By skyforbes 
TIKTOK | SHORT-FORM VIDEOS | SCIENCE | MISINFORMATION | PSEUDOSCIENCE | EASINESS EFFECT
A new study shows how simplified science videos increase confidence, but not learning. This can lead to misinformation and pseudoscience
Science Rebranded by Short-Form Videos
Short-form video is everywhere these days. From TikTok to Instagram and Facebook Reels — science is being rebranded for the attention economy, making it visual, short, and punchy. Although I don’t watch TikTok, I’ve watched many videos on YouTube. But here’s how watching these kinds of videos, particularly on scientific matters, can fall into a black hole, or even misinformation, and is a breeding ground for pseudoscience.
What may appear to be educational and easy to understand, breaking down scientific jargon, may, in fact, not lead to real understanding at all. It’s so quick and easy to watch videos explaining complicated scientific phenomena in just a minute or two. No real cognitive effort is involved, and you feel cleverer afterwards. But are we just tricking our brains into…