Crossing the Digital Landscape- Exploring Platform Proliferation in Female Hormonal Health and Fitness
Within my auto-ethnographic research on the media niche ‘Female Hormonal Health and Fitness,’ I’ve been experimenting with content proliferation, adapting content for different platforms. Recently, I took my lifestyle TikTok image carousels and uploaded them as Instagram Stories. This experiment allowed me to learn more about content creation, reach a wider audience, and apply key research skills like Perspective, Problematising, Approaching, and Conceptualising.
Similar to the digital ethnography discussed by Møller and Robards (2019), where researchers examine how users engage with online platforms, I’ve applied these concepts to my content strategy. By adapting and uploading my TikTok posts to Instagram Stories, I’m exploring how content resonates across different digital landscapes. This enables me to understand how content performs on different platforms, similar to how the authors analyse user behaviour on social media. I’m particularly interested in how my audience responds to content between platforms, considering the style and format shift from quick and catchy TikTok to the more narrative, ephemeral and contemporary nature of Instagram stories.
Perspective: Understanding the Audience and Platform Dynamics
Understanding audience and platform dynamics is essential. Each platform has its own culture and user expectations. When sharing my content, I carefully considered the differences in tone and aesthetics between platforms. For instance, my TikTok carousel posts shared a sequence of related images to a wider audience, allowing horizontal swiping between images and interaction through likes, comments, or shares. In contrast, Instagram Stories reached a smaller, more intimate audience, presenting content as brief, real-time updates.
Problematising: Challenging Assumptions and Adapting to Trends
Content creators often fall into the trap of repeating tired formats and trends. To avoid this, I questioned the trends within the Female Hormonal Health and Fitness niche. Are there overused tropes that need refreshing? What can be adapted or avoided to stand out? In this instance, I aimed to avoid spreading misinformation in a health-related niche. Instead, I reframed my content to offer insight into my personal lifestyle choices, providing a transparent view of my daily routine and emphasising things I do to help balance my hormones.
On TikTok, I created a carousel post recounting my daily activities, while on Instagram, I offered real-time updates as I went through my routine. This approach presented authentic content that aligned with my personal journey without appearing overly informative.
TikTok Carousel: A Week of Eats
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Instagram Story Adaptation:
Approaching: Experimentation and Adaptation
Successful content proliferation requires a willingness to experiment and adapt. Initially, I shared my TikTok content on my existing Instagram page in Story format. However, as my Instagram followers weren’t part of my target audience, I received low engagement. To address this, I plan to create a new Instagram page tailored specifically to my niche audience. This adaptation will allow me to utilise other platform affordances, such as posts and reels, to expand my content generation.
Conceptualising: Adapting the Core Message
Conceptualising content for different platforms involves reshaping the core message to fit their characteristics and audience behaviours. My central message focused on promoting balanced approaches to hormonal health and fitness. To align with the unique attributes and audience behaviours of Instagram Stories, I transformed my content to appear more authentic and real-time. This adaptation involved reformatting carousel ‘day in the life’ content to suit the affordances and values of Instagram Stories. This process required creativity, adaptability, and an understanding of both my content and the platforms I used.
‘FIVE DIMENSIONS OF ONLINE PERSONA’ emphasises the vast network of connections and networks in the digital realm. Reading the article increased my awareness of how content can easily traverse multiple platforms with diverse audiences and highlighted the need to consider the potential reach and impact of my content, as it can quickly move beyond their intended audience to engage with various online communities and publics. This dimension underscores the importance of understanding the complex dynamics of online networks when generating content.
In summary, content proliferation isn’t just about sharing identical content everywhere; it’s about effectively adapting ideas for different mediums while maintaining a consistent message. This ongoing journey enhances my online presence, connecting with a broader audience within the Female Hormonal Health and Fitness community. As I continue, I’ll refine my approach, stay adaptable to emerging trends, and remain committed to delivering content that promotes balanced lifestyles and empowers women seeking hormonal health and fitness.
Bibliography:
- Møller, K & Robards, B 2019, ‘Walking Through, Going Along and Scrolling Back’, Nordicom Review, vol. 40, no. s1, pp. 95–109.
- Moore, C, Barbour, K & Lee, K 2017, ‘Five Dimensions of Online Persona’, Persona Studies, vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 1–12.
- Creswell, JW 2016, 30 essential skills for the qualitative researcher, SAGE Publications, Inc., Thousand Oaks, California.
- 2023b, BCM241 Content Proliferation, www.youtube.com.
This post was created with the assistance of Chat GPT