By /

Nathan Ferracuti

Comparing Stylistic Elements of Canadian News Content on TikTok: Engagement with the 2025 LA Wildfires

Biography

Headshot of Nathan

Nathan is completing his Bachelor of Arts in Professional Communication at Toronto Metropolitan University. His academic work has been driven by an interest in the relationship between information technology, media systems, and cultural influence. Throughout his studies, Nathan has explored how algorithmic platforms shape public discourse and individual behaviour—while gradually becoming more intentional about his own media use. Over the past four years, he’s found balance offline through learning to play guitar and writing music, using creative expression as a grounding and reflective outlet. Post-graduation, Nathan is looking forward to reconnecting with the world around him and exploring new opportunities, including the legal field and how it intersects with communication to shape society.

Details of Project

This research project explores how stylistic elements in TikTok news content influence audience engagement, with a focus on Canadian news outlets. Using the 2024 LA wildfires as a case study, the project analyzed a sample of Canadian TikToks to control for story type and isolate the impact of content style. A quantitative content analysis was conducted to identify the presence of stylistic elements—such as narration position, audio layering, visual design, and use of text headings—which were then compared to engagement metrics (likes, comments, shares, and views) to determine patterns in audience interaction.

Findings suggest that stylistic elements significantly impact engagement on TikTok. Videos that layered multiple audio sources (e.g., background music with narration and clips from the scene) and those that featured in-frame or alternating in/out-of-frame narration received consistently higher interaction, particularly in comments and views. These results highlight the importance of immersive storytelling and visible human presence in building trust and capturing viewer attention on the platform. While the limited dataset and overlapping use of stylistic elements present challenges for isolating effects, the study provides key recommendations for Canadian newsrooms: incorporate layered audio strategically, feature narrators on screen, and align content with TikTok’s platform norms while maintaining journalistic integrity. Future research should expand sample sizes, explore other story types, and further examine how combinations of stylistic elements drive engagement.

Lightning talk

Scroll to Top