Exploring Digital Environmental Communication through Sonam Wangchuk’s Social Media Narratives

Abstract Instagram has become a central platform for digital environmental communication, yet the ways in which engagement patterns and hashtag strategies influence public participation in environmental advocacy remain underexplored. As social media increasingly shapes public discourse, understanding how environmental activists use Instagram to mobilize support is essential. The present descriptive mixed-method study examined yearly engagement trends, hashtag frequency, hashtag category performance, and thematic patterns in Sonam Wangchuk’s Instagram posts from 2019 to 2025. Using a complete dataset of 477 posts scraped through the Apify Instagram Scraper, the study analyzed likes, comments, and hashtag usage across seven years, followed by qualitative thematic analysis of hashtag categories and follower responses. Descriptive findings revealed distinct fluctuations in engagement, with a gradual rise from 2019 to 2023 and a substantial peak in 2024 during major campaigns such as #SaveLadakh and #ClimateFast, followed by a moderate decline in 2025. Hashtag frequency analysis showed that campaign-specific and environmental hashtags appeared most prominently and also generated the highest engagement. Qualitative themes indicated that Wangchuk’s communication strategy integrates environmental crisis framing, activism and mobilization, regional identity, sustainable innovation, and personal eco-philosophy. Together, these results suggest that Instagram functions as both an informational and mobilizing tool for environmental advocacy, highlighting the importance of strategic hashtag use and narrative framing in digital activism. Keywords: Digital Media, Instagram Engagement, Sonam Wangchuk, Environmental communication, Hashtag Analysis