Making Good Media
What if the media empowered us to combat climate change?
The problem
Current media depictions of climate change commonly evoke themes that can lead to hopelessness, negativity and inaction.
Our approach
The team at Making Good Media proposes creating a different media view—moving away from political debates, alarming data or messages that provoke fear, guilt or notions of sacrifice. Research shows we do have solutions, such as everyone switching to electric, renewable energy, but we need everyone on board.
The team is pioneering the creation of short, shareable media clips that use a speculative design approach (kind of like science fiction) synthesised with university research to show possible futures where everyday occurrences, such as weather updates, directly and positively impact our energy use.
Making Good Media explored and asked:
- What would a TV weather report look like in a renewable energy future?
- What if every time you engaged with the media, you could improve the lives of your family, neighbours and community?
- What if charging your electric vehicle was a fun, easy, community experience?
- What if young people had the tools to make their own good media? Policymakers? Everyone?
The outcomes
The Making Good Media video series has been featured across social media, UNSW shows and expos and at South by Southwest (SXSW) Sydney 2024.
The team is also developing an educational framework and toolkit so everyone, from young people in schools to media companies and industry, can make their own good media too.
“One of the things we want to do next is to partner with state museums, like the Australian Museum, to create workshops for the next generation so that they can create inspiring, hopeful visions of the climate positive future. We are also looking to support government and Industry with their messaging.” - Dr Rebecca Green, project lead.
Speculative design invites audiences to engage with the implications of technological and social change, fostering a deeper understanding of the relationship between design, society, and the future.
Together, we can create an irresistible vision of a fact-based, optimistic future.
This is a Massive Action Sydney project.
Project partners
The project is supported by the UNSW Digital Grid Futures Institute. The Institute is a pioneering force in building a transformative research capability, committed to a transdisciplinary approach that fosters collaboration and drives innovation to deliver real-world impact.
Project team
Dr Rebecca Green lead a team of UNSW designers, directors, visual effects creators, and writers. We have access to cutting-edge research within UNSW and across the academic and scientific network. We take complex problems around climate change and make them inspirational and relatable.
Work with us
The UNSW Innovation Hub tackles diverse problem-solving projects, varying in size, complexity and subject matter. We specialise in complex challenges that require collaboration, a design-led approach, and that can’t be addressed by a single discipline.
If you have a project proposal or potential partnership that you would like to discuss, please get in touch.
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