The conundrum of TikTok and weather communication

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 networking app went into effect this weekend. It all seems like some weird “drama” or playful behavior. President-elect Trump has indicated he will use the levers at his disposal to extend the deadline for a deal to sell TikTok. I fully expect the platform to be up and running 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 encourages provocative posts

A conundrum is a challenging problem or situation. I’m not a major TikTok user, but I maintained an account to avoid misinformation or misinformation about weather and climate change. I rarely used the platform, but occasionally showed up for major weather events. As I wrote recently, we have a serious problem with weather misinformation or disinformation on platforms like TikTok. Such platforms generate revenue from clicks, followers and shares, thus enticing people to post outrageous or provocative things. The rise of social “mediation” has led to random people posting long-range, one-run weather model 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 outlets has been staggering. However, they generate clicks, likes and shares. It also does something else. It undermines the credibility of good weather information, confuses the public, complicates risk communication and further feeds false narratives that weather forecasts are always wrong. A recent Atlanta culture site posted a model running over ten days calling for a foot of snow in the Atlanta area. Many of us immediately pushed back because we knew it wasn’t going to happen. We finally get 2 inches of snow, but that’s a long way from 12 inches. Credible forecasters have never called for this much snow because we know the context required when consuming weather models. Unfortunately, many people still attribute such information to the experts and not to 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 the access and flow of information. It has also blurred the lines between fact, fiction and pure conspiracy theory. I cringe at some of the flat earth, anti-vaccine, and weird climate theories seen on TikTok. A TikToker’s completely inaccurate discussion of the Polar Vortex was borderline priceless.

Here’s the challenge. TikTok is very popular in the 14 to 35 age demographic (maybe older). Unfortunately, it’s basically “TV” or the newspaper for them along with YouTube. Part of being a good parent, communicator, or policy maker is avoiding viewing “what we do” as the only standard. Our parents (and to some extent we) are probably the last generation to consume television, watch local news or appreciate newspapers. For example, my teenage son is a senior in high school. He loves basketball and football but hardly ever watches an entire game. Their generation is constantly receiving real-time clips and snapshots 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 view at least one conspiracy theory per week on social media.

The conundrum

The conundrum is that we know there is bad information about TikTok. In fact, there is complete “hot garbage” out there about weather, climate, and other scientific topics. However, the platform also provides free access to accurate scientific or other information. Sean Cummings he wrote in Science“For biologist Brooke Fitzwater, a PhD student at the University of Alabama, the social media platform TikTok has become an essential tool for sharing her knowledge of marine biology with her approximately 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 communications scientist at the EarthScope Consortium. He has studied the Application and how it is useful in geoscience communication. He told Cummings, “You don’t have to follow science-related accounts to be shown science content. . . . There’s this great potential to reach audiences who might not seek out science content on their own.”

This very logic is why I occasionally post videos about major hurricanes or possible weather events. Unfortunately, many peers in the ivory tower ecosystem fear social media or see it as “extra” stuff outside of the realm of being a serious scholar. I strongly disagree. As I attended a National Academy of Engineering pieceit is absolutely critical that we engage widely. Otherwise, the gaps left behind by our absence will be filled with disinformation, disinformation or conspiracy theories.

By the time you read this, TikTok will probably be up and running again in the US, 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 own research” is here, but it is fraught with danger.