Understanding of eco-shaming phenomena in Kazakhstan

Abstract: This paper aims to analyse how eco-shaming practices are being understood by environmental activists and people actively involved in Kazakhstan's ecological agenda. Although there have been many studies on how receivers of eco-shaming artifacts react to them, there is a gap in how environmental communication campaign producers use the knowledge about eco-shaming and what language they elaborate on and think about eco-shaming. This study will allow a better understanding of what environmental communication practitioners need in terms of assessment and reflection in order to consider when and how to use eco-shaming to strive for changes and when not. The research is done with an interactionist perspective and uses insights both from the literature review and the empirical data gathered in five focus groups. The focus group participants consider that eco-shaming risks pushing an individual away from learning about how to care for the environment. At the same time, this study argues that even though eco-shaming does not necessarily create changes as such, it might be considered as a relevant way of raising one's voice in the absence of access to deliberative forums. The study concludes with suggestions for future research and recommendations for environmental communicators in this regard.