Date of Award
5-31-2026
Document Type
Open Access Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department
Environmental Sciences
First Advisor
Georgia Mavrommati
Abstract
Cultivated meat is an emerging tissue engineering technology that has the potential to address major issues threatening food systems, including climate change, rapid population growth, and the spread of disease. Among technical challenges, public perception remains a significant barrier for the widespread adoption of cultivated meat. While social media has transformed communication globally, it has simultaneously contributed to corrupt online environments infected with misinformation—unintentional inaccuracies that differ from disinformation, which is spread with the intent to mislead. The way the public receives and digests information regarding new food technologies, like cultivated meat, will be shaped by their social media environment. Applied thematic analysis was used to explore types of misinformation, themes, sentiments, and reliability of cultivated meat-related TikTok videos. Cultivated meat misinformation was prevalent on TikTok and correlated with higher user engagement but lower information reliability. Major positive themes identified were animal welfare benefits and environmental opportunities, while negative themes included economic and safety/health concerns. Food security and ethical considerations were underrepresented. In the cultivated meat production space, TikTok’s algorithm fosters misinformation echo chambers that reinforce polarized attitudes and skepticism towards this new production system. As for all social media channels, clear, accurate, and evidence-based communication is essential to combat misinformation.
Recommended Citation
Balkus, Anna M., "The Cultivation of Public Perception: Cultivated Meat Narratives and Misinformation on TikTok" (2026). Graduate Masters Theses. 946.
https://scholarworks.umb.edu/masters_theses/946
Included in
Environmental Studies Commons, Food Biotechnology Commons, Food Studies Commons, Science and Technology Studies Commons, Social Media Commons
Comments
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