IMS: VR Grants SEK 5 Million for TikTok Journalism Research
In its call for research on the societal consequences of digitalization, the Swedish Research Council has awarded SEK 5 million to the project “TACTik: The Transformation and Consequences of News on TikTok.” The project is led by the University of Gothenburg, and is a collaboration with Linnaeus University, and Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz in Germany. Researchers Beate Schirrmacher and Kristoffer Holt are participating through the Linnaeus University Centre for Intermedial and Multimodal Studies (IMS).
What is the project about?
- The project will examine what journalism on TikTok looks like and how social media is changing our perception of news and information. We will also look at how journalists adapt to reach a younger audience, says Beate Schirrmacher. The goal is to create a deeper understanding of how practices, products, and expectations shape each other and how this affects perceptions of reliable information.
Why is it important?
- Today, TikTok is the most important news source for young people. The project will provide new insights into how digital communication changes our understanding of knowledge and credibility. The aim is to give journalists the tools to navigate a constantly evolving media landscape, explains Kristoffer Holt.
- By using multimodal and intermedial methods, we can identify recurring storytelling patterns and how TikTok-friendly news narratives influence and shape perceptions of news and journalism, adds Beate Schirrmacher. It also shows how collaborations between research environments, such as IMS and the Linnaeus Media Observatory, are crucial for creating competitive research.
What does this mean for you as researchers?
- Since 2020, I have collaborated with Fojo on journalistic storytelling. It will be exciting to explore TikTok-friendly storytelling and how it affects views on journalism, says Beate Schirrmacher.
- The project will provide knowledge about how journalism is created, distributed, and received in today’s complex media landscape. I look forward to working in our media lab Visualix and collaborating with researchers in Sweden and Germany, concludes Kristoffer Holt.