LAKE AUSTIN, TEXAS: A fake climate change theory discussed in Joe Rogan's 'Joe Rogan Experience' podcast is getting viral on TikTok. The video feature excerpts from an episode of Rogan's podcast, in which Rogan and his guests made comments that go against conventional climate change theories.
The popularity of the widely shared clip demonstrates how misinformation buried in a three-hour-long podcast show can be readily pulled and distributed extensively on social media platforms such as TikTok. It's also a litmus test for TikTok's recent pledge to “intensify enforcement” of its new climate change disinformation policy.
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'There’s no proof and no science'
“It's just unfortunate that these things are being put out there,” says Martin Mlynczak, a senior research scientist at NASA Langley Research Center, according to a report on The Verge. Mlynczak added, “Extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof. And there’s no proof and no science and no physics behind any of the claims about the magnetic field change being associated with climate change.”
The viral video seeks to explain the “Adam and Eve” theory of Earth's magnetic pole reversal. According to YouTuber Jimmy Corsetti, who appeared on Rogan's podcast, the earth “flips” every 6,500 years. “It’s a 90-degree flip, but six days later, or on the seventh day, it corrects itself,” Corsetti claimed. He also added, “Because of it, the Earth essentially does a standstill — the sun will basically stay in the same spot, causing heating like we’ve never experienced.”
@rapidjre Crazy Adam and Eve theory? #joerogan #adamandeve #theory #conspiracy #apocalypse #magneticpoles ♬ Polozhenie - Izzamuzzic Remix - СкриптонитAccording to Mlynczak, there is no proof that the planet has or will ever do a “90-degree flip,” where the Arctic would be where the Antarctic is and vice versa. “That is total bogus. If that’s what happened every 6,500 years, we would certainly see it; it would be in all the records… The amount of energy to bring that about is tremendous. And you know, there’s nothing to initiate it,” he told The Verge.
Misleading information on TikTok
The popularity of the TikTok video featuring Corsetti, which cherry-picks fake information from Rogan's podcast and packages it with dramatic music and imagery, is a principal example of how easy it is to spread misleading information on the platform via stirring short-form videos. It also indicates the inability of platforms like TikTok to fully enforce their own policies. Videos flagged by Media Matters for America are still being shared on TikTok and garnering millions of views.
Rogan's podcast has been called out several times for inviting guests who reject widely accepted climate science. This is worrying scientists like Mlynczak, who are concerned that people are being misled by false information.
