TikTok and weather communication rebel

I know, I know. TikTok has been banned in the United States. Unless you’ve been living in a virtual cave, you know that a ban on the popular social media app went into effect this weekend. It all seems like some weird “drama” or gamesmanship. President-elect Trump has signaled that he will use available leverage to extend the deadline to work out a deal to sell TikTok. I fully expect the platform to be operational in the US soon. However, it does provide an opportunity to highlight a conundrum that has been bothering me for some time – TikTok and weather information.

TikTok pulls provocative posts

A puzzle is a challenging problem or situation. I am not a major TikTok user, but I have maintained an account to counter misinformation or disinformation about weather events and climate change. I rarely used the platform, but occasionally showed up for major weather events. As I’ve written recently, we have a serious problem with weather disinformation or disinformation on platforms like TikTok. Such platforms make money from 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 single, long-range weather pattern scenarios without proper context or expert analysis. Hurricanes and major snowstorms drive social media engagement.

In recent weeks, the amount of “snow porn” posted on TikTok and other media has been staggering. However, they generate clicks, likes and shares. It also does something else. It undermines the credibility of sound weather information, confuses the public, complicates risk communication, and further feeds the false narrative that weather forecasts are always wrong. A recent Atlanta culture site posted a model run for ten days calling for a foot of snow in the Atlanta area. Many of us immediately backed out as we knew it wasn’t going to happen. We eventually get 2 inches of snow, but that’s a long way from 12 inches. Credible meteorologists have never called for so much snow because we know the necessary context when we consume weather models. Unfortunately, many people still attribute such information to experts rather than some random social media or TikTok feed.

TikTok democratizes access to (and distribution of) good and bad information

TikTok and other social media platforms have democratized the access and flow of information. It has also blurred the lines between fact, fiction and outright conspiracy theory. I’m sorry for some of the flat earth, anti-vaccine and weird climate theories observed on TikTok. One TikToker’s completely inaccurate discussion of the Polar Vortex was priceless.

Here is the challenge. TikTok is very popular with the 14 to 35 year old demographic (maybe older). Unfortunately, it’s basically “TV” or newspapers for them along with YouTube. Part of being a good parent, communicator, or policy maker is avoiding projecting “what we do” as the only model. Our parents (and to some extent we too) are probably the last generation to consume TV, watch local news or appreciate newspapers. For example, my teenage son is a senior in high school. He loves basketball and football, but almost never watches an entire game. Their generation is constantly receiving real-time clips and highlights 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. A 2024 study found that teenagers see at least one conspiracy theory per week on social media.

conundrum

The conundrum is that we know there is bad information on TikTok. In fact, there is quite a bit of “hot trash” out there on weather, climate, and other science topics. However, the platform also offers free access to exact science or other information as well. Sean Cummings wrote 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 her nearly 250,000 followers. Her short, humorous videos about 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 follow science-related accounts to show you science content… There’s a huge potential to reach audiences that might not be looking for science content themselves.”

This very logic is why I occasionally post videos about major hurricanes or potential weather events. Unfortunately, many peers in the ivory tower ecosystem fear social media or perceive it as “extra” stuff outside the scope of being a serious researcher. I strongly disagree. As I shared in a National Academy of Engineering article, it is absolutely critical that we engage broadly. Otherwise, the gaps we leave behind due to our absence will be filled with disinformation, misinformation 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 he and his friends have already explored alternatives. Whatever platforms survive, we must protect and defend real scientific information. The era of “my search” is here, but it is fraught with danger.