- Social media influencers with huge followings often share dubious long-range projections.
- Those can have a negative psychologica impact.
- Watch the video to find out how you can minimize that risk.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Not too long ago, the main ways folks knew about tropical trouble were through analyzed forecasts from TV, news websites, and the National Hurricane Center. Professionals who comb through mounds of data to develop a best-guess projection of what a storm can do, and where it will go.
Computer-driven forecast models -- once confined to the use of trained meteorologists -- are now accessible to anyone with a digital device. And social media makes glancing at them in news feeds almost synonymous with seeing the summer sunshine.
While perhaps helping users gain some insight into how an actual forecast is made, digital media influencers have made a habit of sharing dubious long-range hurricane projections with limited to no context.
Julianna Folsom of Lifespan Psychiatric Services says taking in so many premature depictions can really go to your head.
"It activates the limbic system in people's mind and that limbic system causes people to go into flight or fight mode and that mode causes a lot of increased unnecessary anxiety."
Rash decisions before any forecast precision often lead to scarcer resources for those who really need them.
"People who really need those resources may be in a different area and need to come to that area where people have used up the resources at, and that could have devastating consequences."
Some Facebook weather-focused influencers have thousands, even millions, of followers ... more than most local TV stations.
Folsom suggests flashy charisma doesn't always mean forecast reliability.
"We need to understand that these people are on social media mostly for those click and views, not necessarily to be your meteorologist or your friend."
if you get overwhelmed by the forecast frenzy, Folsom offers ways to curb your anxieties.
"Only checking media sources one to two, at most three times a day, and going to your trusted media sources."
She says you should also remember the reliable local information sources that are on your side.
"Listening to our local stations and understanding that they have our best interest at heart, they have all the trusted information to focus on."
