Hasan Paje

CULTURE PRODUCTION AND CONTENT CREATION IN THE

NEW MEDIA ECOLOGY: THE CASE OF ‘’TURTLE VISION
STUDIO’’ (CREATIVE PROJECT)

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 Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................9

1. CONTENT CREATION AND CULTURE PRODUCTION IN THE NEW MEDIA ECOLOGY

..................................................................................................................................................................13

1.1 New Media as A Cultural Technology ..............................................................................................13

1.2 Online Storytelling ............................................................................................................................17

1.3 Finding the Niche ..............................................................................................................................19

1.4 Power of Dialogue .............................................................................................................................25

1.5 Concepts of Literary realism and New Journalism ...........................................................................28

1.6 Concepts of Video Realism ...............................................................................................................31

1.7 Hierarchy of Truth .............................................................................................................................34

2. CASE STUDIES OF INNOVATIVE ONLINE STORYTELLERS ...........................................35

2.1 VICE: Mastering of the Art of Reportage .........................................................................................36

2.2 Dogwoof: Realism Documentary Film Production Pioneers ............................................................39

2.4 Case Study: ‘’Stay Free with Russell Brand’’ ...................................................................................41

2.5 Case Study: Esquire Magazine ...........................................................................................................43

3. CREATIVE PROJECT ‘’TURTLE VISION STUDIO’’ ...........................................................45

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3.1 Why Turtle Vision Studio ..................................................................................................................46

3.2 Video Journalistic Works ..................................................................................................................48

3.3 Nonfiction Writing Video …….........................................................................................................54

CONCLUSION ...............................................................................................................................59

BIBLIOGRAPHY ...................................................................................................................................62

APPENDICES .........................................................................................................................................64

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Introduction

‘’The technologies that have emerged in recent years, principally but not exclusively digital technologies
are new. They do new things. They give us new powers. They create new consequences for us human
beings. They bend minds. They transform institutions. They liberate. They oppress.’’ (Silverstone 1999,
P.10) In less than two decades, new media has transposed social, personal, creative and economic spheres
into a new domain of experience, naturally feeding its procuration and unfolding. This creative-applied
work delves exclusively into perspectives that interlude online storytelling, processes that facilitate
culture production, and methodologies for creating enduring impressions in a fleeting media
environment. Online storytelling is synonymous with digital storytelling. Since 2022, I have established
a visual brand identity and concept for an online story telling channel ‘’Turtle Vision Media’’’; however,
I have consistently faced the problem of what(content), how(methodology), and why(value). My aim
was to share creative and valuable knowledge while building an audience online; however, often
obstacles emerged with regards to consistency and clarity of objective. These challenges forced me to
get deeper into systematic research to identify methodologies and aspects of making enduring content
online and building an audience. The focus of this paper is specific to nonfiction online storytelling
inclusive of all multimedia formats: text, graphic, audio, animation, or a combination. Online story telling
has become a constant pursuit among institutes, businesses, creatives, and journalists alike to present
their identities or extend it, and in return expand their economic endeavors, opportunities, or simply make
a statement, or share value among local or global groups. This new demand for online content has allowed
for culture shaping mechanisms, tides of experimentation in expression, and presentation to follow.
While the effects of the phenomena are slowly being unraveled and are far from being unanimously
conclusive, the reality of it is worth assessment. It is challenging, at first glance of a fleeting digital media
market, to identify or quantify what components make for enduring content.

Relevance of topic

In the ever-changing digital media landscape, the importance of creating content that not only draws
attention but also stands the test of time in its vocational value is paramount for content creators and
media companies. Storytelling is a form of communication that is as old as mankind. ‘’Journalists do not
write articles. Journalists write stories.’’ (Alan Bell 2005, p.397) It is challenging, at first glance of a
fleeting digital media market, to identify or quantify what components make for enduring content. Online
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stories that could stand the test of time involve a specialty of factors such as style of presentation,
emotional evocation, linguistic stylistics or other means of multimedia expression; some of the more
prominent means of online storytelling will be subject to inquiry in this work. Beer and Burrows (2007)
address the reality of our times in their statement that ideas and technologies that we feel, or think are
well established, turn out to be ephemeral. This is why it is ever important now to address components
of storytelling that may be valuable in the process of their execution and final presentation. Universality
of message is nonquantifiable; nonetheless, it has a proponent of endurance when authentically presented.
Successful models of nonfiction online storytelling can be examined and studied to make sense of some
enduring components of multimedia storytelling today for they may provide context for future content
production procedures. Investigating the problem of endurance today can ensure that the appropriate
qualities and values of online storytelling may be considered before content production proceeds.

The driving argument of the thesis is that the advent of technological convergence and the new media
ecology as a response, ultimately guides new processes for content creators, new hybrid procedures for
institutes and individuals to present stories in a new form, and proposes elements of culture production
for media institutes, storytellers, audiences, individuals, and collectives who participate in the new media
ecology. The prospects for culture shaping are immense with the rise of digital domains and can range
from nuanced to direct; the way stories are presented online therefore plays a factor in the unfoldment of
culture production. The new media ecology offers variability of choices which is an integral element of
culture production. The role played by rapid growth of digital media platforms is proliferating content
production at an unprecedented rate, for which individual stories are finding it hard to cut through the
noise and keep afloat. Enduring online stories depend on multiple variables such as authenticity, quality
of production, narrative depth, and emotional resonance among others; however, this work focuses on
addressing such variables and more in the context of multimedia expression combining techniques of old
and new, principles from the literary world up to the video age. Furthermore, one of the central aspects
for storytelling and character introduction is dialogue. Podcast via the power of dialogue is a reigning
sensation of the new media ecology platforms today; therefore, the power of dialogue deserved inquiring
in this work. On another hand, since video format is the most dominant shared in the new media ecology
today, concepts of video realism deserve to be studied in parallel with the latest steppingstone of narrative
nonfiction writing: new journalism, which originated in the '60s and '70s. By adopting the devices of
literary realism, the dominant format of the new media ecology of today, the video, may be turned into

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a more effective narrative forming expression with degrees of emotional volatility that may contribute to
the stories’ endurance.

The novelty of the work

The work presents an overview of online storytelling devices from multiple disciplines across the last
decades to proliferate a formula for future content endurance. The work considers the new environment
which archives today’s stories, the new media ecology.

Therefore, the object of this work is storytelling techniques used for enduring content creation.

The aim of the thesis is to understand and identify stylistic methods and techniques for multimedia
content creation, specifically online nonfiction storytelling, and apply these in producing authentic online
content for the creative project.

The objectives of this work are to understand and identify stylistic methods and techniques for
multimedia content creation, specifically online nonfiction storytelling, and apply these in producing
authentic and enduring online content for the creative project.

Within these objectives, the following research questions will be answered:

1) To understand the culture shaping element of technology for both content creators and audience
in the new media ecology.
2) To differentiate between various formats of online storytelling in their relative effectiveness and
time enduring values.
3) To apply the conceptual insights in the creative works through my creative channel ‘’Turtle
Vision Studio’’

Methods

The creative project ‘’Turtle Vision Studio’ is the main approach to test conceptual ideas based on case
studies of successful media companies such as VICE and Dogwoof and following on the implications of
the literature review. The creative project compiles three video journalistic works presenting three
different concepts that adopt different modes of multimedia storytelling methods in accordance with
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theme and context. Furthermore, one extensive nonfiction article is created to reflect and test the
immersive capacity of nonfiction literary writing. In addition, two unstructured plus one structured
interview was conducted with Rugile Matuseviciute, Delfi journalist, tv and radio presenter, Simona Cia,
TEDX Kaunas organizer and Vbiz culture podcast creator, and Laura Barzdaitiene, Kauno Diena veteran
online journalist, to gain relevant insight and question aspects of endurance, niche, and journalism
practices in the new media ecology.

Structure of the Thesis

The structure that the thesis will follow is as follows: After the introduction, a literature review will be
presented delving in topics with themes of new media as a cultural technology, culture shaping paradigms
for media consumption and production, finding niche, the power of dialogue, online storytelling
techniques for bloggers and vloggers, the four devices of new journalism, the art of reportage, and
concepts of video realism, Subsequent chapters shall present case studies of successful media companies
that successfully utilized some of the storytelling techniques addressed in the first chapter while
providing an analysis and discussing the implications of the analysis, then finally the creative project
‘’Turtle Vision Studio’’ will be presented testing the conceptual framework of the study, followed by the
conclusion.

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1. Culture Production and Content Creation in the New Media Ecology

1.1 New Media as a Cultural Technology

Negroponte (1995) was ecstatic about the overall societal impact of new media technologies, claiming
that its qualities of decentralization, globalization, cultural uniformity, and user empowerment opened
new avenues for promoting individual liberty and worldwide social peace. The cross relation between
culture and technology as mapped by Terry Flew (2008) went as follows: level one, technology as a
physical objects, tools, or artefacts; culture as the arts and aesthetic excellence. Level two, technology as
content software defined by how it is used; culture as ways of life or lived experience of communities.
The third level, technology as systems of knowledge and social meaning; culture as underlying structural
system. In his critical history of technology, Langden (1986) has insisted that ‘technologies are not
merely aids to human activity, Burt are also powerful forces acting to reshape that activity and its
meaning’ (Winner 1986, p.6). ‘’Any understanding of social and cultural change is impossible without a
knowledge of the way media works as environments.’’ (Marshal McLuhan and Fiore, 1967, p.26) We
perceive ourselves in the heart of a story. Stories are the inherent form. The body has always been an
essential form of communicating stories and experiences, via its shared verbal and nonverbal gestures.
Instinctually, it is reasonable to trust information that we can see especially if it is interactively educative
or radically informative, which is why face to face presentation endures in the expression of an online
storyteller today on rising platforms of video content. That is presenting the content, with physical
gestures, character, style, own voice, and in one’s environment via a camera, directly to viewers. When
the person responsible for the content presents the content, the audience may flock towards it if it is
authentic. Authenticity, data reveals, is a prominent quality for reaching online audiences. Murphie and
Potts (2003) have outlined the importance of ‘’artistic innovation as a driver of new media, both because
artists seek to employ the potential of new technologies in original and creative ways, and because artists
are very often the ‘antennae’ of society foreshadowing through their creative works questions about the
social cultural ramifications of new media technologies.’’ (Murphie and Potts 2003, p.39).

‘People have an intrinsic need, an instinct, to know what is occurring beyond their direct experience’ -
Thomas Rosenstiel. Thomas Rosenstiel (2001) suggests a very intrinsic human impulse to affirm, find

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truth, to seek imagination, and animate elements of physiological or psychological experience, ever
forming a personal myth or collective narrative to give substance to the context of a time, frame inclusive
of its share of events and bring order to emerging suppositions in relation to preunderstandings. Thus,
storytelling and journalism are an age-old practice, that were performed to bring proximity to truths and
warn against dangers. An act of responsibility for the future. Story telling is embedded in our culture as
humans and how we tell stories offers intimate induction into worlds of aesthetics and style that shape
and connect to our characters and ways we behave.

The content in this section should draw insight into how new media is bound to culture shaping, and in
some cases, produce new cultures among individuals or collectives. Culture here selectively addresses
social behaviors, individual or collective. According to Lev Manovich (2001), new media is less
participatory than traditional media such as books and recordings. ‘’In general, media work may be
viewed as a specific instance of cultural production since it occurs both within and outside of institutions,
by both professionals and amateurs, and within and across media. The production of culture viewpoint
also allows for comparisons across various places of cultural formation.’’ (Deuze, 2007) How features
or documentaries are filmed impresses the process on the final product; in the same fashion how, we
compose online stories in vlog or blog format inevitably affects the output of the product and thereby
affecting also its myriads of receptibility. For example, in his book New Journalism, Tom Wolfe (1975)
presented examples of many of the new journalists of 60s-70s who were out and about partaking in
societal participation on all levels, being outgoing, outright courageous, barely on their desks, and all
consumed in the social realism of their demography; therefore, they were able to present deeply
immersive and reflective affiliations with their subjects-topics and developed stories with true ingenuity.
These practices were not only culture shaping among the leagues of those writers, but also for some of
their readers. The practices and behaviors of the journalistic institute at the time were therefore shaken
and altered upon exposure to such works of media. The engagement of the writer with his subjects on
personal and deeply inquisitive level, procreated engagement for the reader, in an undeniable umbilical
connection that proceeded from the processes that ignited the work to the product, leaving its realistic
imprints. As a journalist and media scholar, reading new journalistic pieces has greatly influenced and
reshaped my personal culture, ultimately inspiring me to follow the lead of processes by which the new
journalism figures produced their work, that is through throwing myself at the events and the cultural
propositions of my society, with full engagement, carrying field recorders to record events and dialogue.
The works they presented inspired and reshaped my behavior towards my craft.

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Technologies have deeply affected our social dynamics, for better or ill. ‘’The fact that media are
manipulable at their point of their delivery means something quite extraordinary: users of the media can
shape their own experience of it’ (Feldam, 1997, p.4) The point suggested here for content creators and
online journalists is that the powers of computing and expressions could finally, now be personalized
and customized to fit for an elaborate expression of our intended work output while reflecting our inner
cores and values via the tools and techniques offered by technology. A new culture is therefore due and
driving its pace via the ways we use the technology; this culture is personally and collectively shaped by
how the technology is used; as content creators, we have a big part of culture shaping that ultimately start
with the processes by which we curate our works and bring it to local or multinational audiences.
Nowadays, there are more observed grounds of mutualism between big news networks, independent
media and rising influencer/independent journalists even if they don’t confess to it. There is undoubtedly
a cycle of feedback, direct or indirect, interactivity among peers, that motivates action or reflection from
one party unto another. For example, the independent journalist may acquire sources from big networks
to interpret it, or further analyze it to then present it in interpretive fashions, or commentary fashion,
backed by more articles from several other sources. On the other hand, big networks also sometimes
follow leads or evidence proposed by independent media channels or online indie journalists. This state
of mutualism is anticipated to only increase in its nature of interactivity. This is part of the new culture
shaping technology of online media.

Due to the cultural nature of culture creation, the creative process of media workers and internet news in
particular makes for an intriguing subject of study. What this implies is that the creation of culture, which
is a component of social structure, is neither controlled by individual nor large corporations. According
to Chris Paterson and David Domingo (2008), the sociology of internet news in the modern day must
take into consideration two processes simultaneously, when it comes to adjusting to new technology, the
first thing to consider is how news organizations and journalistic institutions as social institutions respond
and reproduce. In the second place, the way professionals and other elements inside the journalism
institution bring about changes, therefore generating new practices and methods of doing things out of
the components of the expanded news culture. The way we produce content in a way is elemental to
shaping the online culture as it leaves its impression inevitably on the final product. The responsibility
and ethicality thus should ever be more present with producing online content. ‘The media today offers
great opportunities for inclusivity and diversity, with its new perspectives on selfhood and how we live.’’
(Rob Clover 2023, p.3) Nicholas Gane and David Beer (2008) view the six main proponents of new

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media as network, information, interface, interactivity, simulation, archive. These six proponents could
work together or singularly to modify aspects of personal and collective culture with the variability of
demography and personalized or collective technological use. The function of the production and
consumption of visual language, brands, stories, and concepts have changed drastically in this online
unified market. Our online activities are a sort of performance. Judith Butler’s (1999) theory of
performativity would assume that. This performative value engages in process, language, culture, thus
onsetting an effect of identity. During my interview with Simona Cia, TEDx Kaunas ex co-organizer and
Vbiz culture podcast curator, she mentioned the power of choice shaping culture. In her words she stated:
‘what we search on domains like google shapes our culture’ she suggests how our thoughts and emotions
are linked to this performance of searching, and in return our choices, shape our identity.

1.2 Online Storytelling

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There is consensus among professionals that if a story is boring or void of emotion, it may very well
captivate less, if not at all! Elements of surprise can come in handful in storytelling and unites one with
the reader. John Larson (2011) suggested that ‘’surprise is the key to storytelling’. And he adds, ‘'surprise
them in meaningful way, not just to stun them or shock them’.

Jacqui Banaszynski (1988), says ‘’one way to come up with different stories on a topic is to consider
approaching it from seven distinctive paths and an eighth way:

I) A profile, the characters driving the issue. not just a person, it could also be an event, a

place or a building.

II) Explanatory Piece. Show readers why something happens or how it functions.

III) Issues and trends stories. If there is a larger picture to explore.

IV) Investigative. Look into wrongdoing, 'follow the money', analyze power struggles,

and make use of available documents that may have been overlooked.

V) Narrative, a story with character, scenes and tension.

VI) Descriptive day in life. The alternative to a narrative, focusing on a particular

moment, such as a ride along with the police or a visit to the new museum.

VII) Voices or perspective story. Have people tell a story in a unique way Q&A, roundtable, focus group,
or a rail of quotes.

VIII) Visual story. Photographs, graphics, or illustrations might be the best way to tell some stories.’’

On occasions, linear storytelling is more suitable for the given subject matter. The concept of mapmaking
aids in our comprehension of the notion of variety in news. When considering journalism as a kind of
social mapping, it is important to ensure that the map includes news from all groups, rather than simply
those who have appealing demographics or are desirable to marketers. Any alternative approach would
result in the production of maps that lack whole regions. ‘The progression of time reveals significant
flaws in the economic rationale for demographic targeting’ according to Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel
(2007). A panel of local news experts ranked the comprehensive coverage of the whole community as

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the foremost obligation for a television news station. The results revealed a consensus among viewers.
Stations that included a broader array of subjects were more inclined to attract and retain their audience
compared to those that did not as it was found out by Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel (2007)

1.3 Finding the Niche

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Impressively when I asked Laura, veteran journalist at Kauno diene, ‘’What type of content or story do
you think is more enduring for audience and readers today?’’ She replied ‘’ Given the abundance of
information, even the apparent excess, that today's audience faces, the most relevant information today
is what is very new, unexpected, sensational. And not even the content of the information itself is
important, but the way it is presented – it must be not only concise, short, clear, but also humorous. I
think that this kind of information is the most attractive and attracts attention. And the content itself, of
course, depends on each person's area of interest. For some it will be a problem of saving whales, for
others it will be a recipe for a fashionable cake. ’And when asked ‘’ What do you think are the qualities
that makes online journalism interesting and attention grabbing?’’ With no hesitation, she answered ‘’
Humor, humor, and more humor!’’ I asked her ‘’ How does deadlines affect the quality of a story in your
opinion?’’ Her response was ‘’ Of course, deadlines affect information negatively. Since I worked for an
online portal myself for a while, I remembered my director's explanation: our information is fast food,
not a luxury restaurant. The texts may contain errors, the information may be inaccurate (it can be denied
later - and this will be another additional message to interest the audience), the most important thing is
that it should be quick and easy to understand. therefore, in order to form a real opinion about a new
event, it is necessary to follow and analyze the information for a long time, it is practically impossible to
decide anything from one message.’’ Me: ‘’ Do pictures and multimedia compensate for bad writing?’’
Laura: ‘’ As for attracting attention - yes, it certainly compensates. In terms of lasting value, of course
not.’’

‘’We won't get too far if nobody reads, watches, or listens to our stories because they are too dull. Without
an audience there can be no journalism, and we are not likely to gather much of an audience if we do not
seek, at least in part, to entertain as well as inform’’ (Tony Harcup, 2004, p.86). An independent institute
or individual can have a bigger audience via setting focus on a niche, something not everyone is covering.
Something that she has a vantage point, with knowledge or power of presentation for. Persistence of
work and output via automated daily schedule preparations and making quality daily content that is
engaging seems to be a formula to get past the gatekeeping algorithms and eventually build an audience.
Standing the test of time comes to universality of message, to making statements, engaging and
entertaining at once, captivating and informative at most. The choice of attending to local or rather a

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global audience is open for contemplation or discovery. The amateur way into independent media is
seeking validation, as following approval is more common for the beginner in the world of new media.
As her motifs could mix up with building an audience first. The late bird follows the lead of the early
bird and attempts to reproduce work that worked in terms of audience reach. From my own experience,
establishing an online media presence requires perseverance and suffice time of practice for developing
an authentic voice and expression.

When I asked Simona Cia, new media expert, Tedx worker, and Podcast curator on matters of value, she
responded ‘’what kind of value am bringing with my content? That was basically a path where I have
had painful lessons... The main lesson was not to follow the patterning social marketers are suggesting
in what kind of value you need to create and how to create... I was trying to learn social marketers'
language, how they use angles, the bits, all the mechanisms in it. The environment was new to me. And
the problem for me was that I didn't speak of any value actually.’’ Mapping one’s weaknesses, strengths,
opportunities and risks on a regular basis is a valid reality check. One could see that allotting time to
target a specific audience could be a vantage point. The more mature way is to focus on quality and
reliance on reference of the hot pot while remaining authentic and finding one’s own voice via going
through the amateur phase or flash in the pan, to coming off with enough scope of knowledge experience
to provide for the gap in the online media market. ‘’However rare multimedia reporters may be in the
future, it's clear that they increase in number as time goes on. And even if most journalists aren't expected
to produce content for every conceivable delivery platform, some are already being asked to gather
information in multiple formats. AT 24hrs cable news for example it is common to expect journalists to
write stories, shoot video, and edit it themselves This is a sharp contrast from traditional broadcast news
stations, where reposting, news photography, and video editing are discrete professions.’’ (Kevin
Kawamoto, 2003, p.69) Kevin Kawamoto (2003) saw the increasing urge for journalists to have multi-
disciplinary practice when it comes to producing content, 20 years ago. And the fact seems to be resonant
true ever more today. Online story tellers today need to adapt themselves to learning their selected tools,
software and hardware, identifying their methods, create, and experiment simultaneously. Being at the
periphery of events as they unfold and digest them with fresh senses, unpolluted from preconceptions.
Bringing the audience to a more sensual nature of events that leave their imagination unburdened is a
function of literary writing or aesthetic video presentations. Multimedia work should be refined to fit the
theme and mood of the message being conveyed. Is it playful, astronomical, wonderous, disturbing,
thrilling, or irritating? Consciously refining mood and theme goes along with knowing your header first

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at hand and following the best leads as proposed by Bernard (2002). With the matter of finding a voice,
I found that finding various voices is key to peripheral pieces, multiple angles and characters; however,
finding a style is more definitive to the works and could be the lead of thread that can be managed and
followed on thoroughly and that should come via practice and playfulness ultimately with conjunction
to education and constant search for knowledge and truth. Some online news professionals do practically
all their work from the vicinity of their desks, online yet wired in stagnation. This seems to be the
increasing case with many news productions today according to Chris Patterson and David Domingo
(2008). The pace of work is accelerating. The choice of attending to local or rather a global audience is
open. The exciting thing about the unfoldment of online identity in its process is to find ever more
coherence in roles of presentation and cognition as expressed by Judith Butler (1999) and Rob Cover
(2023). It is a process that takes play via interactivity and performance. As Helen Kennedy (2006) has
pointed out about online settings generally, they are a media form which is never finished, just as identity
performance is a continuous process; both are constantly ‘’under construction’’ (P.869) ‘’Under these
premises, lie great potential of developing style via methods to astound coherence via virtual work,
preparation, and top-level role filling performative value into society via its online space. The
information spaces. Demanding the work of bringing performance, articulations, expressions back into
coherence and stabilizing once again the process of identity.’’ (Rob Cover, 2023, p.41) Great story telling
creates anticipation and builds curiosity among viewers and readers. The online storyteller must be on
edge with her story. The online storyteller today must be able to face challenges of meeting deadlines
and working with consistency. Flexibility and multitasking are a necessity, operating different skills and
technologies simultaneously, convergent like the world around them, developing their own rituals,
practices, ideals, skillsets and characteristics about their medium particularly when it comes to addressing
the online user. People read news differently online. The audience today has the burdens of excess
information, which can cause neural crashes and abstaining from serious content that would demand
cognitive function. The audience demands balance of feed in their digital information space. They may
be addressing shortage of time, so having that in mind the content creator may persevere in creating some
short content with the nature of great summarizing or clips and snips from the whole content so that the
audience if attracted may refer to the longer content. A combination of new media technology and social
progress means for good or ill, that common culture had gone forever. Welcome to what the critic Jason
Cowley calls our ‘crowded, fragmented, cultural marketplace' (Goodhart, 1999). As this the cultural
marketplace in which journalists must sell their wares; it means that ‘’part of the journalists' job is to
entertain as well as inform’’ (Tony Harcup, 2004, p.91) ‘’Research into networks and organizational
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ecology offers a possible rationale, showing that early entrants into a network or field or platform acquire
most connections, and; late entrants struggle for attention’’ (Barabasi and Albert, 1999) and are ‘’more
likely to fail’’ (Baum, 2001). One must stick to devices and topics and adhere to systematic discipline.
The equines of collecting an audience and developing a brand is a real matter in the world of online story
telling today. And as tedious it might get to verify sources for audiences, some settle for the most
commercially valid, corporate liable media which at the same time is limited introspective capacity by
extents. ‘’The pursuit of status, audience, and revenue may corelate with the homogenizing and
mainstreaming of content, and the shedding of the ideological niche’’ (Lowrey, 2006; Scott, 2007)
Vloggers and bloggers don't meet nor conserve with their audience directly usually; However, some may
monitor their concerns and feedback. Common trends according to some studies, is that common to both
bloggers and vloggers, when their audience reach breaks a substantial amount of 100+, the level of
responsibility that goes with coordinating the online channel grows directly proportional to the
attendance of more audience. Bloggers and vloggers, according to the same survey, seem to develop
routines when it comes to their resources of information, to limit them and hold them within a manageable
capacity to work with. Bloggers and Vloggers tend to specialize. Specialization allows for the
development of expertise needed to give the audience what they want and provide within margins of
expertise and knowledge. Specialization is one way to find the niche, which helps accumulate a target
audience; however, it doesn’t guarantee it. As a matter of fact, many journalists take a discourse in
developing multiple voices with ways that may pertain to the liberal artist. '’We look for what we can
give them that no one else does' Finding one's peer group offers advantages, such as reliable sources for
information from related blogs that will be applicable to the specialty. This routine is not unlike the
‘’beat’’ routine in journalism which ensures a steady stream predictable, a stream of stories.’’ (Tuchman,
1978) Sticking with one topic and developing it over time is one practice vouched for by some bloggers
and vloggers alike, as the audience seems to grow with the thread, taking more of an investigative nature
into a current and presenting unraveling in the process if permissible. The stats and insights give a good
precursor to the blogger of vlogger to what her accumulated audience might be anticipating more of.
Whether that be the interval of the time of day, the days of week that traffic more, the color grade that
attracts more eye retinas or the tone of voice or humor that unleashes the centipede of audience.

‘’To hype of seasonalize content seems to be a pressure for high profile journalists. The principle of ‘’the
naked body and the guitar’ However let us not forget: The most common narrative structure used in
journalism is surprisingly limited. As journalism has become more complex and the topics vast, many of

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the best journalists have found it adequate.’’ (Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel, 2007, p.198) As all
multimedia expressions inform each other i.e. writing informs videography, which informs audio and
vice versa in many reoccurring correspondences. The common themes of informational interlacing fall
between the lines of the feelings, rhythm and attitude of the piece and how it generates some
correspondence between one expression and the other, in a relationship. Journalists today are undergoing
pressures to be entertainers to hold audiences at bay. There is a negative side to these ends, confronting
loss of substance for the sake of gaining an audience. Indeed, loss of function to inform and educate
should come at the expense of merely entertaining. Samuel Winch (1998) argues that the lines between
informative content and entertainment are ‘socially constructed’. Martin Conboy (2012) agrees that this
is far from a new phenomenon, and it has been a prevailing element of mass media since early days, to
appeal to large audiences, elites, and have large circulation. ‘’The popular press today can be seen as
drawing on the 19th century 'new journalism' that was marked by a definitive shift towards entertainment,
a deliberate policy of appealing to the masses as part of a cultural and commercial proposition rather than
as the more sedate organ of enlightenment and instruction.’’ (Conboy 2002, p.94). Dovey has an
interesting view on how traditional vs popular media tend to break.

Because of commercial pressures in the late 90s and advent of this century, many main figures in the
broadcasting game had to reconfigure their roles from simply outputting informational and educational
content to give an almost equal share to entertainment, that being stories on celebrities, pets, tv shows,
music awards, soft porn content, etc. to stay relevant in a high competition environment of news making
and storytelling. Some major journalists who have witnessed these transitional stages in their early
confoundments were dumb founded in some cases. They have witnessed entertainment take front stage
at many instances only to attract audiences. Some called it the 'dumbing down' like Martin Bell. However,
20 or so years later, the data compels and shows otherwise, the rise and demand for educational content
is unequivocal. ‘’A style niche is a kind of 'media logic' or shared understanding between messages,
producers and audiences about a media's format’’ (Chris Paterson and David Domingo, 2008) to have an
edge and differentiate from others. '' it's interesting to let them know who I am and what id o but not all
of it. ''

The essence of finding a niche comes via discovering one’s authenticity, developing a set of core values
that pertain to a specific audience to be targeted, while providing universal message for it to endure in
the media ecology. The tools for presentation must be identified, style must be emphasized and
consistency unabashed. Multidisciplinary questing ultimately should identify audiences that one may

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present value for. The online storyteller must find his niche to succeed in today's media ecology. The
idea of style comes via potentiating an outlook that represents a cohesive pattern with the character and
attitudes of the presenter.

1.4 The Power of Dialogue

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‘’the male figure has dominated our idea of God. Patriarchy has been bequeathed in such fashion. Did
you ever think about that? Where is the womanly figure in her goddess image across the last 20 millennia.
Worship the leader. Worship the patriarchy. That’s the symbol that is been given.’’

‘’I guess one of the positive proponents of gender fluidity is that we get to slowly dismantle symbolic
ideas we have had of what is male and what is female, and I that regard maybe the LGBT+ community
will aid us bringing the goddess image back and fixing the issue of the matriarchy. Or making matter
worse.’’

One of the biggest revelations during the study and practical grounds for this work, was indeed the power
of dialogue. Dialogue presents an inherent quality of life. If our ancestors mastered their documentation
of dialogue, it would have amplified their stories and offered the realism of how they truly lived as
opposed to descriptive limitation. Dialogue involves the ears. Dialogue presents action. The most used
up of our senses are the aural and auditory faculties, so we were naturally precluded from manifesting
such technologies to impress more on our most recalled and relied on senses. Words are directly linked
with the neurons in the brain. The power of the language conveys and exposes. Language is annex to
behavior. It shapes ideologies, propagates peace or war. Competition or cooperation. Language dictates
our nervous system. Information in many instances of its retrieval and dissemination can be seen as
subjective and emergent. Plato and Socrates made their cases with dialogues, along with other ancient
Greek writers. And when the power of dialogue made its sensational return in its most refined form of
literature, the novel, in 1870, it reproduced a level of engagement and revelation into character and
context that was refreshing and powerful in every right. For decades, the novel was a most captivating
medium. One of its non-disposable items is dialogue. New journalism in the twentieth century took the
novel a step further with its installation of realism. New journalism brought social realism to the novel
and dialogue was a most essential component for that according to Tom Wolfe (1975).

According to Tom Wolfe (1975), dialogue is the most powerful device/tool in new journalism and
nonfiction writing that can produce enough imagination and engagement from the reader on a more
personal level. It prevails into an activity we most practice all frequently, that is having conversations,
by which we express our inner most thoughts and emotion, emerging from subjective paradigms.
Therefore, the power of dialogue which has been mustered and mastered by many in their unique ways
holds the potential of subjective realities, character reveals, and factual display.

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‘’Words are a kind of information retrieval that can range over the total environment and experience at
high speed. Words are complex systems of metaphors and symbols that translate experience into our
uttered or outered senses.’’ (Marshal McLuhan, 1964, p.63) Marshal McLuhan (1964) made the point
that we now may be able to translate more of ourselves into new domains of expression. Joe Lambert
(2013) discussed how the power of dialogue enhances the immersivity of narrative as it introduces
authentic voice and in turn shapes meaningful narratives. ‘Words thus are known to have layers of
meaning, many of them quite irrelevant to ordinary present meanings.’’ (Walter J. Ong, 1982, p.46)

Media psychology studies reveal that audiences are likely to engage, share, and respond to digital content
that carries strong and relatable dialogues. Even though individual research has been performed on
various elements of digital content creation and consumption, the specific relationship between dialogue
and content endurance remains relatively underexplored. The reports of Reuters in recent years have
clearly shown that the podcast is the most rising and dominant form of media content in terms of public
appeal especially for younger audiences, and the raw ingredient of the podcast is the dialogue. The
relationship between the spoken word and emotional volatility may be worth imploring in further studies.

‘’Podcasts and audio clips on the web are new storytelling techniques which add another dimension to
multimedia journalism.’’ (Paul Bradshaw and Lisa Rohumaa, 2011, p.102) The nature of podcasts today
is that they are shaping a new culture of dialogue, emphasizing intricacies of expression, powers of
listening, and addressing innermost questions. Dialogue emphasizes emotions as much as intellect and
play. Gadamer (1960) views dialogue methodologically and critically via the 'event of play'. According
to Gadamer (1960), it would seem that the idea of play helps to reframe the dialogic process as an event.
Dialogue presents an inherent quality of civilized life. According to Hans Herbert (1960), every age had
to comprehend a transmitted text in its own way, because the text belongs to the entire tradition, and the
substance of a text, as it speaks to the interpretation, does not depend on the author's and his original
audience's conditions. It is not identical to them, because it is constantly co-determined by the
interpreter's historical circumstance, and therefore by the entirety of the objective course of history. The
idea of a backdrop in society from ancestral preunderstandings and dominant themes in media, such as
ideas that are seeded by the mainstream stream may therefore alter the public opinion in such ways, in
an ornament of multi-sensory impressionism that may create cultural stereotypes, or animate people’s
perception. Hans Herbert (1960) argued that the meaning of a text will always already be preconceptual
determined and projected by the contents of our preunderstanding, in which previous history and
experience are embedded. According to him, tradition stages interpretive understanding. Thus, the

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function of language itself may supersede it, in sense that its presupposed impressions may surpass its
linguistic value in a pace full physiological impact.

An essential aspect of a speaker's linguistic competence, according to Searle, is the ability to use the
literal meaning of a statement in context. The idea that there is no clear difference between a speaker's
linguistic ability and his understanding of the world is the upshot of his argument. ‘’In fact, history does
not belong to us; we belong to it. Long before we understand ourselves through the process of self-
examination, we understand ourselves in a self-evident way in the family, society, and state in which we
live. The focus of subjectivity is a distorting mirror. ‘’The self-awareness of the individual is only a
flickering in the closed circuits of historical life. That is why the prejudices of the individual, far more
than his judgements, constitute the historical reality of his being.’’ (Hans-Georg Gadamer 1960, p.289)
The idea of the backdrop is presented here, where culture and tradition leave marks more prominent than
the language itself. One where worldview is animated by prehistoric procedures. Tradition, in order to
endure, must pass via the interpretative acts of individuals; the two are interdependent. Using his
linguistic ontology to support his view of understanding as an event, Gadamer (1960) aims to address
the issue of whether aspect of this process is more important: the authority of tradition or the strength of
reflexivity. Dialogue in the new media ecology may therefore be an outstanding element for both culture
production and storytelling, having the capability to bringing forth new perceptive realities or shedding
new perspectives, among the many other capacities it may perform in the new digital space. The power
of dialogue penetrates all aspects of life and makes for many enduring online contents today, such as
podcasts, interviews, and fine films. The power of dialogue offers capacity to culture production
individually and collectively via its enduring means of expression. The online storyteller must take into
account the prominence of dialogue and adapt it for creating enduring online content.

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1.5 Concepts of Literary Realism and New Journalism

Writing in with linguistic codes could create a psychic median into the reality of events, opening more
realities of perception and understanding, normally not available. This section implores the latest
evolutions of literary nonfiction and explores its potential in today's online storytelling. In 1870, the
novel reintroduced the power of dialogue in its most sophisticated form, resulting in a new and impactful
degree of involvement and revelation in character and setting according to Tom Wolfe (1975). The
literary realism movement in the twentieth century is argued by many of its advocates of writers and
readers to have advanced the novel by incorporating realism. The emergence of new journalism
facilitated the integration of realism into the novel, and conversely, the novel influenced the incorporation
of social realism into new journalism according to Tom Wolfe (1975). The new journalist aims to leave
suffice space for the reader to interpret and observe. New journalism, which adopted elements of literary
realism, may be described as a dynamic experience, a structured composition, or a meticulously crafted
piece, as well as a deliberate arrangement or a compelling storytelling.

One attribute of realism, according to Pam Morris (1940) that sticks out is its function to raise questions
on situations and characters in a promise which will be resolved by fuller knowledge gained during the
narrative. Realism power according to Morris (1940) is in conveying immediacy, concrete reality and
emotional involvement. The elements of realism gave nonfiction writing a new stature as an enduring
device in storytelling.

The four devices of literary realism as dubbed by Tom Wolfe (1975) are:

1) Scene by scene construction, evoking the senses and emotions of the reader, using historical
narrative as little as possible.
2) Dialogue, fully recorded and implicit of subjective realities
3) Third person point of view, which presents each scene via the lens of a present observing subject.
4) Detailing of status of life, symbolic details of a person’s position in the world via recording
everyday gestures, habits, furniture, details of environment, walking manner, eating habits, etc.

For Tom Wolfe (1975), it is style that matters, not politics, pleasure not pain, status not class, The details
take on theological significance, such as what one dresses or where and how one lives. Status and states
were cast in the spotlight of Wolfe’s works. Ultimately new journalism holds a sort of fascination with

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the new. One interviewing technique by new journalists put in practice by Gay Talese and Tom Wolfe
was asking their subjects about their thoughts and emotions. This method of bringing feelings to the
forefront was arguably new to the art of reportage, instead of solely engaging facts. Chris Anderson
(1989) in ‘’Literary Nonfiction’ said ‘’literary essays and journalism could be informative, reflective,
and personal.’’

According to David Eason (1990), ‘’new journalism revitalized reporting as an art of storytelling, as the
new journalists gave background to the image-world of their investigations, uniting the image to reality
in creative ways. In realists' reports, the dominant function of the narrative is to reveal an interpretation;
in modernist reports, it is to show how an interpretation is constructed.’’ (David Eason, 1990, p.199)
David Eason (1990) made a clear and prominent distinction between the realist and the modernist
methods of new journalists. He stated that the realist new journalist, such as Tom Wolfe or Gay Talese,
approach is to try to prioritize the lived experience, go beyond the veils of the image to reveal its
subjective nature, reflects faith in conventional methods of interpretation to reveal truth or make sense,
treats the report as a natural process, assumes a relative distance between the observed and lived, and
leaves room for the reader to actively participate in the observation and interpretation. On the other hand,
the modernist new journalist according to Eason (1990), such as Hunter S Thompson or Norman Mailer,
doesn't provide a separation between image and reality, but rather calls attention to in a way that joins
the reader and writer to become united in the creation of the reality, blurs conventional distinctions
between reality and fantasy, and uses narrative techniques to incite a common world. New journalism
via its realist or modernist approaches was able to expose subjective realities by defying the conventions
of reporting, by eliciting dramas that existed between gaps of experience or blurring the familiar ways of
the predictable story according to David Eason (1990).

In his book ‘’New Journalism’’, Tom Wolfe presented extended experts from two works by Hunter S
Thompson (1975) which emphasized subjective immersion, making the first person the central figure,
allowing personal experiences and perspectives to shape the narratives. This methodology of storytelling
has a different response to the reader and an interesting effect when adapted in cinema or narrative
structured films. While New Journalism and Gonzo Journalism (dubbed by Hunter S. Thompson (1970))
share a common rejection of traditional objectivity, they dance to different beats. New Journalism seeks
a balance between literary flair and journalistic rigor, creating a narrative that is both informative and
engaging. Gonzo Journalism, on the other hand, revels in chaos, embracing subjectivity to the point of

24
becoming an active participant in the story. Both storytelling techniques are subject to pertain to enduring
qualities and are therefore worth exploring and extending in other forms of multimedia.

Narrative nonfiction can fundamentally be polyfunctional in terms of direction. Narrative force is seen
in the fact that the pieces are intended to simultaneously enlighten, educate, and amuse readers. A mixture
of narrative codes may fit with the storyteller’s goal of fully involving the reader. Journalists can now
become explorers according to Eric McLuhan (2019), breaking you into the situation as it develops, to
get the feeling, to ‘’get the experience, the emotion and thought the folks at home want to get’. Instead
of simply reporting the facts, new journalism has shifted from facts to feelings and the report contained
words that gave the feeling and not just the fact and this was built into the news story; this is a big
prominent factor of new journalism according to Eric McLuhan (2019). The big contribution of the
convergent practice of reportage when it reached its pinnacle in its nonfiction written form according to
Tom Wolfe (1975) is that it facilitated the reporter's active participation in events, meticulous
documentation, imaginative portrayal of the surroundings, utilization of both internal and external
recording devices, and unwavering commitment. We will discuss in the subsequent chapter how VICE
drove with the art of reportage by incorporating the means of new journalists with video realism to
establish themselves as one of the most innovative media companies in nonfiction online storytelling in
the past two decades.

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1.6 Concept of Video Realism

Video is the reigning media format of today. The visual Pandora has never been so intrinsically anchored
in our daily lives. In less than a century, a visual cascade has opened new realities of storytelling. The
camera has become so accessible that the power of medium goes unquestionable anymore. Video realism
is an art form that can highlight stories and realities if appropriately induced. Everybody has a camera
today but not everybody can tell a story so eloquently. According to Sheila Curran Bernard (2022), a
documentary is an authored work of non-fiction falling on a spectrum between journalism and art, each
informing the other. Just the information simply just doesn't do it. It's what the documentarians do with
those factual elements, artfully weaving the facts into an over-arching narrative that is more often than
not greater than the sum of its parts. Video realism is an approach to film production that coincides with
many concepts Sheila Curran Bernard (2022) discusses in her book ‘’Documentary Storytelling’’ that
favors authenticity, naturalism in performance and dialogue, use of minimalistic production and real
locations, presents emphasis of everyday reality and subjectivity of characters, and offers immersive
storytelling. One distinguishing factor of video realism is that it is rarely scripted or narrated before
production. The script or narrative evolves after or during shooting. ‘’Nonfiction films that work that
grab and hold audiences through creative, innovative filmmaking are often set apart by their makers and
audiences as being somehow an exception to the form, rather than high-quality examples of it. ‘’
(Bernard, 2022, p.1) Sheila Curran Vernard (2022) considered the list of characteristics that make
nonfiction writing process according to Philipp Gerras that is a story has an apparent and deeper subject,
takes advantage of fictional devices such as character, plot, and dialogue, it is action oriented, constructed
in scenes, and has a sense of reflection on the part of the author or protagonists. It may be a finished
thought or open composition. The creators of the work may take time to consider details and context, to
formulate an enduring thought-provoking output. ‘‘Filmmaker uses the tools of creative writing to
identify and shape a good story, one that accurately represents the truth.’’ (Bernard, 2022, p.8)

Authenticity prevails within the context of video realism, as it follows a more an observatory lens.
Bernard (2022) provides a comprehensive overview of documentary filmmaking, a cornerstone of video
realism. She emphasizes the importance of authenticity in narrative construction (p. 45) and discusses
the evolution of documentary styles, including the impact of digital technologies on storytelling
techniques (p. 90-92). Digital technologies today provide comprehensive means for video realism
26
execution. With the integration of new journalism devices, successful procedures may be granted to
guarantee endurance. Paul Bradshaw and Liisa Rahumaa (2011) argue that multimedia work should be
meticulously tailored to align with the topic and atmosphere of the message or narrative. The exciting
thing about the unfoldment of online identity in its process is to find ever more coherence in roles of
presentation and cognition as expressed by Judith Butler (1990) and Rob Cover (2023). It is a process
that takes play via interactivity and performance. As Helen Kennedy (2006) has pointed out about online
settings generally, they are a media form which is never finished, just as identity performance is a
continuous process; both are constantly ‘’under construction’. (p.869) Therefore great potential exists for
stylistic development and coherence via thematic preparation in accordance with the performative value
in video realism.

The availability of a range of platforms for engagement today gives a strong advent to curation and
reflection on video realism processes. Platforms, Lambert (2012) discusses the democratization of
storytelling through digital platforms. He underscores the role of realism in personal storytelling and
community engagement (p. 75-78), highlighting how digital tools have enabled more authentic and
grassroots narratives to emerge. Giovagnoli (2011) examines the role of realism in transmedia
storytelling, where narratives unfold across multiple digital platforms. He argues that realism is a key
factor in maintaining narrative coherence and audience engagement across different media (p. 60-63).
Gane and Beer (2008) provide a critical analysis of how new media has transformed storytelling. They
discuss realism in the context of digital culture (p. 89-91), emphasizing its role in shaping audience
perceptions and experiences.

"Visual Storytelling: Videography and Postproduction in the Digital Age" by Ronald J. Osgood and M.
Joseph Hinshaw (2019) delves into how videography and editing techniques contribute to realism in
digital stories. They discuss the importance of natural lighting, candid shots, and minimalistic editing to
maintain the realistic quality of the narrative (p. 132-135, 200-202). Handler Miller's "Digital
Storytelling" (2014, p. 210-213) touches on how technological advancements, such as high-definition
cameras and advanced editing software, have enhanced the ability of video realism to tell more
compelling and visually stunning stories. It is realistic therefore, at this point of time, to use the medium
of video to depict reality and convey universal messages. The power of video realism lies in its ability to
evoke emotion without manipulating the outcome. To present face value. Aufderheide, in "Documentary
Film: A Very Short Introduction" (2007, p. 28-30), explores how emotional connections are fostered in

27
video realism through the use of personal stories and relatable experiences. This technique helps to create
a bond between the viewer and the subject matter.

In "The Filmmaker’s Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide for the Digital Age" (Ascher & Pincus, 2019,
p. 114-117), the authors discuss how narrative structures in video realism often avoid traditional, scripted
storytelling in favor of a more organic and fluid approach that reflects the unpredictability of real life.
Janet Jones and Lee Salter (2011) indicated that digital technologies would enable video journalists to
afford themselves and their viewers that more profound sense of involvement in stories advocated for by
new journalism. Lancaster defines the power stored in character driven narratives within video
journalism. He draws a comparison with the interest that had developed in basic character depth like new
journalism and presents how a video journalist could use visual as well as audio to make characters
enigmatic.

Bernard's study of documentary filmmaking techniques (2022) underlines a core new journalism
principle: that of character development. According to Tom Wolfe (1973), being outside of events is a
benefit. It allows one to see and understand with a new perspective, free from preconceived notions. This
enables the audience to engage with events in a more sensory and imaginative way, unencumbered by
assumptions. This may include the realm of literary composition or the creation of visually pleasing
audiovisual displays. Renov (2004) is known for identifying four fundamental tendencies or functions of
documentary: to record, reveal, or preserve; to persuade or promote; to analyze or interrogate; and to
express. The current state of video realism in digital storytelling is primarily characterized by a strong
emphasis on authenticity, ethical portrayal, mastery of technique, and the capacity to adapt to the
technological requirements of different digital platforms. The use of these elements enables individuals
to create impactful, persuasive, and robust initiatives as a result of current advancements in
communication and online media technologies. The unfiltered approach of video realism has many
advantages, but it may lack emotional intensity and a solid structure in some cases. Therefore, its
integration with the instruments of new journalism may be the most influential factor in its progress and
lasting influence.

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1.7 Hierarchy of Truth

In the Middle Ages, the highest of truth was held by the mountain dwellers. They told messages of the
universe and fate; they held knowledge of stars and weather patterns. Next to them in the hierarchy was
the moral truth advocates who expressed the stories that told how one should live, exemplified by lessons
of the ancestors. Next was the allegorical truth which exclaimed the morals of stories, and lastly at the
bottom was literal truth, which may have been void of meaning or irrelevant. The first principle of
journalism is to seek the truth. It is an obligation that may overshadow all else. Continued pursuit of truth
and loyalty to community is the obligation of the journalist. The significant truth must be made relevant
and evoke curiosity. By the means and methods of storytelling, the journalist may present the truth in an
act of stimulation and responsibility. Bringing light to hidden facts is a duty for the journalist, while the
means to do so are open for her preference. Journalism reflects the significant truth relevant to the age
and day. Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel (2007) suggested that the job of online story tellers is to give
audiences dynamic and complex truth to be sorted overtime. ‘’Niche therefore might alienate members
of the same target audience. journalism in which every story is aimed at the largest possible audience-
all O.J. all the time -leaves most of the audience behind.’’ (Bill Kovach & Tom Rosenstiel, 2007)
Presenting universal truth via the contexts of realism and presence in one’s surroundings could be the
ultimate outlet for authentic expression, opening extensive pathways to perceiving new perspectives on
realities and thus offering technique or inspiration for storytelling after comprehensive inductions.
Perhaps a brief to the core answer to the question of endurance is truth. Universal truth.

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2. Case Studies of Innovative Storytellers

The challenge to make the content enduring and long living is a real one in the world of journalism. On
that note, Ernest Hemmingway could address with full thrust, navigating the spectrum of making what
is real an artwork that would resist befalling to decomposing. Online media has been a laboratory of
experiments for the past two decades! so what do know that worked so far, in this dynamic changing
medium? In this section, one implores some ideas pertaining to cases that have evolved and proven
successful in their endurance, finding a niche, finding a target audience, and acquiring a unique voice
and presence in online journalism/digital storytelling world today.

This chapter aims to draw insights from the relevant case studies on how they crafted their niche and
found grounds for endurance. The niche that was crafted for ‘’VICE’ was their art of video reporting and
involving crew members in full spectacle of in-depth interaction with their surroundings. On the other
hand, the niche that was crafted by ‘’Dogwoof’’ is in finding pervasively unique characters, events, or
communities to represent and film in their natural environments and in the vicinity of ongoing activities.
The niche that was crafted for ‘’Stay Free with Russell Brand’ is commentary journalism on matters of
big pharma or exposing wrongdoings of big corporations. The niche that was crafted for ‘’Esquire
Magazine’ ’was men’s lifestyle and engaging new journalistic reporting. Overall, studying these
companies provided insight into the workings of niche and the great prospects of innovative and
community value. One innovative value taken from this chapter may be the novel combination of new
journalistic devices with video realism, in some of the productions of VICE and Dogwoof, to produce
engaging valuable content that might provoke endurance. One community value that may be drawn from
this chapter is via the case study of ‘’Stay Free with Russell brand’’ as he has fostered interactivity
through his channel and was able to facilitate his own content endurance by encouraging activity on his
channels.

The case studies in this chapter ultimately attempt to identify A) The niche of each company, B) The
character or reputational name they have gained, C) The target audience of each company, and D) The
value they each present for their audience.

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2.1 VICE: Mastering the Art of Video Reportage

When news is converted into a tale, it is most thoroughly and easily understood. The reportage's great
narrative potential may function as a barrier against reader loss. As a result, one of the key objectives of
journalists is to generate high-quality reports. VICE’s astounding contribution to the art of video
journalistic reportage may go down in history.

In 1994 VICE was established originally as a print medium and later established as a video production
medium. Since their commencement, they defied all conventions and regulations of traditional
storytelling in print and video journalism, thereby presenting a fresh and distinct voice that did not fail
in attracting wide audiences, standing out, and gaining a name for itself in the media industry. Through
intense, immersive storytelling and acute attention to youth culture, the company was able to carve out a
successful niche for itself in the cutthroat media industry. The Montreal based media company was
originally founded as a punk publication and was set with the goal of giving a new voice in the world of
journalism. Their target audience was youth. As they increased in popularity, they ventured fully into
digital storytelling and video journalism. After their web page was launched in 2007, they were able to
quickly establish their brand’s dominance in the digital space with consistent groundbreaking video
journalism. Eventually, they were able to establish Viceland, which set their foot in television
broadcasting, thus harboring a larger audience. Despite the success, the company has faced criticism for
its approach to journalism; some have accused it of sensationalizing stories and fusing together news and
commentary. As their voice was unorthodox and gaining fast popularity, it became subject to attacks
from the old defenders of convention.

In sequential, they grew to take over social platforms. Younger viewers who were just starting out on
YouTube helped them amass a sizable following. They were especially captivated by its investigative
reporting, immersive films, and unique narrative style, which often tackled cultural abnormalities and
marginalized groups who are overlooked by mainstream media. A number of other media networks and
well-known personalities in the entertainment and journalism industries began collaborating with them

31
more often after they have gained a respectable reputation as innovator online storytellers and courageous
venturers.

Analysis of VICE’s story telling techniques

In many of their productions, they often present stories in a successive, scene-to-scene order much like
the stories of new journalism. This manner makes the viewer entangled in the story and its environment
or theme, taking them into the setting and circumstance of the story. It is seen as an effective
incorporation of the viewer into the experience that VICE journalists accomplish through movement
through spaces and interaction with the locality of these spaces, as real and partial events unfold. VICE
uses raw and unedited conversations. Interviews and conversations are natural, unpolished by the usual
veneer found in news interviews thus resonating to viewers much genuinely to whatever they are
watching. In documentary segments featuring controversial topics such as drug usage or political turmoil,
VICE reporters went on a no-holds-barred, candid conversation with sources and getting their thoughts
hence seizing the moment to get the raw emotion and words of the native speakers as part of storytelling.
The reporters tend to draw out emotions and thoughts of their subjects by building rapport and asking
direct questions. VICE’s documentaries more often adopt a third-person view that keeps proximity to the
subject while providing an intimate look into what happened with events and people. Their reporters
often narrate the story, giving it context and background, sharing some of their reflections at times, but
the focus remains on the subjects, their experiences, and wider context. The documentaries focus with
great care for details, capturing the nuances of everyday life and environments. There is detail that puts
stories more into reality. Among elements contributing to the reality involved in narrating the
documentaries are handheld camera, use of natural lighting, and on-location shooting. The unvarnished,
sometimes raw footage leaves viewers with an idea of having witnessed events themselves. In conflict
zone reporting, VICE’s use of video realism places the viewers at the heart of the action providing them
an unfiltered view of ground realities. VICE's approach of blending the narrative techniques of new
journalism, and video realism forms compelling, deeply engaging content. This unique style educates, at
a-depth, while it engages audiences.

The VICE brand established a powerhouse of media with their global network expanding to include
correspondents in a few continents especially North America and Asia. They have an immense reach for

32
teenage and young audiences overall, and undoubtedly became a cultural icon. They cover everything
and they honed the craft of digital storytelling that deserves its dues in recognition. They appropriated a
new level of cultural dialogue unforeseen before and they did it naturally without any force or commercial
swaying, which is proof of resilience. VICE to this day is redefining journalism by emphasizing
authenticity, engaging storytelling, finding cultural niches, along with the company’s dedication to
covering subjects that are important to young people despite fathoms of controversy. VICE is a daring
and powerful force in the media landscape, that has crafted inventive digital storytelling and mastered
the art of reportage, making a lasting impression on the nexus of media, culture, and young involvement,
ultimately creating enduring content. They crafted their niche and specialized in the art of reportage,
identified their charactered reputation as courageous and bold journalism, identified their target audience
with the youth culture, and stood out with particularly their innovative value.

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2.2 Dogwoof: Realism Documentary Film Production Pioneers

This section will implore Dogwoof’s success story in improving the aesthetics of documentary film
making exponentially. Since their launch in 2004, they have released 31 Oscar nominated documentaries
establishing a strong footing in the world of online nonfiction storytelling. The media company has been
hailed as a front forerunner in collaboration that shapes present day documentary film making. Dogwoof
specializes in documentary production and distribution aimed at raising social awareness. Its
extraordinary focus has been on films that engage current issues, from concerns over the environment to
social justice, politics, and culture. The company produces films whose significance is novel in their
dynamism. The focusing on realism as well as incorporation of narrative storytelling is witnessed to play
a major role towards raising the recognition level of documentary features to their status as active and
powerful vehicles that further the art of storytelling. Dogwoof films explore their subjects to the fullest
depth through character-driven stories. Dogwoof’s trajectory in the documentary film industry
underscores how realism and innovative narrative techniques can go a long way in producing hard hitting
and lasting content. As a production and distribution company, Dogwoof has not just succeeded in
bringing critical issues towards the leading edge of public consciousness but rather in some way re-
written what audiences seek out of documentaries. Dogwoof has covered a wide range of subjects who
are intriguing and never fails to present the niche of the other. They cover marginalized topics and add
value to the media market. In an overview, this became their niche: covering pervasive topics, characters,
or issues with reflective undertones of hidden truth and unnoticed realities. Their charactered reputation
is intertwined with art statement and dynamism. Their target audience is wide but could be addressing
creatives and activists on many instances. The value they present in the global media is innovative value
foremost accompanied by educative and entertaining.

Intersection of Video Realism and New Journalism

Both companies, VICE and Dogwoof, effectively incorporate video realism components and principles
from new journalism to depict high quality fully immersive experiences. VICE underscore stories with
powerful reportage and immersion techniques via the crew team involved in the filming; this is their
novelty approach. On the other hand, Dogwoof present from the observatory role akin to direct cinema,
volatile in capturing the most engaging scene. They tend to engage small details in the environment that
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help deepen and make an established reality. Most setting of the realistic scene is centered on use of
natural light, real locations (as opposed to sets), as well as the use of ambient sounds. Real conversation
and dialogue, capturing is already inherent in both companies’ general aesthetics. Both successful media
companies have hybridized methodologies of storytelling to ultimately craft powers of audience
engagement. They have utilized to extents principles from narrative literary nonfiction and video realism
to create enduring online content. The subsequent case studies will be studied to incite community value
of online storytellers and adapting niche over extensive period of time.

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2.3 Case Study: ‘’Stay Free with Russel Brand’’

The podcast "Stay Free with Russell Brand" is presented here to provide an example of audience
relatability to an online content presenter and elicit the power of providing community engagement and
value to foster long term endurance. This case study is helpful to assess how specialization of an
individual may craft relevant endurance for a periodic time, not necessarily solely due to the content
provided, but also due to the character and presenter’s charisma and back story that is relatable to many
in some of its facets. The podcast, debuted in 2018, is notable for its distinctive fusion of philosophy,
humor, and thought-provoking discussions. In its recent year, the podcast specialized in exposing reports
on the wrongdoings of big corporations, especially big pharma. The unabashed vulnerability and
authenticity of Russell Brand are key components of the podcast's appeal. His character and style define
his identity including his semantics, vocal tones, articulations of expression, and bodily gestures. All
these factors correspond with his audience, who developed a sense of trust as they witnessed him
transmute from celebrity to drug addict to sober and spiritual to online journalist; an incredible journey
that bestows owe for his trustees, interested audience, who can relate and identify with his hero’s journey.
This sense of character is integral in Russell Brand’s appeal to mass audiences. By being transparent
about his own battles with addiction and mental health, Brand fosters an environment where others feel
at ease talking about similar difficulties. This genuineness strikes a chord with the audience, encouraging
a feeling of understanding and connection. This case study is significant as it provides context for the
power of community value and proves evidence that one individual could have more power than
companies when he incites community values and fosters it overtime via encouraging interactivity, trust,
and participation. Community value is a priceless goal that fosters endurance by word of mouth or shared
set of principles or threads of concern. This example is particularly helpful to reflect on the power of
community value to facilitate and foster endurance of online media content. Russell Brand specializes in
a niche that is not extensively covered by anyone else and encourages interactivity and participation of
his audience. Fostering community value via online media content is worth imploring and future studies
in terms of how to do it and when to do it. Given his track history in podcasting, Russell Brand has only
been more engaged and encouraged his audiences to interact via commenting and engaging in live chats
more so in the recent years. It is a very timely move that fosters engagement on both sides.

36
The podcast explores the intricacies of the human condition, inspiring listeners to consider their own
lives and set out on paths of introspection and personal development. Deeper meaning is added to the
podcast's content by exploring spirituality, consciousness, and mindfulness together. However, most
recently Brand has focused his niche on exposing Big Pharma’s harboring corporate interests, which no
one else is covering to his extensive, only to gain in him more audience regarding this particular niche.
Nobody else on social platforms is covering and commentating on empirical data that he uncovers from
wide array of both legacy media and independent resources with regards to this matter. With a growing
global following, "Stay Free" draws in listeners looking for content that goes beyond simple
entertainment. The podcast's broad appeal is attributed to its diverse range of guests and universal themes,
which cultivate a sense of community among listeners who have an interest in personal development and
self-exploration. The community value aspect can’t go unnoticed in this case. An aspect that is tangibly
enduring, brings audiences’ impact in relation to Russell Brand’s online journalistic work.

Signing an exclusive contract with Rumble was an obvious success indicator to the reach of Russell
Brand’s voice and his prominence in his current domain. "Stay Free" makes use of social media channels
to interact with and broaden its readership. The podcast's online presence is enhanced by behind-the-
scenes footage, video excerpts, and regular updates. This tactic promotes continuous audience
engagement and increases brand awareness. "Stay Free" is a notable example of how sincerity,
development as a person, and community building can propel success in the cutthroat world of podcasting
as the market changes.

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2.4 Case Study: Esquire Magazine

Esquire has withstood shifting trends in the media landscape to maintain its standing as a prominent and
influential journal. Established in 1933, it has thrived and had its claim in cultural impact and provision
especially among men adult audiences. Being a platform for prominent experimental journalistic voices
gave it its niche and edge for a diverse audience from literate individuals to other leagues of writers who
were inspired by their content and story depictions. New journalism was their voice. When Esquire was
first introduced during the Great Depression, it catered mostly to men who had graduated from college.
It changed over time to take into account shifting society norms and cultural standards. The magazine
was acknowledged for its contributions to literary journalism, including pieces by well-known writers
like Tom Wolfe, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Ernest Hemingway. Its early dedication to high-caliber writing
established a standard for the publication's function as a forum for thought leadership. The company has
proven to be remarkably adept at adjusting to changing demographic and cultural trends, as it modified
its focus to include a more modern and diversified notion of masculinity as cultural perceptions changed
with times. The content reflected a wider and more inclusive viewpoint by extending beyond typical
men's interests to cover subjects like relationships, technology, politics, and fashion. Esquire made a
smooth shift from a print-centric business to a multimedia platform in response to the digital revolution.
The magazine embraced digital storytelling and created interesting content for online viewers when it
established its website, Esquire.com. Esquire was able to test out novel formats, such as interactive
elements and video material, and connect with a worldwide readership thanks to its digital presence.

Esquire's standing as a trendsetter and tastemaker in the men's lifestyle industry has been strengthened
by partnerships with well-known designers, celebrities, and lifestyle brands. As digital platforms have
grown in popularity and media consumption patterns have changed, Esquire has persevered in innovating
to remain relevant. To interact with readers in new ways, the magazine has experimented with immersive
experiences, interactive features, and multimedia storytelling all while remaining dedicated to long-form
journalism and acknowledging the timeless importance of in-depth narrative.

Beyond its pages, Esquire has a cultural impact that shapes discussions about modern issues, style, and
masculinity in society. The journal has captured the spirit of each era, contributing to the shaping and
reflection of the cultural environment. Its covers, which showcase famous people and iconic figures, have
evolved into cultural relics that capture the spirit of the eras they depict. The secret to Esquire's continued
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relevance has been its ability to vary its material. The magazine covers a broad range of subjects,
including fashion spreads, lifestyle advice, political commentary, and investigative journalism. With a
wide range of interests among its readership, Esquire's unique content mix helps it to remain a
comprehensive men's lifestyle weekly.

Esquire Magazine's journey through nearly a century of publishing underscores its resilience,
adaptability, and enduring influence in the realm of men's lifestyle journalism. From its origins as a
literary magazine to its status as a multimedia platform, Esquire continues to shape cultural
conversations, redefine masculinity, and set the standard for quality content in a rapidly changing media
landscape. As it moves forward, Esquire remains a testament to the enduring power of storytelling and
the ability to evolve while staying true to its core identity. Esquires niche is compelling short stories.
Their target audience is men. Their charactered reputation is ‘’fashionable’. Their value is innovative
and entertaining.

We can see that successful online story tellers in their myriad of expressions root for the need to present
content through an identity that merges with distinct style, visual communication, or via articulate
linguistic expression, or knowing the story of the presenter. And in this context, we arrived at the age of
the brand and the essentiality of finding a niche, targeting a specific audience, representing a charactered
identity, and presenting long-lasting value to audiences whether it is community value, educational value,
innovative, entertaining, or a combination, to prove long lasting endurance, as these case studies provide
evidence for.

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3. Creative Project ‘’Turtle Vision Studio’’

‘’Turtle Vision Studio’ is a concept for a media brand engaging in online nonfiction storytelling. With
‘’Turtle Vision Studio’’, I aimed to implore the dynamics of online storytelling via:

A) utilizing new media as a cultural technology by finding relative tools, techniques, and communities
online to catalyze my learning processes and direct attention towards fostering ideals for practice and
creative direction while paying homage to online works that may bare ancestral link to some of my
ideas and conceptions of creative works.

B) Producing a niche, finding topics, concepts and subjects that nobody is providing for with my elicit
style - stirring up authentic concepts and developing unconventional presentation for concept when
plausible.

C) overlapping approaches of storytelling from Jacqui Banaszynski (chapter 1.2) with the methods of
nonfiction immersive writing principles (chapter 1.5) of new journalism and/or video realism’s
principles (chapter 1.6) as necessary for each individual project and enact dialogue (chapter 1.4) to
produce novel or unconventional methods to tell the story when plausible, or just produce a most
required outcome.

D) Combining the power of the auditory (spoken or written) and aural faculties to balanced extents
accordingly with requirements of each story.

Following on the study of the previous chapters, I have attempted to elicit:

a) My niche: My personalized multimedia combined tools, rare conceptualizations, and

postproduction techniques to tell a story in my individualized unique presentation.
b) My target audience: Creative individuals.
c) Value for audience: Innovative storytelling mainly relying on power of concept primarily and
technique for storytelling secondarily (entertainment).
d) My character identity: funky, surprising, and psychedelic are my current keywords.

’Turtle Vision Studio’ is creative soil to foster all ideas embedded in this work for sharing innovative
concepts of storytelling by overlaying techniques in sections of chapter 1 and some implications of
chapter 2. The idea to push forth boundaries and add commotion to a most positive future of online

40
storytelling via means prescribed by a masterful storyteller who can interplay with multimedia formats.
Ultimately the aim of this project was to explore and attempt to stamp down my niche, values, target
audience, and authentic character moving forward through creating different products and stirring up
various practices to produce those products.

The challenges that were reserved for ‘’Turtle Vision Studio’’ so far are:

a) Financial challenges: to produce full feature content and accommodate more executive ideas.
b) Time challenges: deeper engagement and involvement with subjects for consistent periods one
hand for nonfiction stories. On the other hand, with following through on editing procedures.
c) Building an audience: identifying the niche has been a process, as well as the qualities of
production that align more appropriately with the message delivered. Identifying the audience,
one wants to present for, especially on the grounds that it might be multimodal requires
experimentation and assessment. The bigger the target audience, the bigger the challenges
d) On most instances, I write, film, edit, compose music, animate, and produce the products solo,
which is why I attempt to collaborate more often.

The main creative output of the channel is video journalistic works. I tend to explore concepts and themes
as outlined by Bernard (2022) in chapter 1.6 to formulate a visualization practice for theme and context
to set me on the right footing before an intended work. For each of the video journalistic works presented
here, the concepts and visualization commenced before shooting; however, the procedures gave new
opportunities or challenges and were adopted to accordingly in the process of production and
postproduction.

Why Turtle Vision Studio?

I have fostered over the last years multidisciplinary skills of writing, filming, music composing,
animations skills, and photography, which I aimed to direct with a purpose towards a common goal and
channel. This channel is ‘’Turtle Vision Studio’’ My goal is that via the channel of ‘’Turtle Vision
Studio’’, I would be able to present novel concepts and establish authentic grounds for engaging online
storytelling focusing on cultural niches that captivate me within my local demography at a given time

41
while seeking provisioned collaborations with other content creators to enhance capacity for learning and
producing novel content.

In this chapter, I present recent works of three video journalistic works I have created following some of
the attributes prescribed in this paper and one nonfiction article.

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3.2 Video Journalistic Works

In this section, I present three comprehensive journalistic concepts that may be expandable and further
accumulate into series, and hence accumulate enduring value as they evolve and accommodate more
innovative methods. The emphasis of this work is to elicit uncommon values through the subjects and
the nature of the topics of the video works. The following excerpts presented are the first prototypes for
each concept. The first is ‘’Sound Hunters’’, a documentary series that follows foley sound artists in their
processes for collecting sounds, second is ‘’Postcards to the Future’’, based on citizen journalism,
constituting dialogue with citizens of a given demography, with a friendly host Zan Hoffman, to pave
cultural and historical dialogue with regards to the locality while sending a message, a postcard, to the
future, from citizen to citizens of the future, and the third is ‘’Solarpunk Series’’, which follows
organizations, individuals and communities that are driven by solarpunk aesthetics.

3.2.1 Sound Hunters

Sound Hunters is a conceptual framework, that targets the niche of foley artists starting with the ones in
Lithuania. I track down foley sound artists and document their methods and theories with regards to the
elusive art form of assembling audio from environments and processing to create new artificial
soundscapes to assert specific emotions for listeners. I have decided to contact Marius (Entropija) for the
first episode and follow him on a week adventure in the forest of Anikcsiai, Lithuania where I interview
him in his van and film him extracting recordings from his environment. This 20-minute documentary
gives an inherent glimpse to a) the artist b) the art of foley sound. The video work uses the profile
approach from chapter 1.2 to focus on Marius’s processes and works. I use new journalism interview
techniques to elicit his emotions and thoughts of his practice. I use naturalism of dialogue and direct
43
cinema approach as outlined in chapter 1.6 I attempt to give a well-rounded illustration of the artist
combining dialogue, direct cinema approach following him in his recorded processes, and by presenting
some archive footage he provided. The aim of this work is to provide educational value and evoke
curiosity.

Link to the first episode of ‘’Sound Hunters’’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lf7CHkZS60g

Figure 1 Sound Hunters Episode I: Entropija

3.2.2 Postcards to the Future

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Postcards to the future is a concept created by me and Zan Hoffman, the interviewer/host in this series,
for creating citizen video journalism where we ask members of local community on the street questions,
as we take walks, sit in cafes and conserve on matters of culture, history, social life and more. In this
project Zan Hoffman, affiliate, is the presenter, while I take camera, recording, editing, and
postproduction duties. The script concept was drafted on a piece of paper to attenuate it as time and
progress proceeds. One of the main concepts tagged to ‘’Postcard to the future’’ is finding interesting
figures, pervasive in their ideas or behaviors, to interview on topics of culture, arts, economics,
infrastructures or architectures, and overlay with animations of postcards and text to convey and incite a
rapport with common audiences via an unconventional and surprising attitude (chapter 1.2). The play of
dialogue is at the center piece of this concept and incites ideas of linguistic play from chapter 1.4 while
trying to incite approach 7 from chapter 1.2 via the unconventional conversational attitude of the host
Zan Hoffman. Another keyword that is linked to the series is funky attitude, heightened by use of
backgrounds music, animation effects, and interesting transitions. The aim of this series is to provide
entertainment value.

The first episode of ‘’Postcards to the Future’’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sntAKwWi2M

Figure 2 Postcards to the Future Episode I

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3.2.3 Solarpunk Series

Solarpunk series is a concept I developed for shooting short documentaries on solarpunk values via
spaces and subjects that represent the message of the ideology. I use the profile approach in chapter 1.2
and borrow video realism device from chapter 1.6 of converging minimalistic approach into immersive
storytelling, to offer an observatory lens and incite emotion from the subject about the context of the
ideology behind the space. The ideology of solarpunk is based on the premise to use hi-tech to sustain
nature and proliferate it, ultimately creating an ideal future based on mutualism between technology and
nature, with humans as the mediators. I focused on covering and filming the space and its details in scale
with overt proportions on two separate occasions. Garage 27 is a unique hub in Kaunas that is developing
Solarpunk aesthetics via its proactive community which includes electronic engineers, artists, and
ecologists who work together towards these values of sustenance and future utopianism. Garage27 was
the subject of the first episode of this series, while the next episode is scheduled to be filmed in Latvia.
The subject matter is fertile ground and I saw no one else online covering; therefore, it is my niche in

46
this regard to cover and try to develop this series to have an online archive that is prime and fresh. The
aim of this series is to incite community value.

Link to Solarpunk Series episode 1 on Garage 27

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ablGzhmNdgs

Figure 3 Solarpunk Series : The Story of Garage27

3.3 Nonfiction writing

The secondary outputs for of my creative outlet, ‘’Turtle Vision Studio’’, is nonfiction writing and
depiction of events and subjects that may provide value of entertainment or education through evoking

47
emotional volatility through the medium of creative nonfiction writing in both short format and long
format when permissible. As illustrated in chapter 1.5, I have come to realize that like the methodologies
attributed by the new journalists in that the more I spend time with the subjects at hand and give sincere
attention and keep a fresh perspective, the easier the pervasive writing ideas penetrate the scene
objectively and with subjective style. Carrying devices such as audio recorders and various sized
notebooks has been essential for this process, readiness to concede with recordings upon arrival at a
dramatic ground, or with engaging subject, or other possible life given instance that may inspire
documenting has developed as a habit this season. The attitude of being outgoing has been essential for
this process, immersive nonfiction writing, inevitably turning my work into community driven work,
which is an aspect that should not be understated in this project. For my nonfiction article of Garage27,
I chose two paths from Jacqui Banaszynski’s eight storytelling approaches as outlined in Chapter 1.2,
that is path one of the profile of the space and path six of the descriptive day narrative to elicit the story.
I use the modernist approach of new journalism outlined in chapter 1.5 to dramatize and inflict my
subjective experience of space on the writing.

Between October and November, I sought to interact and be an active member of a solarpunk community
in Kaunas with a space base dubbed Garage27 to write a nonfiction story out of total participation and
immersion like the conduits of new journalism may have done. I chose to spend as much time in the
space where all the community’s high geared tech activities, robotics experiments, environmental
workshops, and art events took place. I cohabitated with them for a span of three weeks to get the story
out of a participatory experience. Spending extended time with the community left me under the influence
of their movement, being able to penetrate space exponentially with my senses. This was an intent full
practice on my behalf following on models of nonfiction writing mentioned in Chapter 1.5. I consistently
asked members about their emotions or thoughts, which eventually offered deeper rapport that condensed
into a variety of responses from a range of very open to closed. The responses were in a sense a
representation of the culture production taking place in Garage27. In the below article, I tried to impress
my experience of Garage27 from the first instance of its discovery to following with immersion in the
community. By hybridizing methods storytelling outlined in chapter 1.2 and 1.5., I present the profile of
Garage27 and descriptive days via first person subjective account, third person view later, descriptive
scene by scene method on various accounts, and records of everyday details to have contributed to the
below work. The following article aimed to capture the essence of Garage27 and is titled ‘’The Place in
Space’’. The title is aimed to dramatize the event while providing context for play.

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Article: ‘’The Place in Space’’, created between 11.10.23 to 23.11.23, published on statecoral.com

What is this gowning folk. Which class of homos do they belong. Which race of imbues. In Blues maniacs
- someone with half-witted brain 30% or less operating might think of this place in space. One can't take
away the culture apart from the science apart from the fact that 70s disco bared foreground to a
background that revolute in major advancements in technology: the digital camera, the cell phone, email,
Vcr, GPS, the apple computer, the microcomputer, the first portable music player, and floppy discs. The
most prominent music globally at the time was disco, funk, and soul according to charts. What is the
music now? What are our latest cultural advancements?

It is November 2023, and I am invited for the first time to the space known at the time as Garage27, a
semi warehouse in the yard of a newly relocated bar called O Kodel Ne which translates to Why Not????
It is the first draft of the cold season making its way through walls and barriers in a form that penetrates
all solid things. A punch in the bone. A poncho hanging down to my thigh to keep my waist warm as I
pass to this vibe shaking premise.

54 yards from the premises of O Kodel Ne, stands this Graffiti imbued infrastructure 15 meters by 6 from
the outside with a 3-meter height, misted in the gray atmosphere befalling this twilight house. An event
is being held at this moment. A party by a crew called off-grid who invited an unpopular underground
breakbeat Dj to perform. They flew with him from the UK. At least one person should be having a good
time here I thought. I can't seem to notice some irony there. In any case, the event is a spectacle to any
retina, rotating effervescent colors as I enter... dancing figures, unrecognizable from the light saturated
surroundings and smoke machines. This event seems fit, I think. Fit in count of people to space ratio
adjustment. The bar is bashed with all types of electronics. Robots serve drinks, make sandwiches. Crypto
currency payments. Fireplace with a dozen piled woods. I soon enough get washed in overwhelming
sensual neuroticism, that leaves me sensationally drunk.

Over the next few months, I was swayed to make reentrances in this space, get an introspective sniff of
its subcultural aroma. As I've interacted with the Garage27 community, I've conceived of a lot of
plausible future scenarios that weave together the human capacity to pool resources and work together
creatively. The ability to share one's creative work with others from all walks of life is a virtue, I've
realized, since everyone has their own unique perspective and can appreciate and benefit from it in their
own manner.
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In a united state of activity, the community offers ideals for cohabitation made possible by forthcoming
technologies that harness community, social reforms, altruism, vision, and ecological restoration. As a
whole, space acts in a social, imaginative, and pragmatic way. Partially, as some sort of time travel space
station on some occasion! Participating individuals flaunt a wide variety of toys, ideas, and means of
expression in the area, which I have seen on each of my visits.

The primary actors in Garage27 are in a passionate condition because they are always preoccupied with
the space and the idea of creativity and output without conviction.

If solarpunk aesthetics address broad themes of integrating technology with nature to nourish nature
without harming it and adapting it to human social reform in the most positive, creative, and supportive
ways possible, then they are open to interpretation. According to what I've seen and seen, Garage27
adheres to these aesthetic standards, as far as I learned about solarpunk.

Three distinct regions make up Garage27's space. This first area is the warehouse's main hall, which has
a high ceiling, a fireplace, a music stage, tables for previewing electrical items including functional and
programmed robotics, furniture (two sofas and a few chairs), paintings on display, homemade led lights,
and more hi and low-tech equipment. Around sixty to seventy individuals may fit in this area
simultaneously. In the second room, you'll find the refreshment area, which is furnished with a juice bar,
four couches and a few chairs, two heaters, and a plethora of musical instruments and equipment. Feel
free to play the drums, guitars, bass, and various percussions here. There are also a few board games, a
blockchain bar system, robots, and robot dispenser. You can also find some paintings and art displays on
a couple of tables. Up to 25 people might be seated in the second area simultaneously. The third section
is the outdoor area, which is huge and shared with the yard that is half of O Kodel Ne (the bar by the
rails). In this section, you'll find a variety of couches, antique and exotic pieces of furniture, a large table
for displaying electronics, a fireplace, handmade LEDs, and a booth for cooking pancakes and breakfast.
More than a hundred people might be comfortably seated in the outside space. During the summer, the
outside area is transformed into a more captivating space, while the two adjacent sections are opened to
allow for circular access between them. Immediately, it may seem like a futuristic squat, but by no means
is it so.

In Garage27 workshops are more of a free-form, participatory affair. Whatever kind of workshop I've
planned—art, music, ChatGPT, or artificial intelligence—has a circular character, meaning that
questions, play, and contributions all swirl together in a harmonious bowl.

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During a few numerous visits, I have seen people of all ages and from all walks of life participate in
Garage27’s events, which are both consistent and welcoming. From weekly art and tech configurations
to screenings and support groups, there's always something going on. One thing that all of them agree on
is that they experience a feeling of belonging and freedom in space. An inherent feeling of playfulness
also envelops them.

Artists and techies are invited to use the space for anything they like: collaboration, contributing, skill
teaching, or even just renting it out for a good cause. The space exudes an authentic and unique energy
that adds value to Kaunas town as a whole. Its eccentric tools, such as robots that serve drinks, a cheap
juice bar, robots that clean the space, robots that hold incense sticks, robots that serve sandwiches, and
other hand-crafted electronic devices, create an authentic atmosphere. The space also upholds the true
aesthetics of communal principles based on inclusivity, welcoming all international communities.

With all their updates posted in English, Garage27 on social media actively advocates for all Kaunas
foreign communities and strives to have more international individuals participate and share their own
perspectives. With a firm grasp on AI, Garage27 is always digging further into the topic, sharing findings
with the community via social media and online forums, and sparking debates about the potential
applications, risks, and benefits of these developing technologies.

In retrospect, the lack of clarity in the community's guiding system is mostly attributable to individuals'
restricted perspectives or random passers-by. To fully grasp the guide system and how they may get
involved, novices often need to have a chat with community leaders and get some fill-ins. During my
time there, I approached Povilas Brazys, one of the main space holders and robot geek numero uno, with
the idea that the absence of suitable multimedia reflections on social media could be a factor in this
problem. He agreed, and we worked together to create a creative proposal outlining the Garage27
philosophy for newcomers and interested individuals. It is important to note that this demand must be
consistent. To captivate and explain the events unfolding in Garage27 and their significance, content has
to be produced at least once a week, if not every day.

Be patient and let the natural ups and downs of the game teach you what works and what doesn't since
Garage27 is based on grand futuristic principles that aren't used anyplace else in Lithuania that I'm aware
of. Thus, with the passage of time and significant support from both internationals and locals, Garage27
can overcome its primary problem—misrepresentation—and move forward into a promising future of

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maximum growth and social contribution. If you want Garage27 to grow quickly, I can show you the
way.

Contributions from the international community are limited to the exchange of ideas and tech/art skills
at seminars and screening evenings for film projects. Everyone from the Netherlands and Estonia to
India, China, Japan, Korea, Egypt, Brazil, Dominica, Mexico, Canada, and Venezuela has been kind
enough to speak with me or interview me during my stay here. Even though contributions and
participation may fluctuate, grow or shrink unsteadily, the momentum has never stopped since I was
introduced to the community. Garage27 consistently creates new types of events and provides original,
authentic contexts for technology and the arts.

In summary

When people are healthy, they are able to interact with others, learn new things, and make a difference
in the world around them. Connected people have more purpose in life, are more driven to succeed, and
enjoy life to the fullest. Experimental evidence supports this data statistic. A person's feeling of worth is
anchored by the connections she has within her community. Happiness is driven by connectivity. Having
a strong sense of community is crucial for a person's future. All four forms of capital—social, human,
environmental, and economic—are nurtured in remarkable harmony in a green economy. This is the kind
of capitalism that should be practiced in the modern day. The assets of both people and groups comprise
human capital. Interactions and the social networks we create are the foundation of social capital. Nature,
its resources, and the ways in which it operates are all forms of natural capital. Constructing several types
of capital simultaneously is the essence of true capitalism. In contrast to other possible futures, Garage
27 prioritizes the development of human, environmental, and social capital before addressing economic
capital. As a society, we need to do more to back models and push ahead with evolutionary efforts that
prioritize the well-being of people and groups.

End.

Overview

These creative initiatives were simply experiments undertaken to explore and uncover my own niche,
values, sense of character, and potential target audience, while testing the potential hybridization of the
52
elements of storytelling in the realm online nonfiction storytelling. The output included innovative
approaches to online storytelling, specifically in concept and theme. The aim of these concessions was
to expand my palette of compelling technical capabilities. Overall, these procedures helped me realize
my personal values with the regards to the spirit of collaboration and experimentation. The value I want
to present for my audiences is equally innovative and educative, for the educative can be innovative and
the innovative can be educative as I have come to realize. The target audience I would like to provide for
are hip and creative individuals who are open to unconventional or laid-back storytelling. The future
direction for me is to expand on the three series presented in this chapter with more defined themes and
illustration of anticipated outcomes.

According to studies, 65% of conversations are stories and gossip. The way we live our lives is the primer
story. Stories move unlike anything else. The story we make of our lives ultimately tells who we are and
reflects in our aspects of presentations and truth seeking. As I reflect on the research presented and some
of my creative nonfiction output this season, I come to notice, there are two types of endurance in creating
online stories, one is personal endurance, which takes phase with personal development, formulating
community value within one’s networkable scope and collaboration, and there is endurance of the digital
story output, which may endure in an afterthought of persistence and consistency in navigating truest
spectrums of storytelling with advocacies for proficiency. Our personal culture can be seen as a link
between our daily maneuvers and endorsements in the new media ecology. We interface between worlds
of rich content and diversity.

53
Conclusion

My overall observations of media products data cumulated recently, propose the following: that well-
presented educational content may have better chances of endurance in the new media environments than
a fleeting instance of a political reportage. The podcast proves to be a very powerful and readily form of
new media expression, especially podcasts with educative value due to the power of dialogue. A video
recording of a journalistic interview may have a synonymous value to a podcast conversation, which
proves to endure for its archived lessons and historic component. Podcasts and interviews rely on
transparent exchange of ideas, articulation of experience, subjective relevance through tone of voice or
of statement, emotional tapping, presenting expert perspective, and chemistry between subjects, which
may all fall in a frame of a particular theme or mood, if not several. While books still prove popular and
prominent in their physical capacity and sought after in their efficient and pragmatic digital accessibility,
newspapers value predictably in morbid de-escalation, and online news articles compressed into a short
hard news, a predominantly common text format for major news outlets online today is subject non
endurance due to its short emotional engagement; the hard news content fleet and usually find less value
in endurance for it finds most of its relevance to the time period of which it was produced. Comic books
and Manga, while prevailing in physical format for wide and specific demographics, its digital
incarnation on the NFT market found great success among digital hoarders, and some massive success
in their anime convergence. They hold healthy in their appeal for readers and collectors for their
cumulative animative, imaginative and artistic value that is rarely void of universality in theme.

In a society overwhelmed with an abundance of information, authentic and relevant stories resonate with
the viewers or readers. Stories that really connect with individuals, eliciting authentic emotions and
intimate encounters, tend to endure over a long period. Enduring stories are those that maintain their
relevance throughout changing circumstances due to their universality of message and authentic
presentation. By integrating aesthetics of new journalism into video realism, storytelling is enhanced and
hence can prove endurance if presented with authentic or innovative style. By addressing universal
themes or engaging with current challenges, stories and content online can retain their relevance and
54
importance everywhere, for anyone, and at any point. Furthermore, the presenters of the stories and their
imprinting style or niche has a crucial influence in its longevity. The presence of a well-crafted actor
captivates the viewer, creating a feeling of emotional involvement and understanding. In the age of digital
storytelling, the inclusion of visual and multimedia components is of utmost importance. The narrative
experience is enhanced using high-quality pictures, immersive graphics, and engaging multimedia
components. Visually pleasant and technologically advanced presentations boost attractiveness of and
add to their potential for endurance.

The literature presented in chapter 1 offered a clear trajectory to the incorporation of new journalism’s
four devices in video realism. Video is intrinsically immersive, combined with digital platforms it allows
the development of character and narrative whereby an author can build up a distinctive voice. This
intersection doesn’t only enrich the field of video realism but ensures the lasting relevance of new
journalism’s principles in the digital age. Therefore, future research can be directed towards further
exploring how these methods can be adapted efficiently and transformed in the fast-developing landscape
of video realism or video journalism.

Another important insight forms this work is in its emphasis on the power of dialogue, one of the new
journalisms’, and generally storytellers’, essential devices. Dialogue can enhance immersivity and
playfulness and may be an element of upmost relevance for content endurance online. Dialogue has
significant influence throughout several domains of existence and contributes to the creation of long-
lasting digital material, including podcasts, interviews, and high-quality films. The strength of discourse
allows for the creation of culture on both an individual and social level via its lasting forms of
communication. The online storyteller must consider the significance of conversation and adapt it in
creative ways, scripted or non-scripted, to create lasting online content.

To answer the question of online content endurance, endurance in the realm of online storytelling requires
equilibrium between genuineness, originality, readiness, depth of message, and style. The online stories
that will endure are the ones that are able to consistently engage emotion, provide knowledge and draw
on universal truth of play and imagination, via means of the text or other multimedia format. Channels
that promote active engagement and foster the development of a sense of community have a tendency to
create a long-lasting impression; community value is an integral particularly for bigger channels as well

55
as smaller networks. Content that evokes emotions, proposes innovative and educative value has better
chances at endurance, since emotion leaves deeper resonances with memory. Emotional resonance
evokes memory and inspires the audience to review the content in the long term. Element of surprise or
shock that challenges metanarratives or conventional understandings builds mystery and anticipation,
qualities that leave emotional resonance with audience Community building enhances relevance through
word of mouth. Volatility of emotion leaves enduring trails. Plot twists encourage anticipation and
revisiting of content. Emotional resonance has the capacity to transcend generational boundaries.

To summarize, finding niche, identifying value, identifying target audience, and eliciting a specialized
character/identity may be the formula for standing out and crafting endurance.

56
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Appendix A. Interview Transcript I

Interviewer: ‘’What type of content or story do you think is more enduring for audience and readers
today?’’

Laura Barzdaitiene: ‘’ Given the abundance of information, even the apparent excess, that today's
audience faces, the most relevant information today is what is very new, unexpected, sensational. And
not even the content of the information itself is important, but the way it is presented - it must be not only
concise, short, clear, but also humorous. I think that this kind of information is the most attractive and
attracts attention. And the content itself, of course, depends on each person's area of interest. For some it
will be a problem of saving whales, for others it will be a recipe for a fashionable cake.’’

Interviewer: ‘’ What do you think are the qualities that makes online journalism interesting and attention
grabbing?’’

Laura Barzdaitiene: ‘’ Humor, humor, and more humor!’’

Interviewer: ‘’ How does deadlines affect the quality of a story in your opinion?’’

Laura Barzdaitiene: ‘’ Of course, deadlines affect information negatively. Since I worked for an online
portal myself for a while, I remembered my director's explanation: our information is fast food, not a
luxury restaurant. The texts may contain errors, the information may be inaccurate (it can be denied later
- and this will be another additional message to interest the audience), the most important thing is that it
should be quick and easy to understand. therefore, to form a real opinion about a new event, it is necessary
to follow and analyze the information for a long time, it is practically impossible to decide anything from
one message.’’

59
Interviewer ‘’ Do pictures and multimedia compensate for bad writing?’’Laura Barzdaitiene: ‘’ As for
attracting attention - yes, it certainly compensates. In terms of lasting value, of course not.’’

Appendix B. Interview Transcript II

Interviewer: Hey. Thank you for taking this interview.

Rugile Matuseviciute: Thank you for agreeing to reschedule it. Sorry for the last-minute changes now.

Interviewer: Absolutely cool. No worries.

Rugile Matuseviciute: I work at various media outlets now, so, like, I'm mainly freelance, but I work
with Delphi also. Uh, we have this radio station called News Radio, so I work with them as well. So
yeah, it depends. It varies. But I have been working with Delphi for most of the time since like for the
past two years or so.

Interviewer: As I understand. You do online storytelling.

Rugile Matuseviciute: Uh, I do, I do online and radio. So mainly audio-visual journalism. I don't write
a lot of articles. I used to, um, because I started like seven years ago, uh, we started doing our own
podcast, um, called translated as unpacked, something like that. So, I started then and then I would
write some articles for our own website and other media outlets. But, um, for the past few years, I've
been mainly doing audio visual stuff. So, radio, TV shows, yeah, uh, social media and stuff like that.

Interviewer: Super cool. And you're like, presenting, uh, content. You're presenting stories and ideas or
you're curating, uh, like, uh, videography and, uh, like directing content in the sense.

Rugile Matuseviciute: I do all of it. I do. Wow, there is. But, uh, so a few months ago, we released a
documentary with Delphi. So, I was the one that, like, recorded everything. And then with the help of
my director, we, like, um, edited everything, created the script that all the publishing, marketing and

60
stuff. So, it really varies. So, I basically do whatever it comes like with sustainability communications,
climate journalism and stuff like that. I do whatever's possible to do. I love to do the content creating
part. So, um, I used to host a TV show. Now I host a radio show. As I said, I've done a podcast, but if
there's any other kind of project, um, I can help with so I can always help with it, so it doesn't really
matter. I work with everything. If it's related, if it's related to sustainability communications in any
way, I work with it. Speaker1 Amazing. So that's sort of like your niche. That's like narrowed down
like specialization, like you do mostly, uh, um, like sustainability related topics or content in general.
Yeah, yeah.

Rugile Matuseviciute: Because my master's was, uh, I was studying journalism, and I wrote my
master's about environmental journalism. So even like in my educational field also focused on that.
And then in my career, yeah, I was always content creating media and journalism, but it was always on
the side of sustainability, ecology, environmental issues. Yeah. So, stuff like.

Interviewer: That. Super cool. And, and did you define any, identify any particular like methodologies
to, to like uh be able to like to reach out and ensure that, uh, your messages are enduring in a way I
don't like. Um, uh, like, is there a particular um, is there a particular like method that you identified,
like to, to compel like audiences in general with regards to sustainability? Um, uh, information or um,
just knowledge in general that you're trying to the messages that you're getting through. Um, yeah. So,
like for example, a specific voice or a specific, uh, um, uh, particular type of presentation that you
would, uh, that you would use or, um.

Rugile Matuseviciute: Like. Do you mean like measuring the impact my work does or, like, I find it the
most difficult. I think the most difficult part in this job is to calculate in any way whether it's actually
doing something you can like. I've been working in this field for seven years so I can see the difference.
Um, and two main factors that I consider is always like environmental consciousness of the society, but
it's also very relevant. I just see that people are, uh, more focused and more interested in these topics.
And you can see, like in the media, even like businesses talking more about it, making it their like sort
of, uh, communication, like more businesses communicate about it and more customers want to buy more
ecofriendly products. So environmental consciousness, if it's growing in the country, you can consider it
as part of, uh, like a result of your job. It's not necessarily that I'm responsible for all of it, but you can

61
like, think that, okay, maybe what I'm doing is helpful. So that's one of the ways that I sort of like check
if there's a change in the industry within the past few years. And, I think it's very important, environmental
literacy. So, I frequently look, if there's any new data or research when it comes to like how people, um,
what's their like environmental actions, what do they do? Um, what's their understanding of what is and
what isn't environmentally friendly. So, for example, there's been quite some research done within the
past few years that like if you ask people of Lithuania, uh, do they do something environmentally
friendly? They always say, yeah, I recycle. So at the moment a lot of people think that sustainable living
and environmental friendliness is very related to recycling, which is true. But also there's so many other
aspects, you know, our carbon footprint and, you know, biodiversity and all these other factors that should
be also considered. But I've noticed that not that many people understand what that is and don't really
like to focus on that and their daily lives. So I don't have a specific method of or way to calculate whether
what I do is impactful or not. But these two factors of like eco consciousness and environmental literacy
are two things that I sort of always look in the society and see if there's a change within these past seven
years. Um, do people like, for example, when I write articles, is there a need to, um, I don't know, explain
certain terms or do people already know that? So it's very much, you know, you cannot really put it like,
um, how do you say it's like a qualitative, more of a analysis, not a quantitative one. You can really put
that in numbers. Um, but also when working in Delfi, I would always look at the views and how much
like views would sustainability content gain. And that's also I think a big factor to see are people
interested in that or not. But also that's also very relevant because if you create something interesting,
people will click on it no matter what the topic is. So just because not a lot of people read articles about
sustainability, it can always be because the article isn't very interesting. It's not something that those
people can relate to. So, it's also not really a factor that you can solely consider and say, hey, you know,
people read or don't read articles about sustainability. If the article is good, people will read about it. If
it's not good, people won't. So it's I take that into consideration, but I think, uh, any sort of topic can be
put in an interesting way, and you cannot really say that people are not interested in some topics just
because they don't click on it. So yeah. But again, calculating the impact and seeing whether it's working
or not is very difficult. So you are just every single piece of content that I create, whether it's an article,
a show, a documentary, you just see how people react to it, how many people watch it, um, you know,
you talk to people, what they enjoyed it, what they didn't enjoy in that content. And from that you sort of
gain some experience. And I always say to people, if you want to talk about sustainability. And so,
people would click on it, let's say that let's put it that way. Um, I think there's a few aspects. If, if it has
something to do with people's, uh, money. Uh, so if something some, some sort of products are getting
62
cheaper, some things getting more expensive. If, for example, a great example is when the war started
and the energy became very expensive, a lot of people moved to solar energy because it was cheaper.
And that was a very good point to talk about, like renewable energy and the positive impact of renewable
energy for the environment, because people were actually interested, because it helped them to save
money. So whenever we would talk about renewable energy, we would find a way to talk about it through
how much you would save up if you would use renewable energy, how it's a safer choice, how it's not as
affected by wars and stuff, how it's related to, um, economic independence and energy independence for
a country. So that would always like really work. So I would always say that if something to

Accomplished online storytellers, in its many forms, prioritize the importance of effectively presenting
a notion via a unique identity that incorporates style, visual communication, expressive linguistic
expression, and a deep grasp of the presenter's narrative. Within this framework, we have entered the age
of branding and the need to pinpoint a particular market niche to exhibit equipment motivated by passion.
The pragmatic act functions as a directive for the channel. The value supplied by these channels generally
involves supplying creative and educational information, as well as the chance to access distinctive and
attractive content. The case studies in this chapter have the common characteristic of specializing in their
own specific market segment, discovering their own identity, establishing relevance with the current era,
and providing either innovative or community-oriented value, or both.

That's the way to do it. So, I guess, yeah. Whether it's money or health, I think there was one more thing.
Oh, and just another crisis. Yeah. Just other crises in general. When the war in Ukraine started, we talked
a lot about how the war is affecting. There's also an eco-war happening, and an eco-catastrophe is
happening in Ukraine as well. So, it's also like a good, like a good moment when people are already
reading a lot about it, following it in the media. It's a good time to add this sustainability message to
what's happening. Yeah. So, I think that would be super smart.

Interviewer: Super interesting. Incredible. And, and uh, so, so uh, following on that, like you mentioned,
you're trying to reach like a wide audience in general. So, you don't you don't try to like, narrow or target
a specific criterion of people in your in your messages or in your, um, uh, like stories in general. You try
to, um, appeal to most people in general. So, so that's, that's also like the way, uh, it affects the way you
curate the story, as you mentioned, because you're trying to bring in an angle that would reach an even
wider audience. Uh oh, yeah.

63
Rugile Matuseviciute: Absolutely, absolutely. I used to have a TV show that was on Sundays right before
the like, the Christian mass happened, like they would broadcast Christian Mass on Sundays at 12, and
my show was at 11 a.m. and I found it to be a perfect time because you know that then the older generation
is tuning in a bit early and they're going to watch the masses, but accidentally they're going t o watch a
show about sustainability. So I think finding these linkages on how to, like, attract the common person
who would not necessarily read about climate change or science and all these things because, um, when
I did my first podcast, I looked at the statistics and it said that like 65% of the audience was from Vilnius
and the average age was 25 to 30 years old. So basically, um, hipster millennials living in the capital.
And I sort of realized that these people already know these issues or they're already doing their part. So,
if they can afford it, they're buying an electric car, they're recycling, they're avoiding plastic pollution,
not buying fast fashion and stuff like that. They know like eco certificates that they can follow and shop.
So, they're already doing their part. So, what's the point of creating content for them? You can still do it
because there's still so much to talk about. But these people like it because they want a deeper knowledge
and that's great. But I think there's still like 99% of the people that live in rural areas that lack, I don't
know, higher education and they don't really follow these topics, but they're the ones, you know, voting
and doing their part. And I think it's very important to inform these people as well. So yeah, in my job, I
really try to focus on how to reach those people because people with the knowledge already have it and
they know English, they can look other like they can listen to podcasts, they can find information online,
but, you know, older generation usually doesn't do it. And I think it's very important to reach them as
well. Speaker2 Incredible. Yeah. Sounds like your purpose is absolutely clear, you know, in what you're
doing. And, and uh, that's super inspiring. Definitely. Um, uh, and, and, uh, another part of my research
is quite like, uh, prominent as, like, uh, I'm trying to figure out the question of, like, what makes, um,
certain content or stories, uh, a bit more enduring, uh, in terms of, like, they stand the test of time and
they could they like their. Yeah. Their message could be reflective even like, let's say ten years from now
or 20 or whatever. But, uh, what do you think would make up for content like that? Um, um, specific.
Yeah. Yeah. I think. Speaker1 Uh, it's a very simple example of that. But every, every year I think about
it that, um, so like six years ago I wrote an article, uh, which Christmas tree is more sustainable? Uh, real
one or a fake one? And I just wrote the article. Just a simple one. I released it, and every single year look
at the statistics and the people that googled it, like the number rises around December. So, I think, like
trying to look at topics that are repetitive in people's lives. And they come back to these questions and
something that everybody has in common. So, talking through those, like through those points, is
something that makes people want to come back and like, and, you know, research something. And even
64
so, one year a certain person Googles it, the next year another one Googles it. So, I think it's very
important to have these topics, these basic things already covered, and people will come back to it. And
also repeating, I think it's also very, very important that, uh, you know, just because you did a show about
a certain topic doesn't mean you're done. There's so many topics that I come back to, like, I don't know,
recycling or water pollution. Speaker1 These are like topics that you can talk about every single day, and
they're still going to be new people that are going to find it. So, I think it's yeah, it's also very important.
But whenever I make content, I also. Please look at the calendar. And I always say that like my
colleagues, journalists always look at the calendar. There's some is there something going to happen
every single year, like a celebration or an event, um, that people really like focus on Christmas, I think
is a great example for that. And Christmas is a great time to talk about many environmental issues. So, I
think just thinking about things, what a daily person like a single like regular person Google is, and what
do they think about every single day? Something that helps you to create content that people will get
back to or more people will find eventually, since it's online, it's also very helpful. Of course, I think all
of this media has to be online and paper is not doing its job anymore, unfortunately. So yeah, I would
say that.

Interviewer: Yea. Sorry. I'm hearing. Sorry. But. Yeah. Sorry. Since you mentioned that, you think like.
Yeah. So basically, uh, like audio visual, uh, content video journalism is more enduring now as well as
opposed to like, uh.

Rugile Matuseviciute: Oh, absolutely. Absolutely. And I don't even think that not even TV shows
anymore. I think social media now is taking away. And I think that's the new way to communicate about
it. And every single content that I do, I always think of like, can I put it on Instagram, on TikTok, on
Facebook, because now people don't really consume their media going even to a certain website, right?
You don't really just type in a news outlet and read the news. Some people do it. Oh, it's hard. Sorry, my
sister was calling, so some people do it, but the majority of the people are getting their news from social
media now. So, I think it's also very important to find ways that the content you create is accessible on
like social media platforms. I think that's also very, very important. Speaker2 And you mentioned before
like the timing element, like how you would pick up specific time frames to, to, to position a certain story
and, and, and make it relevant. So that's something that that you, you work with as well in general.
Speaker1 Oh yes. Absolutely. I think it's, it's whenever like you follow the news and you always read, I
don't know, whatever is happening in the world at that moment, you think, is there a sustainability side
65
to it that I can add? Because since there are not that many journalists in Lithuania, if you don't do it,
there's a very low chance that somebody else will. So, you can always think of, you know, whatever's
happening, war, the crisis or Christmas or whatever. Um, you look at the calendar and you think, okay,
is there something, is there a way, is there a gap that I can put sustainability on this topic? And yeah, it's
usually very effective.

Interviewer: Okay. Brilliant. And basically what I take as well from you is like, yeah, basically the
saturation of online storytelling now if you want to reach audiences is pretty much socials, uh, like so
um, so yeah, like if you want to reach an audience, you're going to, you're going to have to go into, uh,
pretty much like, yeah, relegate some at least content to, uh, Instagram or TikTok or where, where, where
the statistics are showing people's attention is at, you know, so that's absolutely. Yeah. So that's a delicate
approach as well. Brilliant. All right. So, uh, maybe two more questions. Um, yeah. Uh, like does
deadlines affect the quality of the story? Do you commission your own projects, or do you have a balance
between getting commissions versus commissioning your own or, uh, and how do deadlines come into
play with that? Like, um, oh, the deadlines are terrible. Quality is affected in general.

Rugile Matuseviciute: Oh, of course it affects the quality a lot, especially if it's like bigger research or a
bigger investigation. And if you work with the bigger media outlet, of course, they're interested in like,
uh, pushing the articles as fast as possible and as many as possible. And that sometimes ends up as
resulting on the quality of the project as well. So, myself, like personally, I do some individual work
where there's like no deadlines and I can work more, more on it and it's usually not as time restricted, but
like working with Dents for example. The deadlines are very harsh, and it really affects a lot of journalists
because I have a colleague who writes articles. She is like a traditional journalist she works for. So she
works for Delphi and a news agency, Elta. So for news agencies especially, it's even more difficult
because you have to release an article every single day, which is great if you want to touch up on like a
lot of topics quickly, but you cannot really go into depth. And with climate change, it's such a complex
topic that it requires going into details sometimes. And, you know, it's it affects I would say it affects the
quality of the content you produce. Quite a lot. Yeah. Wow.

Interviewer: I can yeah, I can imagine that. Um, and yeah, I spoke with one, um, journalist from Kauno
Diena and she mentioned the same as well. Like, sometimes they don't even, like have time to fact check

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certain things they just put out and just watch what happens. So super interesting. Uh, okay, so my last
question, Regala, and thank you so much. So far, this has been the most spectacular interview I've had
literally for this project. Um, I'm amazed completely. And, uh, so the last one is like, um, advice would
you give to just a generic online store, somebody with a capacity to sell stories? Uh, and who is
knowledgeable enough? But what, uh, what, um, advice would you give, uh, that person in terms of
finding a niche or, uh, like how to find a niche, basically. Um, is there a way to, to, to narrow down and
discover what could be one's like niche for, for, uh, presenting something that that would be particularly
authentic or, uh, developing that authentic voice or, um, in relation to something important to, to be told.

Rugile Matuseviciute: Yeah. I think that's like a difficult question because I think there's journalists that
choose to write about a certain topic because they're passionate about it. So, I know, like science
journalists or technology journalists or environmental journalists, for example, that are passionate about
these things. And naturally, then it comes to them, and they create these topics without any like force.
They don't have to force themselves, um, to do it. So I think it's finding a niche. It's very much related to
what you're passionate about. Personally, for me it was always an environmental issue. Even before I
started doing this job, I was always very interested in these topics. Um, so I think I think that's one thing,
but also in Lithuania it's relatively easy because we still have a very standardized media. So, journalists
write about the news and whatever people click on and there's so many areas that can still be touched
upon and investigated more and analyzed more. And I think science journalism is one of the one of those
things. Definitely. We don't have a lot of science journalists, um, just technology journalists as well. But,
uh, yeah, I think it's very unique. I don't even think if perhaps I don't know the answer, maybe somebody
does. Speaker1 But for me, it's just if you're not passionate about the topic, there's not going to be a niche
for you. You have to, you have to sort of create it yourself. And I always remember this, um, tip from
the news agency director, my colleague. He said, there's always a story. If you're personally interested in
something, that means there's already one reader and there's probably a few more there in the world. So,
you don't have to, like, limit yourself and say, oh, people don't read about something. I'm not going to
write about it, which is definitely not true. You know, this whole, um, agenda setting theory. I believe
that, uh, there's a way to write about whatever you want. People don't. I will tell you what to write about.
Audience doesn't sort of, um, restrict you. Um, you can write if as long as you find a way to talk about
it. Interestingly, you can talk about whatever, whether it's horses, teas, cookies, cars, whatever. You can
always find a way. So I think it's just being a good storyteller and finding a topic that you're passionate
about is, um, it's just. Yeah.
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Interviewer: Incredible. Yeah, that that makes for it. That makes for a good answer. Really? Yeah. Um,
yeah. Just brilliant. Um, yeah, that was super helpful. Um, yeah. I'm like, during my research, I'm just
narrowing down on, like, aspects of, like finding a voice on online, uh, for, for, for, for online storytelling
in general and, uh, the aspects that makes content and content enduring, etc. Um, and of course, just
looking into, um, uh, like some case studies and, and some other interviews to, to uh, relegate information
in relation to that, you know, and um, and I think this interview has been, uh, yeah. The most astounding
really, um, I'm going to note a bunch. Yeah. I'm very.

Rugile Matuseviciute: Very happy to hear that. Yeah. One thing I forgot to add, but I think it's also quite
important, but like, environmental journalism is, um, so there's these environmental psychologists and
Lithuania, we have a team of researchers that, like, investigate why and how people, um, are interested
in environmental issues. So, for example, I work very closely with environmental psychologists because
they can usually tell you the things that people are not interested in or don't have the knowledge. So, I
think it's for journalists. I think it's very, very important to work closely with scientists and researchers
to get knowledge about their personal like about their audience and the knowledge of the audience that
they have. And it cannot be only done with environmental journalism. It can be done with everything.
But I think working closely with scientists, I think it's one thing that our media now lacks, lacks a lot.
And, you know, there's this open science movement that science should be, um, available for everyone.
And I think journalists have that role to work with scientists and sort of create messages that are
understandable. And you this science communications part on behalf of scientists. So yeah, I find it very,
very important. I have like a few close colleagues, scientists that whenever they find interesting research,
whenever they find something that's they find important to share with the people, they contact me and
we look for ways on how to make it more, you know, approachable for a broader audience. I think it is
also very, very important. Yeah.

Interviewer: That makes a lot of sense. And, and in that sense, like I feel I feel you have also something
uh, like pretty special in terms of like your values are quite defined. You know, the values for you as set
out. You know, you know what you're doing. And the purpose is super clear, you know, and, uh, some,
some, some of the issues that rise with, uh, just like the propagation of some content creators or whatever
is like the values are not clear all the time, you know? So, it's like it could differ from story to story. And,
uh, and yeah, defining these values is, is something also that, uh, I've been looking at, but it's, it's, it's
incredible. And the fact that you bring in the spirit of collaboration because I investigate community
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value as well and the spirit of collaboration and working with scientists, as you mentioned, psychologist
brings the aspect out as well. So, um, so, so yeah, that's yeah. Pretty, uh, insightful. Really. Yeah

Appendix C. Turtle Vision Visual Identity

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