Short-form video for social justice: the audience, the evidence, the pathway forward

About the report

Over the past five years, platforms such as TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts have drastically shaped how audiences discover issues, experience political content and engage with social movements. For many young people, short-form video is the first — and sometimes the only — place they encounter a cause. It plays a key role in creating meaningful connections for creators and organisations passionate about social justice causes, offering an opportunity to reach people beyond our existing audiences.

But communicating complex issues in a fast-moving feed raises difficult questions: How do we capture attention without losing nuance? How do we engage people who care but feel overwhelmed? And how do we understand the impact of a story beyond its views and likes?

Bringing together a review of existing research, analysis of thousands of videos and student viewing diaries, the study considers both how creators tell stories that could drive social change and how audiences experience them.

Who is it for?

This research report is
written for people who want
to make a difference.

The report is meant for the creative types who make short-form video in service of social justice causes: independent creators keen to address the problems they see in the world, leads in advocacy organisations designing communication campaigns, and the funders who support them. It is also written for researchers, students, and educators who want to understand contemporary digital media, social movements and youth audiences.

The research findings explore what they mean for everyday creative practice, including examples and practical ideas for artists, content creators, arts organisations and NGOs.

Principal Authors: Dr. Matti Pohjonen and Dr. Anastasia Mirzoyants

Download the report (PDF)