When the excited crowd stormed the US Congress in early 2021, TikTok user Vitus V Spehar crawled under a desk and started recording a video for TikTok because they wanted to exchange opinions with the audience about events that shocked the public and glued them to their small screens. They did not want their followers to think they were some kind of expert, so they wondered what a safe place would be to start a discussion. The decision, of course, fell on the digital environment, specifically TikTok, and as a micro-location, they chose their desk. More precisely, the space under the table. About Vitus V Spehar, who identifies with the pronoun ‘they’, Reuters recently wrote, highlighting them as one of the key figures transforming the journalism scene, turning TikTok into a breeding ground for new journalistic names that have chosen the popular platform owned by the Chinese ByteDance as their main medium for their work. Since the events in Congress two years ago, Vitus V Spehar has gained three million followers who enjoy their commentary on daily events. The focus is on topics where users can participate, take action; the true crime genre is avoided. The entire channel has a light, appealing tone regardless of what is covered. Reuters states that the popularity of video content, specifically short video formats, has particularly increased during the pandemic. Users gathered on the platform, discussed, documented, and published content about what is happening in the world. Although this content can be defined as journalistic, most do not consider themselves journalists, but rather creators or influencers. Featured Creators Regardless of what type of content creators they consider themselves, they share a common desire and need to speak about the world and everything around them in an authentic way. This is precisely what has attracted the attention of millions of young followers, the next generation of media consumers who are very likely not (or at least not to such an extent) to read newspapers or watch news on television. By avoiding conventions, writes Reuters, these creators are trying to change the narrative of the entire journalism industry, at a time of sharp declines in revenue and trust in traditional media, which therefore needs urgent transformation. They do not repeat daily headlines/topics but focus on their own perspective and connecting with the audience through commentary. For example, TikTok user with 5.5 million followers Josh Helfgott posts videos under the simple, common title ‘Gay News’. In the videos, he discusses current events relevant to the LGBTQ+ audience. As he stated, he is inspired by his own life, specifically the fact that he felt extremely isolated growing up as a gay teenager. – I want to inspire people or help them feel less alone – Helfgott told Reuters. His videos regularly gather over a million views. The topics he touches on are indeed diverse, from Joe Biden, who hosted Pride at the White House, to human rights. In his stories, he tries to connect that population with, let’s call it, the ‘general’ population because he noticed that many topics concerning the LGBTQ+ community do not reach the mainstream population, and traditional media rarely cover them. A sense of isolation, loneliness, and even a kind of helplessness has also inspired Kristy Drutman, who launched a channel dedicated to climate change called ‘Brown Girl Green’. Noticing that conventional media rarely talk about climate change and that members of the non-white population are even less visible in those discussions, Drutman decided to take matters into her own hands and began posting on TikTok and Instagram. On her channel, she publishes climate news and strives to provide hope and offer solutions to the audience. For example, in one of her videos, she explained to followers how they can get tax breaks for energy renovations of their homes, and in another, she analyzed a climate change report that showed it is not too late to succeed in the fight against global warming. A New Business Model Reuters continues that these journalists, creators, or opinion makers are key to the future of journalism. Traditional media are in deep crisis. Although there are exceptions like the New York Times, which has significantly increased revenue from digital subscriptions, there are more and more stories about declining readership or viewership, and thus revenue. In the first half of this year, 1,900 jobs disappeared in US newsrooms, and in the entire last year, 1,808 journalistic positions were eliminated. Media brands that millennials loved and peaked in popularity during the boom of social platforms like BuzzFeed News and Vice have been shut down or are on life support. Meanwhile, TikTok is transforming from a platform specialized in frivolous topics (pranks, comedy, fashion, or makeup) into a full-fledged breeding ground for news, video commentary, and reports. Research from the Reuters Institute has shown that twenty percent of users aged 18 to 24 use it to inform themselves about current events, a rise of five percent compared to last year. TV journalism veteran Lisa Remillard shared with Reuters that she hopes this growth will result in a sustainable business model that could help independent journalists earn a living on TikTok and other social platforms. Three years ago, she launched BEONDTV, a digital media company specializing in lifestyle and entertainment that operates as a newsroom, and currently has 2.5 million followers on TikTok. Every day, she brings them national news, from the state of US debt to strained relations between the US government and the Chinese company ByteDance. She hopes that with the growth of followers, as well as creators, TikTok journalism will become a real industry, the future of news reporting. In the Right Direction It should not be forgotten that traditional media benefit from independent TikTok journalists, as shown by the example of Vitus V Spehar. As the numbers on that profile began to grow, the Los Angeles Times hired Spehar as the face of its TikTok profile. She thus gained insight into the workings of a real media newsroom, resources, and visibility, while the publisher benefited from her skills and advertised its brand primarily to a younger audience. As Spehar advised future creators, the secret is in choosing the world they want to cover and engage with, and then building a strong, loyal community that is willing to pay for content on subscription platforms like Substack. Although TikTok journalism is still in its infancy, prominent creators/disruptors are leading it in the right direction; a direction where there is money, but also an audience. Traditional media should certainly leverage the momentum of these creators, independent TikTok journalists, and turn them into allies. Whether someone likes it or not, TikTok journalism, if we define it as authentic, uncompromising, easily digestible, and entertaining, is the future of journalism.
