Fingers endlessly swipe through TikTok, pausing briefly to watch short clips of people showing off the best parts of their lives, before scrolling again. Suddenly, each video that pops up is about science or SAT tips. A video about space appears and a man comes close to the screen, excitedly explaining a new discovery he’s made.
The finger doesn’t scroll past this video as the man continues to talk. The heart button turns pink and the video is saved because of the passion that he shows for his work.
This change of scenery was not just from the TikTok algorithm, it was a new feature on TikTok called the STEM feed. The Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Feed was added to TikTok this year and gives users a more educational and productive use for the app.
The STEM feed is the beginning of a new age of TikTok. The rise in educational content could bring the app to a place where it is viewed in a more positive light while shedding some of the stigma around the app itself.
Jairy Felix, a sophomore who is active in STEM fields including robotics, has been actively using TikTok since the pandemic. She watches TikTok every day purely for entertainment.
“I think that they added it because of wanting to make TikTok a more positive environment. And I think that there could be a change, like the STEM feed could change TikTok in a positive way. But also it depends a lot on the viewers, because it’s not integrated, so it’s the decision of the viewers whether to go on it or not,” Jairy said.
A global online newspaper, TechCrunch, reported, “TikTok initially launched the STEM feed in response to criticism from lawmakers and rights groups who argue that TikTok is harmful to teens and uses addictive design practices to keep users engaged for as long as possible.”
The STEM feed is tucked away on the side and therefore takes a conscious effort from the viewer to watch that feed rather than their For You page.
TikTok uses internal systems to find STEM-related content, and then sends it to a third-party partner which goes through the content to make sure it is appropriate for the STEM feed, before allowing it to be viewed.
“I think it has the potential to be a positive influence on TikTok, but right now, I don’t know if it’s getting there with the videos on there,” Jairy said.
Jairy may be right as only 25% of teenagers are viewing the feed each week, according to TikTok.
TikTok continues to be a place mostly for entertainment, and less for STEM. Although videos on the STEM feed are more educational, they are less appealing to viewers and hold the same principals, like clickbait and keeping up with trends.
Fingers keep scrolling on the videos. Clickbait-y titles with people in your face capture your attention. The videos are long and packed full of facts. Videos are paused to try to solve math problems, leaving feelings of defeat and confusion. Happy videos begin to appear and a man talks about how to find your hat size with the circumference of your head and there is laughter and smiles. Students head to their next class and continue to learn.
