ROLE OF VLOGGERS IN ENHANCING ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS AND SUSTAINABILITY – A CASE OF SINDHUDURG DISTRICT OF MAHARASHTRA

Videoblogs (vlogs) have emerged as a new form of communication in a virtual community. During Corona, pandemic viewers on various online platforms increased due to a number of phases of lockdown. The objective of this study was to explore and understand the video vlogger community, its content, and its impact on viewers. The number of vlogs has increased significantly in the last few years. Video blogs (or vlogs) are blogs where each post is a video. Vlogs have become increasingly popular over the recent years. The use of videos allows the video bloggers (vloggers) to express their opinions/views and interact with their viewers/subscribers more directly and interactively. Most vloggers look to other vloggers and friends for feedback and support (Luers, 2007). Luers (2007) also identified a few social needs fulfilled by vlogging- being connected, finding validation for one’s experience and ideas, and being a producer as well as a consumer (Luers, 2007). As vlogs are becoming increasingly popular, their potential business applications cannot be overlooked. Sindhudurg is the smallest district in Maharashtra with a population of 849,651 (2011 census). Located in one of the hotspot regions in Western Ghat increasingly witnessed by many events. Especially mining, sons of soil issues, power projects, road projects, deforestation, elephant migration, tourism, etc. Vlogs can not only serve as web-based journals for everyday users but also can be used as a motivation factor. Hence this paper is an attempt to understand the role of regional vloggers in creating awareness about the environment and sustainability