Social Media Short-Form Content Creates Big Challenges For Nuclear News - IAEA Chief

Sumaira FH Published June 08, 2023 | 07:10 AM

VIENNA (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 08th June, 2023) The short-form content of social media that aims for easy digestion makes it difficult to deliver news on high-risk nuclear events, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi told Sputnik.

"Now we are moving into spaces of time that are very short. People need to understand the problem, for example, like the attack on a dam, and what are the nuclear consequences of that in 40 seconds or 141 characters or whatever it may be," Grossi said. "So, I think it's a big challenge. It's a big challenge for people like you, but also for people like us."

Despite these difficulties, the IAEA strives to harness the tremendous opportunities of social media to send out clear messages and educate the public about complex nuclear issues, he added.

The IAEA has more than 231,000 followers on Twitter and over 340,000 on Facebook (banned in Russia). Grossi also has his own personal Twitter page where he provides regular updates on his activities to almost 65,000 followers.

After a disappointment with mainstream media, the entrepreneur Elon Musk has decided to purchase Twitter and bring people "closer to the truth.

" He argues for so-called citizen journalism which allows for updating on breaking news without censorship. In this regard, Musk extended the character count for people to express and spread news.

Twitter used to have 280 characters and now it is up to 4,000, while there is news about extending it to 10,000 in the future. This also applies to the video content which can be up to 2 hours on iOS. Nevertheless, the companies fight with short human attention span - especially on social media. Facebook released information that average attention span is approximately 2 seconds.

Grossi has also updated his followers online on his latest efforts regarding the attack on the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant. The Kakhovka HPP suffered heavy damage Tuesday morning, with its dam destroyed and water flowing uncontrollably downstream, risking major flooding, power cuts and water shortages on both sides of the Dnepr River.