Thirteenth International Conference on Interdisciplinary Social Sciences

Abstract

The 2011-2016 California drought was the region’s most severe in a millennium. State sanctions could have considerably mitigated the disaster’s effects by compelling California’s mega-user water consumers, and their entire class of residential over-consumers, to significantly cut water usage. But in the absence of government action, ordinary Californians grew angry and frustrated and turned to social media shaming via Twitter to identify and informally sanction harmful drought deviants by calling them out for their selfish, conspicuous consumption of a scarce community resource, during an historic, epic crisis. This study examines how Californians utilized social media shaming in the interests of their community’s well being, at a time when government was impotent and ineffective. Shamers targeted major over-consumers resistant to fines, higher water rates, and other efforts aimed at reducing largely outdoor water over-consumption. By analyzing a sample of historical California droughtshaming tweets from January-August ‘15, three questions were investigated: 1) who was being droughtshamed - by social class & community type (e.g., privileged vs. disadvantaged) for residents; and organizations (business, government, non-profit) and community type; 2) the statewide distribution of the drought burden of the drought versus those who continued to conspicuously consume; and, 3) shaming’s impact on statewide water consumption. Findings include: The very wealthy, businesses, and government agencies responsible for maintaining water resources during the crisis were themselves over-consumers. Shaming patterns show high-status symbols were targets. Poor and working class residents suffered under water restrictions instituted due to wealthier residents’ over-consumption. Shaming was a genuine factor in water reduction.