TikTok has had great success with its science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics (STEM) focused feed in the US and is now spreading
students' wings even further across Europe. The platform first launched the
STEM feed in the US last year to provide a dedicated space for educational
content created by experts in their fields. Videos in the feed cover a wide
range of STEM topics from physics and chemistry to coding, engineering, and
beyond.
The STEM feed proved popular among American teenagers, with
a third visiting it on a weekly basis to learn something new. Seeing the
interest and engagement with these informative videos, TikTok decided to take
its learning initiative international. They recently announced the expansion of
the STEM feed to European users, starting with the UK and Ireland but planned
to reach the whole continent within weeks.
By making high-quality STEM content easily accessible
directly within the TikTok app, the company hopes to instill curiosity and
inspire more young people to explore careers in fields related to science,
technology, engineering, and math. To populate the European feed, TikTok has
partnered with reputable science creators like Particle Clara, a physicist who
shares insights from her work at CERN, and New Scientist magazine, which covers
the latest discoveries and advances.
Videos in the STEM feed will include automatically generated
subtitles to help overcome language barriers. TikTok also enlisted the
fact-checking services of Common Sense Networks and Poynter Institute to verify
the accuracy of feed content. This ensures users can rely on the educational
value of the videos without having to scrutinize the information themselves.
For under-18 user profiles, the STEM feed will even be enabled by default to
actively guide younger audiences towards knowledge.
The expansion of the initiative signals TikTok's strong
commitment to providing their vast global community with engaging and truthful
scientific sources. As a platform with over a billion active users worldwide,
they have unparalleled potential to positively influence public understanding
of STEM fields. With easy access to verified experts through an entertaining
video format, more people may be inspired to pursue careers helping push the
boundaries of human knowledge and innovation.
For businesses, non-profits, educators and more looking to
promote STEM-related causes, partnering with a social media marketing (SMM)
panel like the one at Great SMM could help maximize outreach. Insights from a
professional SMM panel into viewer demographics, interests, and behaviors on
TikTok would help inform strategies for engaging target audiences with
educational content. Metrics from an SMM panel may also provide data to analyze
the effectiveness of a STEM initiative over time.
By cultivating worldwide interest in STEM through a popular
social platform, TikTok aims to nurture the problem solvers and pioneers of
tomorrow. Their expanded educational efforts have the potential to spark
lasting inspiration for future generations.
