Conservation Culturomics 2.0 (?): Information Entropy, Big Data and Global Public Awareness in the Anthropocene Narrative Issues

The Anthropocene is a concept that highlights the profound changes humans have made to nearly every aspect of the Earth. It serves as a compelling narrative that challenges us to examine public perceptions and interests regarding human-nature interactions in an integrated way. These interactions are widespread but can vary significantly over time, across cultures, and under different economic conditions, making them difficult to monitor effectively on a large scale. Recent advancements in digital technology, such as the ability to track online searches through tools like Google Trends-Glimpse and the near real-time monitoring of news broadcasts via the GDELT Project, present new opportunities. These tools can analyze data in multiple languages around the world, encouraging innovative approaches to integrate the diverse and complex information generated within this multi-language, multi-concept, and varied time-scale environment of human activity and beliefs. We propose a transformed version of Markowitz’s multi-asset optimization theory that encompasses over 5.5 billion people, several languages, and concepts since 2004. This approach is a functional ensemble where ecology and economics intersect, at least mechanistically. Our findings indicate that while there is a general increase in people’s interest in Anthropocene-related issues, significant differences exist across cultures. We also identify several sources of data noise and evidence that interfere with the overall methodology. Addressing these issues in future research will help to extend the validity of our approach, especially if it increases interest in conservation culturomics.