Motivating People to take Action
Basu et. al observe in their book Contemporary Dystopian Fiction for Young Adults that this particular genre of writing, "[with] its capacity to frighten and warn, ...powerfully engages with our pressing global concerns" (2015, p. i), potentially even having "the potential to motivate a generation on the cusp of adulthood" (2015, p. i). As mentioned earlier, Dashner wrote The Maze Runner series to "...serve as a warning’ about ‘how bad a society could get’" (Morton & Lounsbury, 2015, p. 66; Ellsworth, 2011) - he wanted to send a warning to younger people who will one day be at the forefront of society. The eco-horror elements of the series are also included in this message, warning young readers that "…the environment they do, and will, inhabit is hostile and threatening…" (Harrison, p. 105), and that nature is not as subservient as all of humanity likes to believe.
However, Morton & Lounsbury question the motivational power of young-adult fiction such as The Maze Runner series. They acknowledge that the messages sent by these texts can certainly spur readers to act, but also that "...by experiencing power vicariously through their identification with YA protagonists, adolescents may also sate their desire for action, and return to everyday life with less of a desire for political action" (2015, p. 65). Eco-horror media could also have a similar effect on its viewers, as the problems (and usually resolution of said problems) in eco-horror media may demotivate viewers from acting. Additionally, most consumers of these types of media know that it is fictional, which could serve to discredit whatever message it is trying to send as the real world is disconnected from the fictional one. Personally, I do not know anyone who has been inspired to take action by something like The Maze Runner series.