Bill Nye, Where is That Guy?

By: Ben Lahmann

William Sanford Nye, better known for his work as “Bill Nye” on PBS, is still educating the public 22 years later. Recently, Nye has taken his content to both TikTok and Netflix in hopes to educate the young and old on current topics in the world. Talking about the science of aging to COVID-19 and the effectiveness of masks, Nye remains a source of credible information.

But what is the reaction of the newest generation as the audience has changed from the 1990s to the late 2010s to early 2020s? Interviewing a group of Glenelg high schoolers showed that Bill Nye is still very popular among teens. 

When students were asked about his content on TikTok, it was evident that many teens enjoy the videos Nye makes. 10th grader Brody Martin expressed his fandom of Nye's videos as he explains, “His TikToks on the internet are informative and I do think it’s great that the majority of his content is about cool experiments you can do at home or explaining neat science trivia.” 
    
When asking students who were not as aware of his recent posts still give him credibility. Alex Blackburn, a sophomore, had commented that he only saw his old work and had yet to see his show.

As not all students were aware of Nye still producing entertainment. Some only remember Nye from when they were just kids. “I know of Bill Nye from science class in elementary school and early middle school. And that one meme where he is burning a globe and yelling at us about how badly we messed up,” Expressed second-year student, Josie Johnson, when asked about her opinion about Nye.
    
​Nye has recently become the CEO of the Planetary Society and has helped place sundials for the Mars Exploration Rover missions. Readers can see Bill Nye’s series Bill Nye Saves the World on Netflix or view his latest Tik Toks at his account, “billnye”, which has been gaining millions of followers.