On video platforms such as YouTube and TikTok, user-generated content has a significant cultural impact on how media is created, shared, and understood. Traditional media is produced by media institutions such as agencies and news organizations (Deuze 2007). Participatory media platforms allow regular people to become creators, editors, and commentators, as well as distributors of content. According to Dekavalla (2002), authenticity in creator culture is associated with sincerity, where individuals can openly express their views, thoughts and emotions so they appear genuine. During livestreams on the TikTok platform, creators are able to build rapport and trust with the audience. Interactions and comments are in real time. The UGC creator is seen as a person who is trustworthy and real, rather than a constructed persona.
This article explores how user-generated content on participatory media platforms such as YouTube and TikTok reshapes audiences’ roles and public narratives in media production by transforming viewers into active participants. It also argues that participatory media has redefined journalistic voice.
One of the significant cultural changes brought by user-generated content is the shift in audience identity. Unlike traditional media, where the audience is passively watching but hardly engaging, the audience on participatory media is not just observers and receivers of information. They play a big role in shaping the narratives. As a result, user-generated content has become a major cultural force that reshapes audience experience and how media is produced (Burgess & Green, 2018).
Another useful way to understand how user-generated content creates intimacy with the audience is through video production and vlogs. In reference to Michael Rosenblum’s “five shots” that were demonstrated in Session 5 (Murdoch University 2026), the lecturer introduced key ideas of common shots in sequence shooting. While Rosenblum’s techniques are often used by professional filmmakers, independent creators use them to structure their videos so they feel more engaging and personal (Dancyger 2007).
One good example is when a UGC creator films an A-roll video of “Get ready with me” or “A day in my life.” The shot usually opens with a shot in their personal space, often in the bedroom or showing what they are doing through a Point of View (POV) shot to make the audience feel like they are part of the video rather than watching a scripted performance.
Another important cultural impact of user-generated content is how it has redefined journalistic voice. Traditional media, such as journalists on television, appear neutral when delivering the news. In contrast, content on YouTube and TikTok often relies on personal delivery. Creators speak to audiences in urgency and a conversational way, often drawing on their personal experience. This changes how credibility is formed online. Rather than depending only on professional authority, trust is increasingly linked to relatability, personality, and perceived authenticity (Hund, 2023).
In conclusion, the sense of intimacy is heightened between creators and audiences on participatory media platforms. It also highlights that user-generated content is not just a casual format, but creators also adopt a strong understanding of visual storytelling to attract their audience. Further, the rise of user-generated content in journalism suggests that journalistic voice does not disappear but rather that journalistic communication adapts to creator culture.
References
Deuze, Mark. 2007. Media Work. Cambridge: Polity Press.
Dekavalla, Marina. 2022. “Facework in Confessional Videos by YouTube Content Creators.” Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies 28 (3) 135485652210858
Burgess, J., & Green, J. (2018). YouTube: Online Video and Participatory Culture (2nd ed.). Polity Press.
Murdoch University. 2026. COM109 Session 5: Infographic: Five Shot Rule plus One
Dancyger, Ken. 2007. The Technique of Film and Video Editing : History, Theory, and Practice. Amsterdam ; Boston: Focal Press.
Hund, E. (2023). The Influencer Industry: The Quest for Authenticity on Social Media. Princeton University Press.
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