The book explores the representation of a natural catastrophic event through TikTok: Hurricane Milton, a storm that formed on October 5, 2024, and dissipated on October 10, reaching peak intensity on October 7.
The hurricane affected Florida after a period of strong media alert: it was discussed as a potential Category 5 storm, evacuation warnings were issued, and it followed closely after another destructive hurricane, Helene. This climate of fear and attention generated extensive coverage in both traditional and social media. Such exposure encouraged an intense production of content, with users documenting preparation, live moments, and damage, turning the disaster into an ongoing narrative.
The project examines how the hurricane is narrated and self-represented by users, highlighting forms of performativity, spectacle, and visibility strategies typical of the platform. A gap emerges between the real event and the online event: disaster becomes a stage, viral content, and a space for storytelling and attention-seeking. In this process, the event turns into a contemporary cultural document tied to representation and self-representation.
TikTok amplifies the visual and spectacular dimension of catastrophe, where narration often becomes performance and follows attention-monetization logics, approaching a form of "disaster pornography."
The photobook unfolds through preparation, live coverage, and aftermath of the hurricane, using screenshots from TikTok videos. The image selection reflects the flow of the feed, where information, staging, and risk perception coexist and sometimes blur.
Some content circulating on platforms may be decontextualized or falsely attributed to the event. Rather than excluding this ambiguity, the project considers it part of the narrative itself, reflecting the fragility of online credibility and the way social media construct, amplify, and sometimes distort the perception of real events.
