INTRODUCTION

Platforms, inuencers and distributed

narratives

Sports communication, beyond sports journalism

The proliferation of platforms in global media

ecosystems has changed the forms of sto-

ries, and narrative processes in their entirety

throughout cultural production (Poell, Nieborg

& Duy, 2021). This special issue anchors this

premise to explore through its articles sever-

al cases of narrative innovations and aspects

related to transmedia, social interactions, and

culture. This starting point opens and contrib-

utes to updating a territory of academic and

research discussion of more than two decades

of transformation, which is mixed with other

social and cultural phenomena such as fandom

(Booth’s volume, 2018 or Fiske’s classic, 2002),

and the role of celebrities (see, for example,

Turner’s work, 2010), and inuencers (Booth &

Matic, 2011).

This introduction is structured around the con-

cept of platformization in tension with works on

celebrities to propose the notion of distributed

storytelling as a concept that allows explaining

some of the narrative innovations that emerge

in this context of ecosystem transformation.

The case used for this case is the analysis of

the activity on social networks of Shakira’s song

that later earned her the Latin Grammy of 2023

(Sandhar & Dacosta, 2023). This initial reection

is just one more example that will contribute

to contextualizing the fertile possibilities and

combinations both for the creation and for the

University of Sheeld

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8391-3638

Joan Ramon Rodríguez-Amat

Joan Ramon Rodriguez-Amat, PhD - Principal Lecturer at the School of Journalism, Media and

Communication, University of Sheeld. His main area of research revolves around communicative

spaces, the cultural constructions of time and space, citizenship, and power (see http:communica-

tivespaces.org). This threefold discussion emerges at the intersection of research on media gover-

nance, cultural production and democratic debates; and the communities and identities - includ-

ing sexual, national and cultural identities - that emerge from the geopolitics of social networking

platforms and communication technologies.

OBRA DIGITAL, 25, June 2024, pp. 10-24, e-ISSN 2014-5039

DOI: https://doi.org/10.25029/od.2024.431.25

1111

Joan Ramon Rodríguez-Amat

analysis and understanding of the stories that

weave global culture.

The concept of platformization, already used by

Helmond to refer to “the rise of the platform

as the dominant infrastructural and economic

model of the social web and its consequences,

in its historical context. Platformization entails

the extension of social media platforms into

the rest of the web and their drive to make

external web data “platform ready.” (2015). It

is therefore a phenomenon that permeates

many aspects of modern society, leading to

the development of platformization studies,

which focus on professional and labor dynam-

ics (Casilli & Posada, 2019; Pires & Tomasena, &

Piña 2024), creative, and interactional interac-

tions in which they follow one another thanks

to the mediation of a complex digital interface

that extends social, cultural, or professional in-

teractions, through mobile screens and data

warehouses, building a “connective world” (Van

Dijk, Poell & DeWaal, 2018). This eld of study is

distinguished by its emphasis on cross-cutting

aspects that extend from the conditions of con-

tent production to the conditions of interaction

with them; and in between, aspects related to

distributed production (throughout the length

and breadth of networks) and its algorithmic

distribution. For this reason, platformization

studies also consider the role of fans and inu-

encers in the dissemination and interpretation

of cultural production, in addition to paying at-

tention to the precarious economic conditions

faced by platform workers.

Within the complexity and simultaneities that

occur in platformization, several logics can be

distinguished that overlap and mix: Economic,

productive and labor logics on the one hand;

legal and governance logics on the other; and

the logics of cultural production and con-

sumption. In this way, while it is insisted that

platforms function as intermediaries between

online access communities and proprietary in-

dustrial infrastructures, and often extend their

inuence to encompass physical and economic

value, they also generate conditions for the for-

mation of cultural communities in frameworks

of precarious legality (Schor, et al, 2020, Duy,

2020). To distinguish these three aspects, this

text opens the three fronts separately.

The economic and productive logic of platforms

modies the relations between producers and

owners in complex ways because the forms of

resource generation and nancing are also di-

vorced from the complex processes of distribu-

tion and consumption. Platforms such as fast

food, or parcel transport, or care for the elderly

(Ticona & Mateescu, 2018), are installed in log-

ics of precariousness and interaction that un-

der masks of virtuality – or online interactions

– mask conditions of materiality that evade

legal protection frameworks. There are many

open research fronts that explore these rela-

tionship conditions and the social communities

that emerge in the shadow of these structures

and interfaces (examples include booktubers

(Tomasena & Scolari, 2024), riders (Pires, To-

masena, & Piña, 2024) or YouTube communi-

ties (Pires, Masanet, Tomasena & Scolari, 2024).

Platform revenue and monetization models

are also part of these productive and economic

logics, and while platforms are often oriented

towards cultural production, traditional reve-

nue models have also evolved in favor of dig-

ital logics of impact and reception measures

that update contemporary ad-based revenue

streams, for example in the music sector. sub-

scriptions, online sales, or live events (Marshall,

2013). These dynamics extend – in cascade –

to cultural creators who nd monetization op-

portunities in models that simultaneously feed

on complex algorithmic logics – and incom-

prehensible to the creators themselves – that

send them to create in uncertain, precarious

1212

Platforms, inuencers and distributed narratives

and trans-platform environments (see, for ex-

ample, Glatt, 2022). Among the platforms that

complement the work of creators with much

more personalized monetization models are

micronancing, or direct support from fans

through platforms such as Patreon (Bonifacio,

Hair, Wohn, 2023; Regner 2021) or OnlyFans

(Hamilton, et al, 2022) among others. In this

context, professional content creation is mixed

and confused with the privacy of artists and

with content created by fans or non-profes-

sional creators who distribute content through

platforms and social networks. User-generated

content (UGC) is spread and multiplied by plat-

forms such as TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube,

allowing individuals or small groups to create

and disseminate content without large produc-

tion budgets (classically anticipated by Jenkins,

2006b).

These dynamics that dene the economic and

productive logic of the platforms, generate – as

a by-product of this activity – rich data repos-

itories that turn the platforms into databases

that can be analyzed and processed to identify

– behaviors, models, patterns, and possibilities

of demographic, sociocultural, or sexual analy-

sis – that the platforms can return to creators

to help them develop content by improving

the quality of production (Anderson, 2006); or

selling to help businesses determine consum-

er proles; or to the security forces to identify

models of criminal behavior, in data, dataism,

or dataveillance (Van Dijk, 2014). This dynamic

of monetization and datacation places large

platforms at the top of a “winner-takes-all”

structure, as Thomas Poell described it in his

inaugural lecture at the University of Amster-

dam’s Chair of Data, Culture, and Institutions

(Poell, 2022). And although it could be argued

whether it is more of a pyramid fraud, the ex-

ploitation model is clear.

From a legal and organizational point of view,

platforms also happen in an intermediate zone

of alegal or precarious opportunity. Many plat-

forms operate globally, often within tax and

regulatory havens, and adhere to selective sets

of laws (Bloch-Webba, 2019). This dynamic has

turned the idea of a platform into an econom-

ic and legal model that favors corporations; in

this sense, corporations such as PornHub have

adopted the platform model (Rodriguez-Amat,

& Belinskaya, 2023). For example, ride-shar-

ing platforms such as Uber and Lyft connect

passengers with drivers and control access to

data, pricing structures, and user experiences,

although users may perceive them as neutral

service providers (Rosenblat and Stark, 2016).

In addition, complex negotiations over access

to resources such as data, information, deci-

sion-making processes, and legal frameworks

further highlight the intricate dynamics at play

(classically, Gillespie’s original work, 2010, and

its development in 2017; Plantin et al., 2016)

that establish conditions for publication, shar-

ing and moderation of content. Economic pro-

cesses, including prot generation, algorithmic

management, and working conditions, are inte-

gral to these negotiations.

Precisely the issue of data is one of the key as-

pects that challenges the function and dynam-

ics of platforms. Legal and ethical challenges

include those related to copyright, fair use,

and intellectual property, especially in the area

of user-generated content and remix culture

(Lessig, 2004; Sarikakis, Krug, Rodriguez-Amat,

2017). Lately, however, the discussion about

the ownership of available content has shifted

to the debate around the databases of gener-

ative articial intelligence models. Examples of

this new dynamic are Apple’s recent announce-

ment of an agreement with OpenAI for its data

to also be used to train ChatGPT (Kleinman, Mc-

Mahon, 2024).

1313

Joan Ramon Rodríguez-Amat

These legal and organisational frameworks,

which slip platform logics between economic,

labour, productive and legal precariousness,

articulate cultural production more and more

clearly and frame the forms of participation

and production, consumption and distribution

of content. While cultural platforms are built

on the principle that they oer unprecedented

opportunities for creators, they also present

challenges, such as sustainability for creators

and managing complex issues related to copy-

right and intellectual property (Sanchez-Cartas,

2021). These dynamics continue to shape and

redene the landscape of cultural production

in the digital age.

In this sense, the cultural and community and

platform logic extends symbolically from the

ways in which platforms exert inuence on cul-

tural production, consumption patterns, and

cultural diusion, aecting both the intangible

and material aspects of the creative industries

(Duy, Poell, Nieborg, 2019). These forms of in-

uence include social media platforms such as

Instagram and YouTube that have revolution-

ized cultural consumption and interpretation

by “democratizing” access to cultural produc-

tion, and allowing artists, writers, lmmakers,

and creators to reach global audiences and cir-

cumventing traditional mechanisms of control

(Burgess and Green, 2009) and misleadingly

feeding narratives about networks and plat-

forms as spaces of “free access” and “solidarity”

between participants (Yu, Trere, Bonini, 2022).

It is true, however, that platforms have ampli-

ed diverse voices and perspectives, fostering

greater inclusion within the cultural landscape,

and that they foster hybridity and cultural fu-

sion, leading to innovative forms of expression

and dynamic feedback-driven creative process-

es (Lobato & Thomas, 2015).

Platforms facilitate audience participation and

interaction, giving rise to fan communities, fan

ction, remix culture, and active engagement

with cultural products (Baym, 2015). The inter-

action between social media and traditional

media involves a dynamic exchange of con-

tent, in which social media discourse shapes

traditional media articles and vice versa. This

exchange is facilitated by the convergence of

dierent communities and audiences, which

allows for the rapid dissemination of social

media content (Giles, 2018). Traditional media

content also nds a digital foothold, subject

to wide dissemination and commentary in the

online sphere. Social media platforms, particu-

larly Twitter, exemplify the power of reciprocal

exchange and community sharing, revealing

intricate networks and patterns of content dis-

semination (Passman et al., 2014).

In the same way that platforms dene condi-

tions for interactivity and interaction thanks to

the design of their interfaces, they also dene

the conditions for creativity. The rise of ephem-

eral content, popularized by platforms such

as Snapchat and Instagram Stories, emphasiz-

es immediacy and authenticity in content cre-

ation (Leaver et al., 2020). They are new forms

of narrative creation that call for new forms of

research and new conceptual models that help

explain the processes that move viral through

global networks, for example, memes (Geb-

oers, & Pilipets), 2024; Carpenter, 2024).

However, platforms’ sophisticated content

management algorithms have far-reaching im-

plications for cultural consumption patterns

and in turn signicantly inuence users’ expo-

sure to content, dening which artists or genres

gain prominence and provoking debates about

algorithms among users (e.g. Silva, Chen, Zhu,

2024, or Prey, Esteve-Del-Valle, 2024).

The platform model, moreover, is mixed with

social media discussions and involves various

entities, including traditional celebrities, in-

1414

Platforms, inuencers and distributed narratives

ternet celebrities, journalists, commentators,

media organizations, high-prole or veried

accounts, renowned fans, parody accounts,

companies, brands, organizations, and bots.

Each of these actors contributes uniquely to

the intricate tapestry of social media discourse

(Davis et al., 2018; Alterkavi & Erbay, 2021; Fer-

rara, 2020).

Inuencers are agents who have a great ca-

pacity for dissemination because they have ac-

cumulated a large number of followers. Their

activity shapes trends, disseminates content

and inuences consumer behaviour, which sig-

nicantly aects the reception and popularity

of cultural products (Abidin, 2016, Zhang, 2023

). While celebrities often come from high-prole

entertainment, sports, politics, or other elds,

and their lives and actions are subject to in-

tense public scrutiny and media coverage. In

this sense, celebrities have a high public prole

and can inuence public opinion and behavior

due to their visibility and social status (see, for

example, the work of Dyer, 2019).

The centrality of networks and connections in

the cultivation of celebrities is well established

in some elds (Currid-Halkett, 2010). Online ce-

lebrities, in particular, rely heavily on strategic

networking facilitated by mechanisms such as

multichannel networks and collaborative ven-

tures (Lobato, 2016; Rasmussen, 2018). Celeb-

rity culture emphasizes interpersonal relation-

ships, extending beyond individuals to include

their associates, partners, and family members,

who can also achieve celebrity status (Rojek,

2001; Deller, 2016).

The discourse around the private lives of celeb-

rities, characterized by gossip and speculation,

is prevalent in fan communities and has gained

prominence on social media platforms (Mar-

wick & boyd, 2011; Prins, 2020). The analytical

discourse based on fans’ interpretations of ce-

lebrities’ creative products further contributes

to the complexity of this interaction (Zhang,

2021). Fans, anti-fans, and general audiences

often compete with celebrities and their prox-

ies for narrative control (Dare-Edwards, 2014;

Baym, 2018).

Platforms such as Twitter create a “context col-

lapse”, in which diverse audiences converge

within a single social context (boyd, 2008). Nav-

igating these multiple audiences is crucial for

celebrities to maintain their public image and

manage impressions (Marwick & Boyd, 2011).

This underscores the importance of network-

ing, relationships, and audience engagement in

online celebrity culture.

Fan work encompasses a wide range of practic-

es, from altruistic activities in the “gift economy”

to monetized eorts (Chin, 2018). This includes

the dissemination and recirculation of content

on social media, often on behalf of celebrities

and fan-centric entities, regardless of explicit

endorsement. Tensions arise around owner-

ship, authority, copyright, image governance,

and the potential exploitation of unpaid labor

(Jenkins, 2006).

In fan communities, certain individuals gain

elevated status as “big-name fans” or “super

fans,” who possess substantial “fan capital” due

to their sustained engagement, frequent con-

tributions, entertainment value, demonstrated

talents or skills, and access to insider informa-

tion or individuals within the fan community

(Hills, 2006; Sarikakis, Krug, & Rodríguez-Amat,

2017).

Shakira, and the distributed narra-

tive

One of the cases that has marked the year

2023 is that of the phenomenon Shakira and

Pique, which exploded in January with the pub-

lication of the song that anticipated the couple’s

1515

Joan Ramon Rodríguez-Amat

divorce, and rounded o in November with the

conrmation of the Latin Grammy (Sandhar &

Dacosta, 2023).

Shakira exemplies stardom as a transna-

tional celebrity, her music transcends gender

and linguistic boundaries. Her ethnic identi-

ty and her portrait as an idealized Colombian

and Latin American citizen make her a gure

embraced by fans, political gures, and com-

mercial brands (Cepeda, 2003; Fuchs, 2010;

Douglas, 2022). Shakira’s ability to cross cultur-

al boundaries, negotiate feminine archetypes,

and navigate her complex identities enhances

her transnational appeal (Gontovnik, 2010).

Shakira’s relationship with Gerard Piqué, a

prominent gure in football, further under-

scores their collective inuence as a Span-

ish-speaking and transcontinental power

couple. Their partnership is signicant for its

appeal within Spanish-speaking communities

and beyond (Quiroga, 2017). Shakira’s music,

which includes compositions that reect per-

sonal experiences such as her separation from

Piqué, illustrates her use of music as a means

of personal expression (Doyle, 2013; Goodman

& Carlson, 2014) in addition to their inuence

within the Spanish-speaking world, and their

interactions through platforms with fan com-

munities.

The example of Shakira and Pique can be stud-

ied as a reference opportunity to understand

processes of innovation in the formation of

narratives that emerge through social media

platforms and that contribute to critical discus-

sions about the creative industries and the po-

litical economy of inuencers and celebrities. In

this way, the dynamics of interactions between

fandom and audiences, and the emerging plat-

forms and music industry around the release

of the song “SHAKIRA || BZRP Music Sessions

#53” in January 2023 helps to open up the

space of cases occupied by this special issue of

Obra Digital, as a case of distributed narrative,

that is, a bouquet of stories that are dissemi-

nated through platforms and that acquire a dis-

tributed nature that is autonomous from more

or less planned commercial narratives.

Computational methods (Trilling, van Atteveldt

& Arcila Calderon, 2022) were used to collect

and analyze Twitter data focused on Shakira’s

transnational stardom and her relationship

with Gerard Piqué. Using a Python script (mod-

ied since Padilla, 2020), tweets were collected

between January 8 and 16, 2023. The focus was

on hashtags and keywords such as “piqué”,

“shakira”, “BZRP”, “Bizarrap”, “mz53”, “Piqué”,

“Clara Chía” and “ClaraChía”. This method yield-

ed a dataset of 6,815,565 tweets, most of them

in Spanish (5,735,899), English (373,900), Portu-

guese (273,307) and French (72,691).

The ndings of this study illuminate orches-

trated promotional strategies and communi-

ty-driven reactions within Shakira and Piqué’s

fandom. One notable aspect is the “Controlled/

Programmed Explosion,” where strategically

timed press releases generated anticipation for

the song’s release. Key inuencers and promi-

nent fans were recruited to amplify engage-

ment, which contributed signicantly to the

campaign’s reach. After the release, “Ripples,

Branches, and Continuations” were detected,

characterized by interpretive chains where fans

explored, discussed, and created parodies of

the song. These activities fostered parallel nar-

ratives and interconnected conversations, al-

lowing an interpretive network to emerge in the

hands of fans. This communal interaction was

further underscored by the formation of dis-

tinct factions within the fandom. Fans aligned

themselves with Shakira or Piqué, expressing

their loyalty through hashtags such as #te-

ampique and #teamshakira.

1616

Platforms, inuencers and distributed narratives

On the periphery of this very personal activi-

ty – of celebrities, inuencers, and fans – new

agents emerged that further developed the

conversation and narrative networks. The in-

volvement of corporate entities such as Casio

and Renault opened the front for “networked

brand management-driven responses.” These

companies strategically aligned themselves

with Shakira or Piqué to improve their brand

visibility, demonstrating the interplay between

celebrity culture and corporate branding. The

social media managers of both corporations

made gestures back and forth, starting by en-

couraging divergence and polarization, to end

up retracting and returning to the central space

of the discursive range.

In this sense, the research highlights an intri-

cate dynamic of the platform’s logic, revealing

a pyramidal scheme of fandom and network

capital that opens up to a dispersed partici-

pation of users who end up appropriating the

narrative generating new and decentralized

journeys. The results emphasize the initial and

orchestrated nature of the promotional strate-

gies and organic, community-driven responses

within Shakira and Piqué’s fandom; but they

also underscore the opportunity to dedicate

future research to the peripheries of these

networks. Only by exploring outside the center

of cultural-capital can one understand the real

dynamics of fan engagement and their dynam-

ics of narrative creation, as well as generate

methodological and conceptual opportunities

to capture that form of narrative innovation.

Innovations in Storytelling and

Media

This special issue of Obra Digital compiles sev-

eral examples of dierent nature of innovative

narrative experiences and studies that explore

these innovations. Each contribution delves into

the specic applications and impacts of these

strategies, highlighting their importance in con-

temporary cultural and media landscapes: the

body of contributions is made up of four arti-

cles that oer a range of cases and analyses:

the rst explores Alternative Reality Games

versus the narrative universe of Taylor Swift

(Lucía Garrido-Rodríguez y Alfonso Freire-Sán-

chez); the second, considers interactive crime

novels and gamication theories as educational

tools (Irene Solanich Sanglas). The third article

is about the experience of rapper Lil Nas X and

the transmedia strategies that surround his al-

bum “Montero” (2021) (Ana Sedeño-Valdellós

y Ana Alicia Balbuena Morilla); and the fourth

contribution considers the case of hololive,

the Japanese virtual talent agency consisting of

virtual YouTubers as a transmedia experience

(Rafael Dirques David Regis, Paula Gonçalves,

Júlio César Ferreira y Gabriela Diniz). The fth

article, in doctoral thesis results section, focuses

on studying gender inequality in journalism in

times of digital convergence and platformiza-

tion (Nan Chen). These ve articles open a

space for narrative innovations and conceptual

and methodological tools to study them within

the framework of the media ecosystems of dig-

ital platforms

Alternate reality (ARG) games are a powerful

tool for engaging fans within expansive narra-

tive universes. In recent times, the impact of

alternative reality games on the environmental

knowledge of rst-year students has been ex-

plored (Xiong, et al, 2024). Or to improve stu-

dent learning in museums (Liang, et al., 2024).

These games mix ction with reality, creating im-

mersive experiences for participants and help,

for example, students to solve problems and

explore solutions in game mode while devel-

oping their knowledge. In learning frameworks

it is a very useful and creative way to increase

the participation and involvement of students

in the learning process; in fan frameworks,

1717

Joan Ramon Rodríguez-Amat

success repeats and allows these principles of

connection and engagement to be applied with

brand strategies, illustrating the potential for

ARGs to improve consumer engagement and

loyalty. The article featured in this volume is a

study of Taylor Swift’s use of ARG and explores

how dierent elements of the game are inte-

grated into what becomes a communication

strategy and narrative universe. The study con-

sists of identifying the presence of the dening

characteristics of successful ARGs following

the theoretical foundations established by ac-

ademics such as McGonigal (2011). In the case

of Taylor Swift’s communication initiative, the

research positively identies 19 of the 20 de-

ning characteristics and concludes that Swift’s

communication strategy excels in the expert

use of these elements to create a cohesive and

engaging experience for fans across multiple

platforms.

The possibilities of didactic exploration are also

the focus of the second article of the volume.

It uses the genre of crime ction to investi-

gate the didactic potential of interactive and

transmedia narratives. The study analyzes how

these narratives can be adapted, through inter-

active designs and transmedia, to be applied in

educational contexts, and proposes innovative

methods for teaching literature to secondary

school students. The study is based on theo-

retical models such as that of Murray (1997),

who highlighted the potential of digital envi-

ronments to create attractive and participatory

narrative experiences; and extends to educa-

tional theories of gamication and experiential

learning, which suggest that interactive and

game-based learning can improve student en-

gagement and understanding (Gee, 2007; De-

terding, 2015). The study describes the process

of designing an engaging, educational, interac-

tive narrative aimed at improving the teaching

of literature; and in doing so, delves into the

practical aspects of the creation of interactive

and transmedia crime novels for educational

purposes, based on concrete examples and

discussing the theoretical foundations of inter-

active narrative design.

The third article leaves the educational aspect

and returns to the music industry, connecting

again with the case of Taylor Swift. In this case,

however, it is about the transmedia strategies

employed by Lil Nas X in his visual album ‘Mon-

tero’ (2021) to understand how these strategies

build the musician’s identity and audience par-

ticipation. Drawing on cultural and multimodal

analysis, the study examines how the integra-

tion of visual motifs and social media content

contributes to the construction of a queer iden-

tity and engages audiences through a cohesive

narrative experience. To carry out this project,

the theoretical frameworks of the construc-

tion of identity and media representation are

rescued (Hall, 1997; Butler, 1990), and extend

to digital narratives and transmedia through

a multimodal analysis that allows us to under-

stand the complex interaction between the dif-

ferent forms of media in contemporary story-

telling (Kress & van Leeuwen, 2001). The study

allows us to nd out the potential of this rich

narrative strategy to articulate and amplify mar-

ginalized voices. The intertextuality and cultural

references within the visual album and its social

media-related content underscore the innova-

tive narrative techniques that dene Lil Nas X’s

narrative approach.

The fourth article studies the world of VTubers

– or virtual inuencers. Recent research is ded-

icated to exploring the ways in which VTubers

challenge the question of inuencer authenticity

(Schmieder, 2024). The VTuber phenomenon

triggers debates about articial intelligence and

digital inuencers and has generated a lot of

exploratory work recently on ways to connect

1818

Platforms, inuencers and distributed narratives

with fans and their veracity (see for example

Martin, et al 2024).

The article in this volume looks at the Japanese

virtual talent agency Hololive and how it exem-

plies the intersection of participatory culture

and transmedia storytelling. The study explores

how Hololive leverages the combination of nar-

ratives and engagement to increase audience

engagement and engagement. The study pro-

vides insights into the mechanisms behind the

success of VTubers and their fan communities,

reecting broader trends in digital culture and

participatory media. The research highlights

the role of fan-produced content and participa-

tory culture in the broader success of VTuber’s

media. This reects the signicant impact of us-

er-generated content and fan communities in

shaping contemporary media landscapes.

In an era of complex platformization and con-

vergence of the media, gender inequality in

the journalistic professions remains a major

challenge. A study investigates the factors that

aect the careers of Spanish women journal-

ists. Analyzing data from 387 surveyed profes-

sionals, the study shows the need for systemic

change to achieve gender equality in the pro-

fession. Inequalities reect ongoing struggles

for representation and equity in media profes-

sions already systematically described (e.g., in

Byerly, 2023; Melki & Mallat, 2019). Based on

the results, the article oers recommenda-

tions to promote gender equality in journalism,

based on feminist studies on the media.

The studies presented in this special issue col-

lectively underscore the transformative poten-

tial of interactive narratives and media conver-

gence in various domains from advocacy in the

music industry, to redening gender inequal-

ities in the professional sector. From music

and education to journalism and fan culture,

these innovative strategies not only redene

storytelling, but also foster deeper audience

engagement and contribute to cultural and

identity formation. Through the compilation of

these various case studies, this issue provides

valuable insights into the changing landscape

of narrative and media and their opportunities

for analysis.

1919

Joan Ramon Rodríguez-Amat

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