POWER AND THE MEDIA CASE STUDYS

TIKTOK: Media Institutions Still Hold Significant Power (1)

1. According to DemandSage, TikTok had approximately 1.9 billion monthly active users worldwide in early 2026, demonstrating the influence a single platform can have over global media consumption.
   

What it demonstrates

AGENDA SETTING THEORY:

• TikTok’s algorithm controls what appears on the “For You Page.”

• It decides which videos, creators, and topics gain visibility and become viral.

• Audiences are repeatedly exposed to certain trends, beauty standards, news stories, music, and opinions more than others.

• This supports McCombs and Shaw’s agenda-setting theory, as TikTok influences what audiences think about through algorithmic amplification and repeated exposure

• Platforms shape what audiences watch, listen to, and engage with while collecting user data to maximise engagement and advertising revenue.

Related theories

• James Curran and Jean Seaton – Media ownership and control

• Agenda-setting theory - Maxwell McCombs and Donald Shaw.

---

TIKTOK: TikTok Promoting Movies / TV Shows (3)

1. According to NPR (April 2026), TikTok engagement is increasingly considered a key indicator of long-term box office success for films and TV shows.
   

2. Dennis Papirowski, TikTok’s global head of Entertainment and News, stated that TikTok users create approximately 6.5 million posts daily related to films and TV shows. He also stated that half of TikTok users discovered a new movie through the platform.

3. Dexter: Resurrection became the most-streamed Showtime premiere on Paramount+ and achieved a 90% Rotten Tomatoes score after renewed popularity through TikTok edits, memes, clips, and fan discussions.

What it demonstrates

• Audiences now play an active role in promoting and shaping the long-term success of films and TV shows through participation and user-generated content.

• TikTok has become an important marketing tool for the entertainment industry, where edits, memes, clips, fan discussions, and reposts help sustain audience interest and cultural relevance.

• Participatory culture allows audiences to actively contribute to media circulation rather than simply consuming media passively.

• Media convergence can be seen through content flowing across interconnected platforms such as TikTok, streaming services, Rotten Tomatoes, and online fan communities.

• However, TikTok still holds structural power through algorithms that amplify visibility and determine which content becomes viral.

Related theories

• Henry Jenkins – Participatory Culture

• Henry Jenkins – Media Convergence

• Clay Shirky – End of Audience Theory

• Maxwell McCombs and Donald Shaw – Agenda-Setting Theory

• James Curran and Jean Seaton – Media Ownership and Control Theory

TIKTOK AND SPOTIFY: Other Cross-Platform Convergence (3)

1. Users on TikTok influence music popularity through edits, dance trends, memes, and viral videos using specific sounds.

2. TikTok includes features that directly connect users to Spotify.

3. A University of California, Davis study found that listeners only partly decide what songs become hits, as algorithms also shape music success.

What it demonstrates

• Audiences increasingly shape music virality and trends through participation and sharing.

• However, algorithms still influence which songs gain visibility, creating a negotiated power dynamic between audiences and media institutions.

Related theories

• Henry Jenkins – Participatory culture

• Henry Jenkins – Media convergence

• Clay Shirky – End of Audience theory

• James Curran and Jean Seaton – Media ownership and control

TIKTOK: Microtrends, “Clean Girl” Aesthetic (2)

1. During the COVID-19 pandemic, TikTok microtrends such as whipped coffee, Tiger King memes, and Among Us trends became global phenomena through audience participation.
   

2. The “Clean Girl” aesthetic promotes minimalist beauty, slick hairstyles, neutral fashion, and wellness-focused femininity through TikTok videos, tutorials, inspiration videos, and recommendations.

What it demonstrates

• Audiences collaboratively shape online trends and identities through participation and sharing.

• TikTok algorithms amplify viral aesthetics by repeatedly promoting similar content.

• Digital beauty culture influences identity, femininity, and beauty standards online.

Related theories

• Henry Jenkins – Participatory culture

• David Gauntlett – Theory of identity

• Judith Butler – Gender performativity

• James Curran and Jean Seaton – Structural media power

VOGUE: Vogue and Digital Beauty Culture (1)

1. Vogue promotes aspirational representations associated with luxury, attractiveness, wellness, and femininity through fashion editorials, celebrity covers, beauty campaigns, and social media branding.

What it demonstrates

• Media institutions construct identity by influencing beauty ideals, femininity, lifestyle, and self-presentation.

• Fashion media reflects the commercial interests of the beauty and luxury industries.

Related theories

• David Gauntlett – Theory of identity

• Liesbet van Zoonen – Feminist theory

• Laura Mulvey – Male gaze theory

VOGUE: AI-Generated Beauty Controversy (2)

1. Vogue’s August 2025 issue featured a Guess advertisement containing an AI-generated blonde model created by marketing agency Seraphinne Vallora.

2. A small disclaimer revealed the model was entirely artificial, generating backlash online over unrealistic beauty standards and concerns about replacing real models and creatives.

What it demonstrates

• AI-generated beauty can reinforce unattainable standards linked to perfection, appearance, and artificial femininity.

• Modern media technologies increasingly shape identity and representation within digital beauty culture.

Related theories

• Liesbet van Zoonen – Feminist theory

• Laura Mulvey – Male gaze theory

• David Gauntlett – Theory of identity

• Judith Butler – Gender performativity