Influencers rode out Hurricane Milton for the content. Why are we watching?
UC Blue Ash professor featured in CNN article
As many Floridians evacuated ahead of Hurricane Milton last week, some social media creators stuck out the storm in unsafe evacuation zones, seemingly for the sake of creating content.
The University of Cincinnati Blue Ash College's Krysten Stein, PhD, told CNN there are complicated motivations behind influencers creating content while putting themselves in harm's way.
“A positive of this is you’re getting real-time, on-the-ground footage of what’s happening,” Stein, assistant professor of communication at UC Blue Ash, said. “On the other hand, it raises questions about the motivations behind posting such traumatic events. Are creators aiming to educate people about what’s going on, or is this being used as a way to monetize their content?”
Stein said while it can feel "icky" to see creators potentially benefiting from a catastrophe where others have died or had their homes destroyed, it is important to acknowledge the system that enables this to occur.
"We also need to recognize that influencers operate within a system where they rely on platforms to earn money," Stein said. "It is essential to acknowledge the larger system that pressures creators to make difficult decisions about how they engage with such tragic events.”
Featured photo at top of radar imagery of Hurricane Milton. Photo/Peter Blottman Photography/iStock, with original radar data provided by NOAA / NESDIS Center for Satellite Applications and Research.
Related Stories
CCM welcomes Sekyung Jang as Assistant Professor of Music Therapy
June 12, 2026
UC College-Conservatory of Music Dean Pete Jutras has announced the appointment of Sekyung Jang, PhD, as CCM's new Assistant Professor of Music Therapy. Her faculty appointment officially begins on Aug. 15, 2026, and Jang will work with college leadership to develop a new program in Music Therapy at CCM in partnership with UC's College of Medicine and the Osher Center for Integrative Health. Jang is an educator, scholar and music therapist passionate about fostering a culture of learning in which students feel safe to explore new ideas, make mistakes, and freely and respectfully receive and give feedback. Jang’s teaching is characterized by a balanced combination of lectures, experiential learning opportunities, and discussion-based instruction that helps students integrate theory and practice.
Taking a second look at surgery eligibility for patients with lung cancer who smoke
June 11, 2026
Researchers at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine have found that patients who continue to smoke ahead of lung cancer surgery have a higher risk of pulmonary complications, but their short-term mortality rate is similar to patients who were able to stop smoking before surgery.. Their findings were published recently in the Journal of. American College of Surgeons
Pocket-sized population threat
June 10, 2026
The Financial Times took a deep dive into why populations around the world continue to be on the decline. The publication cited new University of Cincinnati research as part of the investigation that looks at the fall of fertility in the digital era.