Assessing sustainable development strategies through the analysis of social media and their twofold role

This paper aims to examine the relationship between social media and sustainability, with a focus on the nexus between the latter and cities. More precisely, it intends to emphasise the major role that digital platforms can hold in “promoting prosperity while protecting the planet” and, therefore, in achieving the individual goals outlined within the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals theoretical framework. A more in-depth analysis demonstrates how this role acquires a twofold connotation: while the contribution of social networks as tools for promoting and disseminating the activities carried out and the results achieved is undisputed, on the other hand such narratives can easily be altered in order to manipulate users’ perceptions, thus transforming platforms such as Twitter and Facebook from promotion tools – either of products or territories – into instruments of disinformation.