OIDA International Journal of Sustainable Development
Open-access peer-reviewed journal
https://doi.org/10.64211/oidaijsd190722
Digital Influencers and the Cultural Diffusion of Sustainable Consumption: Audience Reception in YouTube Comment Communities
Ayda Sabuncuoğlu İnanç 1,* , Hilal Taşkın 2
1,2 Faculty of Communication, Public Relations and Advertising Department, Sakarya University, Sakarya, Turkey.
* Corresponding authour: aydainanc@sakarya.edu.tr
Volume 19, Issue 07, Pg. 283-302, 2026.
Abstract: Sustainable development involves more than regulatory intervention; it also requires the gradual normalization of environmentally responsible ways of living. In today’s world, where sustainability has gained immense value in every field, 17 fundamental goals have been identified under the title of Sustainable Development Goals. These 17 development goals can be said to encompass core objectives such as protecting natural resources, ensuring gender equality, and making coexistence sustainable through mutual cooperation. The rise of social media has created a new sphere of interest for both followers and those following it, and the relationship between these activities and development goals has become a subject of curiosity. Nutrition, fashion, goods, lifestyles, and many other topics have found a wide reach through social media under the theme of sustainability. Social media accounts promoting a green life represent a significant area of research for individuals of all ages, lifestyles, and circumstances, helping them understand the characteristics of sustainability in both local and global contexts. As sustainability discourse increasingly circulates through digital media, relatively limited attention has been paid to how such narratives are publicly interpreted and negotiated within participatory online spaces.This study explores how sustainability lifestyle influencers frame ecological responsibility and how audiences respond to these narratives within YouTube comment communities. The analysis is based on 9,000 publicly accessible comments drawn from sustainability-focused videos produced by ten highly visible sustainability influencers representing varied lifestyle orientations, including anti-consumption, circular practices, ethical purchasing, slow living, and renewable transition. Comments serve as the primary unit of analysis and are examined as observable instances of audience reception. The study categorizes evaluative tone (positive, neutral, mixed, negative) and identifies recurring interpretive patterns such as emotional support, identification, behavioral motivation, practical exchange, structural reflection, and credibility assessment. The findings indicate that sustainability influencer discourse is structured through multiple distinct lifestyle pathways rather than a singular, uniform model of “green living.” Audience engagement displays consistent patterns of alignment, accompanied by negotiated interpretations and comparatively limited oppositional responses. Comment environments are predominantly characterized by relational affirmation and identity-based resonance, while smaller yet persistent forms of critique reflect ongoing evaluation of authenticity and intent. From a sustainable development standpoint, these results suggest that influencer comment spaces operate as participatory arenas where sustainability norms are translated into everyday language and reinforced through visible peer interaction. By centering audience interpretation, the study contributes to development-oriented sustainability scholarship and offers insight into how sustainable consumption becomes culturally embedded in ways that conceptually align with SDG 12 and SDG 13.
Keywords: Digital Media, Influencers, SDG 12, Sustainable Consumption, Sustainability Communication
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