My digital artefact (DA) is a TikTok page, ‘The Daily Allie’, where I post short vlog-style videos which showcase my daily life as a Uni student living away from home.
I developed this project because I wanted to create a realistic and relatable space to help other students navigate the challenge of living away from home, and encourage a healthy, balanced lifestyle.
Based on my experience as a student living away from home, I have discovered that maintaining a healthy, balanced lifestyle can be quite a significant challenge with the restrictions of time, money, resources and knowledge.
I decided to use my DA as a platform to post raw overviews of my day and fill the gap that exists in the unrealistic ‘lifestyle’ genre of social media.
By normalising the responsibilities and challenges of living independently for the first time, as well as demonstrating how I balance study, recreation and health, my content aims to promote mental and physical wellbeing to other students who are also adapting to this new lifestyle.
I decided I would develop this project by transforming my existing TikTok account into a space to post my vlogs. I streamlined my process by using the platform and its in-built content-creation features to film, produce and upload my videos.
Framing
The audience I had in mind for my project is one that is inspired by the ‘that girl’ internet phenomenon. Using this concept, I adapted my ‘starter-pack’ to fit the realistic lifestyle of a uni student with a low income and less time.
The Medium is the Message
Iterations to Production Method and Platforms
I started my DA by re-branding my existing personal TikTok account into a space to share my daily vlogs and other relevant short-style videos. My initial idea also involved the creation of a new Instagram account where I planned to re-upload these vlogs, as well as post images with material relevant to my intended audience.
I started by making longer videos, showcasing my day within a montage of clips synced to music and testing it with my audience. I produced my first video using Adobe Premiere Rush, downloaded it to my phone, and uploaded it to Instagram as a reel.
Despite having over 1,000 views, this video has only 27 likes and 1 comment.
I then shifted my focus to TikTok which allowed me to produce content much quicker (and thus have a tighter feedback loop). It also resulted in higher engagement in comparison to the same content posted to Instagram.
OUTCOMES – TikTok vs Instagram
Audience response
Technical
My initial video production method using Adobe Premiere Rush took significantly longer than I anticipated. By switching to TikTok and using its in-built recording and editing features, I was able to produce content more frequently, tighten the feedback loop and receive more engagement.
Iterations to Content
Whilst keeping my content relevant to my target audience, I also experimented with different vlog-styles, as well as other styles of videos, specifically those with trending audios/subject matter. As a result, I increased audience engagement and iterated my DA to produce content other than my vlogs.
OUTCOMES
Audience response
Technical
Despite my preference to create vlogs, utilising other styles of content, especially that with trending material, produced more engagement due to the way the TikTok algorithm works.
EVENT 3: Audience Reach
Through my project’s development, I experienced an issue with reaching my target audience.
Despite many attempts to alter TikTok’s recommendation algorithm (blocking users, use of hashtags, etc.), I unfortunately still received most of my engagement from this audience. As my page grows, I’m hoping this issue will resolve itself.
In conclusion, what I learnt about my DA’s developmental trajectory is that progression is non-linear and unpredictable. I could never anticipate which content would receive high engagement and it was very ‘trial and error’. Whilst my following grew, other metrics (such as view count) did not reflect this growth. Despite this, I believe my TikTok page will continue to grow and I look forward to seeing it develop in the future.
Sources
- http://tiktok.com
- https://www.tiktok.com/@allieryan.x
- https://www.tiktok.com/@elkamc?lang=en
- https://www.tiktok.com/@baylee_saltmarsh?lang=en
- https://www.tiktok.com/@georgiaarichardss
- https://books.google.com.au/books/about/The_Psychology_of_Intelligence_Analysis.html?id=aaU2YgEACAAJ&redir_esc=y
- https://www.tiktok.com/@allieryan.x/video/7105562585830837506?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7069668254444176902
- https://allieryan5.wordpress.com/2022/05/07/project-beta/
- https://web.mit.edu/allanmc/www/mcluhan.mediummessage.pdf