ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES ON TIKTOK: TOPICS AND CLAIMS OF MISLEADING INFORMATION

Brenda Braga Pereira, Sangwoo Ha

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

1 Scopus citations

Abstract

In light of the increasing frequency of misleading information in social media regarding environmental issues, this study aimed to identify misleading information spread through TikTok videos and to discuss why such content is considered misleading, drawing on relevant literature. Hashtags with large numbers of views, such as #climatechange, #sustainability, #pollution, #biodiversity, #environmentalprotection, #environmentalissues, #energysource, and #environmentalproblems, were used for data collection through web scrapper called Apify (https://apify.com/). A total of 29 misleading videos were found. Content analysis was applied to identify and classify the topics and misleading claims. The topics of misleading videos, according to the most frequent mentions, were energy sources, followed by climate change, pollution, biodiversity, and environmental degradation. Among the misleading claims, videos related to pyramids as non-pollutant power plants and conspiracy related to pollution exhibited the highest frequency. The results show various misleading claims in videos related to environmental topics. Also, emphasized the importance of science education in addressing misleading information. In addition, the importance of an interdisciplinary approach for addressing environmental issues was reinforced.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)131-150
Number of pages20
JournalJournal of Baltic Science Education
Volume23
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - 2024

Keywords

  • content analysis
  • environmental issues
  • misleading information
  • science education
  • TikTok videos

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