Media and Digital Communication

DOI 10.55206/IGOH2238

 

Roland Impuscatu

University of Bucharest

The Faculty of Journalism and Communication Studies

E-mail: roland.impuscatu@fjsc.ro

 

Abstract: This study examines the role of emotional appeals in short-form video advertising and the corresponding online engagement measured through likes, comments, and shares on social media. A corpus of 50 Samsung brand video posts, released on both TikTok and Instagram, was analyzed to compare platform-specific engagement for identical content. Using a one-way ANOVA with a post-hoc Tukey test, the results indicate that videos evoking joy and affection generate significantly more likes than those evoking curiosity, while curious content, in turn, outperforms proud content on TikTok. The analysis did not reveal significant connection between the emotions used in short-form videos and their engagement on Instagram. The analysis of emotional valence suggests that positive emotions are predominantly employed in digital communication, with curiosity emerging as the most frequently utilized appeal in short-form videos. These findings provide valuable insights for scholars and communication professionals seeking to understand how emotional appeals in digital advertising can influence user engagement.

Keywords: emotions, digital advertising, digital engagement, short-form video, Instagram, TikTok.

Rhetoric and Communications Journal, issue 64, July 2025

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