2010s, coconut oil was highly regarded as a "superfood", though some claims have been questioned since then. Despite this, our data shows generally positive sentiment and moderate virality.
• Olive Oil: Health and Culinary Uses. Discussions about olive oil on Twitter focus on its health and culinary benefits. It is largely viewed positively, reflecting its reputation as a key component of healthy diets like the Mediterranean diet. However, it receives less attention compared to coconut and palm oils.
• Palm Oil: Environmental Concerns and Negative Sentiment. Palm oil discussions are mainly driven by environmental concerns, with most tweets highlighting issues like deforestation and threats to biodiversity. A notable shift occurred in November 2018, following a viral campaign by Iceland Foods and Greenpeace, which significantly increased and sustained public attention on palm oil.

The Disconnection Between Scientific and Public Discourse

The comparison of social media discussions with scientific discourse reveals a prominent disconnection. Online virality is characterized by short-lived, bursty peaks of information, driven by emotive reactions to positive or negative rather than neutral messages. However, scientific discussions are often the opposite of viral, requiring non-emotional long-term studies and investigations. This disparity highlights the challenge of communicating complex scientific information to the public through social media. For instance, palm oil is heavily criticized for its environmental impact, while the public largely ignores the negative consequences of other oils, such as olive and coconut. Recently, the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) released a report highlighting how the environmental impact of each vegetable oil mainly depends on the practices adopted during its production. Therefore, the report shows that there is no such thing as good or bad oil, as the online public sphere believes, but only good or bad practices.

Implications for Policy, Public Engagement, and Sustainable Discourse

Our findings highlight the need for better communication strategies to bridge the gap between the scientific community and the general public. Policymakers should use insights from psychology and sociology to turn complex scientific findings into actionable public awareness campaigns.

Awareness campaigns could highlight the strengths and weaknesses of various oils, emphasizing the environmental and socio-economic impacts. This balanced approach would help the public make informed decisions aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals.

Furthermore, to achieve visibility for topics like the SDGs, it's essential to disrupt the patterns of short-lived viral events. By mitigating the impact of these bursty events, we can enhance the longevity and engagement of public opinion on sustainability issues.

In summary, while social media can raise awareness, it often oversimplifies complex topics, leading to polarized and sometimes misinformed public perceptions. Future campaigns should aim for a balanced view of sustainability issues to improve public discourse and support the SDGs.