Ephemerality and Visuality in Social Media News Content
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Project description
In this project, we delve into the challenges of reaching and engaging young audiences by exploring the ephemeral visual news content aimed at young people on Instagram and TikTok. The data comes from TikTok and Instagram accounts of Finnish and international news media. We will also conduct interviews and newsroom ethnography.
The project provides understanding of visual and ephemeral news content. Instagram and TikTok emphasise short, fast and fleeting, i.e. ephemeral media content. For example, TikTok's rapid video stream and Instagram's stories that are visible for 24 hours and then disappear from the platform are examples of ephemeral media content. News is produced and consumed increasingly on visual platforms and it is therefore important to understand how journalism operates on these platforms. Our special focus is on the balance between journalistic values and autonomy and platform logic. That is, what guides news production and consumption on visual social media.
