Gen Z flocks to BirdTok as birding takes flight: ‘It’s a craving for something real’
Summary
Social media users, especially younger people in the UK, are increasingly interested in birdwatching, sharing videos and information under hashtags like #birdwatching and #birdtok on TikTok. This trend is helped by apps that identify bird songs and by online communities that make birding more accessible and popular among youth.Key Facts
- TikTok videos with birdwatching-related hashtags in the UK increased by about 33% in three months.
- The hashtag #birding posts rose by 40% in the UK, with around 1 million global posts for birding-related content.
- Videos such as one showing a seagull being fed raw salmon have gained over 52 million views.
- The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds’ posts have nearly 9 million views, one-third of which are from people under 24.
- Popular birders on social media (like Jack Baddams and Tim Jones) use their platforms to share bird tagging and bird song learning videos, gaining hundreds of thousands of followers.
- Birding is increasingly popular with people under 40, a significant change from the past when birding skewed older.
- The term “birding” is now preferred over “birdwatching” by younger bird enthusiasts.
- Government plans to ban social media use for under-16s starting next year could impact this trend.
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