On social media, there is no shortage of information about the waste\nproblem. We know that rubbish can clog waterways, pollute rivers, worsen\nflooding, and disrupt health. This information repeatedly appears in\nnews reports, government campaigns, and school materials. However,\nknowing about the problem does not always mean feeling compelled to\nact.<\/p>\n
It is within this gap between knowledge and action that the river\nclean-up campaign carried out by the Pandawara Group becomes noteworthy.\nThrough videos on social media, this group shows the condition of\nrivers, waterways, and public areas filled with rubbish. They then go\ndown directly to clean them together with residents and volunteers. This\nactivity demonstrates that social media is not always synonymous with\nentertainment or image-building. Social media can also become a public\ncommunication space that mobilises public attention and\nparticipation.<\/p>\n
The success of the Pandawara Group lies not only in the visuals of\ndirty rivers or the large number of viewers. When viewed through\nAristotle\u2019s theory of rhetoric, their campaign works because it combines\nthree elements of persuasion: ethos, pathos, and logos.<\/p>\n
Credibility Built through Action<\/p>\n
Ethos, or credibility, is the first strength of the Pandawara Group\u2019s\ncampaign. They gain trust not merely because they have an audience, but\nbecause they demonstrate real action. They do not just invite the public\nto keep the environment clean from behind a screen; they also enter the\nrivers, lift rubbish, and document the process. In public communication,\nsuch action is important. An environmental message becomes more\nconvincing when the speaker shows that they also practise the values\nthey voice.<\/p>\n
This kind of credibility should serve as a lesson for many parties.\nQuite a few public campaigns stop at slogans, ceremonial uploads, or\nappeals that feel distant from people\u2019s lives. As a result, the public\neasily feels that the message is merely a formality. The Pandawara Group\ninstead builds trust through consistency between message and action.\nThey show that environmental concern is not just discourse, but\nexhausting work that requires collective involvement.<\/p>\n
Emotion That Must Be Channelled into Action<\/p>\n
The second element is pathos, the ability to arouse the audience\u2019s\nemotions. Visuals of rubbish piles in rivers can evoke feelings of\nsadness, anger, concern, and even shame. This emotion is important\nbecause environmental problems often feel abstract when conveyed only\nthrough figures or appeals. When the public sees a river covered in\nrubbish directly, the issue becomes closer and more real.<\/p>\n
However, the use of emotion also needs to be critiqued. Visuals of\nextremely dirty rivers are indeed effective at attracting attention, but\nenvironmental campaigns must not stop at momentary pity or anger. If the\npublic only watches, gives a like, and then returns to the habit of\nlittering, then virality does not produce change. Pathos must be\nfollowed by clear calls to action: reducing single-use waste, sorting\nrubbish from home, not throwing rubbish into rivers, and helping to\nmaintain public facilities in one\u2019s own environment.<\/p>\n
From Viral Content to Shared Responsibility<\/p>\n
The third element is logos, or logical argument. A river clean-up\ncampaign becomes strong when it not only displays dirty conditions but\nalso explains the cause-and-effect relationship. Rubbish thrown into\nwaterways can accumulate, obstruct flow, pollute the environment, and\nultimately impact the surrounding community. This logic is simple but\noften ignored because people see rubbish as a problem that disappears\nafter it leaves the house.<\/p>\n
This is where the role of public communication becomes larger than\nmerely creating busy content. Environmental messages must help the\npublic understand that waste is not solely an individual problem. The\nissue is linked to citizen behaviour, waste collection systems, facility\navailability, local government policies, and the responsibility of\nbusinesses. The Pandawara Group has succeeded in opening public\nattention, but long-term change still requires broader cooperation.<\/p>\n
In my view, the greatest strength of the Pandawara Group\u2019s campaign\nis its ability to turn an environmental issue that often feels distant\ninto something personal. They make the public see that rivers are not\nrubbish bins and that cleanliness is not only the task of cleaners or\nthe government. However, the success of a campaign should not be\nmeasured only by the number of viewers, reposts, or positive comments. A\nmore important measure is whether the public truly changes its behaviour\nafter seeing the message.<\/p>\n
Therefore, river clean-up campaigns need to become an entry point,\nnot an end point. Content creators can build attention; citizens can\nbuild habits; the government can strengthen facilities and rule\nenforcement; while schools and universities can shape environmental\nliteracy. When all parties move, the public message does not stop as\nviral content.<\/p>\n
The Pandawara Group shows that effective rhetoric is not always\ndelivered through long speeches. Sometimes, the strongest rhetoric comes\nthrough hands lifting rubbish from a river, visuals that stir concern,\nand a simple appeal not to add to the same problem. However, that\nmessage only truly becomes meaningful if the public is willing to turn\nattention into action.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/when-dirty-rivers-become-a-public-message-1782013897", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }