SOCIAL MEDIA AND CRISIS COMMUNICATION –EXAMINING THE SIGNIFICANCE OF TIKTOK USER GENERATED CONTENT DURING 2025 FLOOD IN PAKISTAN

Abstract

Since 2016, TikTok has become an effective means of visual communication with billions of active users worldwide. The platform has secured a prominent space on the social media landscape during the last decade. This research paper attempts to analyze the functions that TikTok has serviced in during 2025 floods in Pakistan that resulted from incessant monsoon rains, administrative deficiencies in climate communication and community preparedness. In the midst of this crisis, TikTok emerged as an unconventional but powerful storytelling platform where ordinary citizens shared their lived experiences, emotions as well as calls for action. This research aims to examine the User-generated content (UGC) published on TikTok during the flood, to understand how visual storytelling contributed to climate action awareness in Pakistan. The study is based on a qualitative content analysis of selected TikTok videos with the intention to investigate the themes, framing styles, and emotional tones that defined this digital storytelling. The research study explores 50 selected short-form videos that were created by affected individuals, volunteers, and local influencers. For this purpose, the TikTok videos are searched using the relevant hashtags and 50 videos have been selected for qualitative content analysis. The selected TikTok content has been analyzed through thematic analysis technique. The analysis indicates and supports the claim of the study authors that the use of visual narratives on TikTok and similar platforms can bridge the gap between climate change science and the everyday realities of the most affected individuals. The study concludes that alongside traditional media, the authorities and common people need to understand the potential and significance of TikTok as effective platform for crisis communication.