As we head into what is expected to be an active Atlantic hurricane season, a group of researchers has released a study looking into why people are drawn to watch live streams of natural disasters.
“Extreme weather events such as hurricanes and storms have increased in both frequency and severity in recent years,” said a press release from the University of Plymouth in the U.K. “With that has come heightened public interest, resulting in often dramatic footage being live-streamed on platforms such as YouTube, TikTok and Discord.”
Scientists from the university sought to analyze what motivates people to watch the streams, at times for up to 12 hours. Their research – focused on Hurricane Irma in 2017, Hurricane Ian in 2022, as well as Storms Dudley, Eunice and Franklin in 2022 – was recently published in the Environmental Hazards journal.
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Overall, the study covered nine live-streams that broadcast a total of 65 hours of video footage watched by more than 1.8 million people. It also covered 14,300 comments left by 5,000 unique accounts.
“Through a detailed analysis of viewers’ comments, it was found that people in affected areas were using streams to discuss official government risk advice they had received,” including evacuation instructions, said the press release. “Others were drawn to the streams because they had a previous connection to the affected region.”
People in the latter group would take time to share messages of hope as a way to show support.
“You might assume that this is just a form of online ‘rubber-necking’, and that people are naturally drawn to spectacular sights,” said Dr. Simon Dickinson, lecturer in Geohazards and Risk in the University of Plymouth’s School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences. “However, this study has shown that the drivers to watch extreme weather footage are more complex. Live-streams provide the opportunity for people in, close to, and far away from the event to interact in real time.”
Findings demonstrated that people are interested in the science behind natural disasters. Study authors said it highlighted a need for further research into how people are using new technology to avoid weather risks.
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