I know, I know. TikTok has been banned in the United States. Unless you have lived in a virtual cave, you know that a ban on the popular social media App went into effect this weekend. It all feels like some strange “drama” or gamesmanship. President-Elect Trump signaled that he will use available levers to extend the deadline for working out an arrangement for the sale of TikTok. I fully expect the platform to be operational in the U.S. soon. However, it provides an opportunity to highlight a conundrum that has bothered me for some time – TikTok and weather information.
TikTok Entices Provocative Posts
A conundrum is a challenging problem or situation. I am not a signficant consumer of TikTok, but I maintained an account to push back against misinformation or disinformation about weather events and climate change. I rarely used the platform but would occasionally pop on for big weather events. As I wrote recently, we have a serious problem with weather misinformation or disinformation on platforms like TikTok. Such platforms monetize clicks, followers and shares, so they entice people to post outrageous or provocative things. The rise of social “mediarology” has led to random people posting long-range, single-run weather model scenarios without proper context or expert analysis. Hurricanes and big snowstorms drive social media engagement.
In recent weeks, the amount of “snow porn” posted on TikTok and other outlets has been stunning. However, they generate clicks, likes, and shares. It does something else too. It undermines the credibility of sound weather information, confuses the public, complicate risk communication and further feeds false narratives that weather forecasts are always wrong. A recent Atlanta culture site posted a model run over ten days out calling for a foot of snow in the Atlanta area. Many of us immediately pushed back because we knew it was not going to happen. We ultimately receive 2 inches of snow, but that is a far cry from 12 inches. Credible meteorologists never called for that much snow because we know the context needed when consuming weather models. Unfortunately many people still attribute such information to the experts rather than some random social media or TikTok source.
TikTok Democratizes Access To (And Distribution Of) Good And Bad Information
TikTok and other social media platforms have democratized access and information flow. It has also blurred lines between fact, fiction, and downright conspiracy theory. I cringe at some of the flat Earth, anti-vaccine, and wacky climate theories observed on TikTok. A TikToker’s completely inaccurate discussion of the Polar Vortex was borderline priceless.
Here’s the challenge. TikTok is very popular with the 14 to 35 year old age demographic (maybe older). Unfortunately, it is basically “TV” or the newspaper to them along with YouTube. Part of being a good parent, communicator, or policymaker is avoiding projection of “what we do” as the only template. Our parents (and to some extent us) are probably the last generation that consumes TV, watches local news, or values newspapers. For example, my teenage son is senior in high school. He loves basketball and football but almost never watches a game in its entirety. Their generation constantly receives clips and highlights in real-time on Tik Tok, You Tube and other platforms while doing other things. His generation also consumes information about weather, science, politics, and pop culture on these platforms too. A 2024 study found that teens see at least one conspiracy theory a week on social media.
The Conundrum
The conundrum is that we know there is bad information on TikTok. In fact, there is downright “hot garbage” out there about weather, climate, and other science topics. However, the platform also provides free access to accurate science or other information too. Sean Cummings wrote in Science, “For biologist Brooke Fitzwater, a doctoral student at the University of Alabama, the social media platform TikTok has become a key tool for sharing her knowledge of marine biology with some 250,000 followers. Her short, humorous videos on everything from whale sharks to zombie worms have attracted up to 2.1 million views.” Emily Zawacki is a science communicator at the EarthScope Consortium. She has studied the App and how it is useful in geoscience communication. She told Cummings, “You don’t have to be following science-related accounts to be shown scientific content…. There’s this great potential to reach audiences that might not seek out science content on their own.”
This very logic is why I occassionally post videos about major hurricanes or potential weather events. Unfortunately many peers in the ivory tower ecosystem fear social media or perceive it to be “extra” stuff outside the scope of being a serious scholar. I strongly disagree. As I shared in a National Academy of Engineering piece, it is absolutely critical that we engage broadly. Otherwise, gaps that we leave behind because of our absence will be filled with misinformation, disinformation, or conspiracy theories.
By the time you read this, TikTok will likely be up and running again in the U.S. Heck, my son tells me that he and his friends have already explored alternatives too. Whatever platforms survive, we must protect and defend real science information. The era of “my own research” is here, but it is riddled with danger.
