Showcasing Humanity: An Analysis of Audience Engagement and Narrative on the Humans of New York blog

Abstract: This thesis explores audience engagement and virality in social media storytelling by investigating posts and post interactions of the blog Humans of New York on Facebook. The aim is to understand what it is about these stories that engages the audience to interact and how the stories are shaped by their medium. The theoretical framework is based on that of participatory culture, Web 2.0, new media narratology, as well as audience engagement, where previous studies indicate that virality is connected to emotionally triggering content (especially positive). Collecting and quantitatively examining data of 2442 posts from January 13, 2011 to April 9, 2015, 20 top stories and 20 bottom stories are selected based on a score of the total sum of post interactions (likes + comments + shares). The 40 selected stories are qualitatively analyzed on a thematic basis, in order to identify patterns of reasons for engagement and influences of the medium. The study finds that the top stories consist of a particularly successful, dialogic storytelling format, consistent with the expectations of Web 2.0. In line with previous studies, the content is positive; however, in addition to this, an element of relatable and thus inspiring content is identified. In building a vibrant audience, the blog has also turned into a viral library, becoming an engaging aspect in itself. By being posted in social media, the stories become a ventilation of social issues. Stories need to have a potential of meaningfulness by interaction, as they are made relevant by the interaction, causing them to receive what this study terms “revivals” at the relevance of the audience.