TikTok is celebrating Pi Day in style. On March 14, the video app unveiled its new STEM feed, which is full of videos from top science, technology, engineering, and math creators.
In a blog post, TikTok described the STEM feed as a “dedicated space to explore a wide range of inspiring, entertaining, and enriching videos.” The initiative will serve a growing appetite for academic content on the ByteDance-owned app. TikTok noted that its STEM-themed hashtags have pulled in 110 billion views to date.
Creators featured on the STEM feed include space-loving engineer @KatVoltage and experiment demonstrator @ChemTeacherPhil. “With TikTok, I’ve been able to connect with both English and Spanish communities and establish a multi-language platform where I can share more about what it means to be an electrical engineer as well as my journey to space,” said KatVoltage. “My hope is that by doing so, I can provide representation and inspiration for the next generation of women in STEM and encourage them to always keep trying despite what obstacles life throws.”
Subscribe for daily Tubefilter Top Stories
@katvoltage Drop any questions you have for me in the comments! #katyaechazarreta #space #spacethings #stem #engineer #rocket #launchday #nasa #womeninstem #latina #mexico #mexicana #citizenastronaut ♬ Chopin Nocturne No. 2 Piano Mono – moshimo sound design
A feed of scientific content wouldn’t be much use without a scientific amount of rigor, and TikTok has multiple partnerships in place to ensure that its STEM feed peddles accurate information. Thanks to a pact with Common Sense Networks, videos added to the feed will be vetted for relevance. Then, to fact-check the chosen videos, TikTok will turn to Poynter. The nonprofit will do its part to keep misinformation out of the science-focused feed.
Poynter’s work as an online video fact-checker has taken it to TikTok and beyond. It worked with Google to establish a fund for its International Fact-Checking Network. Now, in the short-form world, Poynter is turning the STEM feed into a “safe experience.”
Though TikTok’s Pi Day focus is STEM videos, it is working to establish additional category-specific feeds. In “select markets,” the app has rolled out collections of Gaming, Food, Fashion, and Sports content. The STEM feed, which is due to arrive “later this month,” will give U.S. viewers a chance to sample one of those themed verticals.
