Amidst a backdrop of being shut out in the US, TikTok is ramping up in Australia with more educational content.
Doomscrolling sure has a lot of doom and gloom in it lately, and a lot of aggression, but if you’re looking for a little more positivity and education, browsing TikTok in Australia might just have you covered.
Even though the social video platform has its own problems with an impending possible ban on its use in the US, Australians are seeing a feature add designed to improve their feed in just that little more scientific way.
Specifically, it’s a new feed of science, technology, engineering, and maths related videos coming in TikTok’s STEM feed, something that will see Australian and international figures, and will include over 500 locals who work in the area.
They’ll include Dr. Karl and Dr. Kirsten Banks, as well as the NSW Rural Fire Service, the first emergency service to be featured globally on the STEM feed. Other big international names will be found, including National Geographic, New Scientist, and the American Museum of Natural History, among others.
All up, the TikTok STEM feed includes 7000 content makers working in the fields of science, technology, and engineering, and will have its content fact-checked thanks to partnerships between TikTok and independent organisations employed to do just that.
“On TikTok, I love sharing the awe and wonder of science with people,” said Dr. Karl Kruszelnicki.
“For me, one surprising change is that the average age of my audience is getting younger. The STEM feed makes it easier to find enriching, educational, videos and I’m confident it will inspire random folk to learn about subjects which are vital for Australia’s future,” he said.
In terms of how the feed works, it doesn’t appear to be curated as such, but rather supplied, with your likes and dislikes being used to shape what you experience of the TikTok STEM experience.
“With over 500 STEM creators from Australia and 7,000 from around the world, TikTok’s STEM feed features a wide variety of high-quality, fact-checked content across science, tech, engineering, and maths,” a spokesperson for TikTok told Pickr.
“In addition to all content on the STEM feed being fact checked, there’s also personalisation to show the types of content a person might be interested in. For example, if people love maths content, they’ll see more maths content on their particular STEM feed.”
For people keen on checking it out, the TikTok STEM feed has been launched and appears next to the “For You” and “Following” feeds in the app, available now across Australia and, it seems, much of the rest of the world.
