Erika Marzano

DW Access: New app counters global censorship DW Access is a lightweight app designed to ensure access to independent information in regions where digital freedom is under threat. It provides users with a secure way to reach DW content even under...

DW Access works outside traditional app stores and offers:

✔ Integrated VPN
✔ No personal data transmission
✔ Offline reading
✔ Data-saving mode

Learn more: corporate.dw.com/en/dw-access...

Access to independent information is under pressure worldwide. Internet shutdowns and censorship have intensified in countries like Iran, Russia and China.

DW has developed DW Access, a lightweight app that helps people stay informed even under the toughest conditions.

...and a direct connection with the person telling the story.

If we want to reach young people where they are, we must think format-first, platform-native, and personality-led, without compromising editorial

Why college students prefer News Daddy over The New York Times Zoomers get all their news from TikTok — and refuse to go elsewhere

Gen Z isn’t abandoning news; they’re abandoning the formats that no longer fit how they navigate information.

TikTok has become the primary entry point into news because it delivers what they expect: clarity, speed, personality
www.theverge.com/cs/features/...

It was also a nice opportunity to reflect on the work I do every day with journalists and teams, the experiments, the challenges, and the small wins that come from understanding what audiences genuinely respond to.

We talked about things I’ve been thinking about a lot this year: how platforms are evolving, what “good” engagement actually looks like now, and why audience development is becoming less about chasing the algorithm and more about building formats, trust, and consistency.

A while ago, I had the chance to sit down with AImpactful for a long conversation about how social media strategy is shifting, especially with AI reshaping how we create and how audiences discover our work.

Here’s the interview: aimpactful.com/social-media...

Spotify now lets you see weekly listening stats | TechCrunch Spotify is adding new feature called "Listening stats" that will show users weekly numbers about their listening habits.

Spotify is adding new feature called "Listening stats" that will show users weekly numbers about their listening habits.

How anti-Palestinian disinformation fuels racist discourse – DW – 10/30/2025 Anti-Palestinian disinformation goes hand-in-hand with racist hate speech against Palestinians. DW Fact check looks into why such propaganda is so widespread.

Disinformation isn't just digital, it's deadly. DW investigates how anti-Palestinian propaganda fuels real-world violence and racism. A must-read. www.dw.com/en/how-anti-...

The ever-evolving face of social video If you're still stuck in the “it's all kids dancing” mindset, you're slipping way behind the times…

Social video is by far the fastest moving format for #journalism at the moment. It’s always interesting, if a little distracting, to explore what’s happening, as I update my modules for this academic year…

(With a hat-tip to @erikamarzano.bsky.social and Fraser Nelson for their insights…)

TikTok didn’t mean to become a breaking news platform - but it did Prioritise presence over perfection when a major story breaks on TikTok - audience interest peaks within the first two hours, writes Deutsche Welle's Erika Marzano

TikTok didn’t mean to become a breaking news platform - but it did: Prioritise presence over perfection when a major story breaks on TikTok - audience interest peaks within the first two hours, writes Deutsche Welle's Erika Marzano

Ranucci rivela: “Persone mi riprendevano collegate con gli auricolari mentre incontravo delle fonti importanti”.

Quando Lilli Gruber gli chiede come sta, Ranucci ha risposto: “senza aver dormito e con due macchine in meno”.

Solidarietà a Sigfrido Ranucci.

#sigfridoranucci #ottoemezzo

TikTok didn’t mean to become a breaking news platform - but it did Prioritise presence over perfection when a major story breaks on TikTok - audience interest peaks within the first two hours, writes Deutsche Welle's Erika Marzano

TikTok didn’t mean to become a breaking news platform - but it did.

In this piece for @journalismnews.bsky.social I reflect on how TikTok has evolved far beyond its entertainment roots, and what that means for journalists covering the world in real time. www.journalism.co.uk/news/tiktok-...

#Malta: 16 October 2025 marks 8 years since the assassination of Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia in a car bomb attack.

Today is a reminder to continue to demand justice and campaign for change. There is no better way to perpetuate Daphne's memory and legacy ✨

Scapegoating the Algorithm—Asterisk America’s epistemic challenges run deeper than social media.

Social media didn’t break our shared reality; it just made the cracks visible. Dan Williams argues in Asterisk that blaming algorithms for America’s ‘epistemic crisis’ misses the deeper roots: politics, education, and institutional distrust.
asteriskmag.com/issues/11/sc...

Target interests, not ages. Platforms evolve faster than generations.

On the other hand, the overall “maturization” of content has definitely opened the doors for older generations as well.

In our internal account reviews across different regions, we’re increasingly seeing +24-34 audiences consuming current affairs, politics, and news on TikTok.

On one hand, the 14-to-16-year-olds who joined TikTok back in 2020 are now in their early 20s, but many people still assume that once users grow older, they automatically leave the platform and leave it only to the new 14-to-16-year-olds.

If your goal is to reach very young users, make sure you’re also looking at platforms that actually provide demographic data and tools to target specific age groups. And if you’re working on TikTok, adjust your style and storytelling to tap into interests rather than relying on a teen-only mindset.

Like other platforms, it has matured to cover all age groups. The real driver of engagement is no longer age, it’s interests and searches.

This means that while TikTok still attracts teens, its audience is far more diverse than many assume.

I’ve noticed a growing trend of newsrooms launching new accounts or formats aimed at very young audiences (14-16) and instinctively thinking of TikTok as the platform.

But there’s an important clarification: TikTok no longer defines itself as “the Gen Z app.”

TikTok vs. Instagram: Von Rivalen zu (fast) Zwillingen in der Public-Media-Strategie Es geht nicht mehr um TikTok versus Instagram. Sondern um TikTok und Instagram – das Ziel ist Resonanz, nicht Redundanz.

Heute haben wir einen Gastartikel von Erika Marzano & Yasmina Al-Gannabi im Angebot: Wer sich derzeit beruflich mit der Frage auseinandersetzt, ob nun eher TikTok oder Instagram die richtige Plattform ist, ist nach der Lektüre definitiv schlauer:

www.socialmediawatchblog.de/tiktok-vs-in...

That makes it not only accessible but also authentic, visually powerful, and culturally sensitive.

A season of short, relatable videos covering topics that are often difficult to access for deaf teens, from (mental) health to body awareness and consumption habits.

What makes this format so special: it’s developed natively in Indonesian Sign Language (BISINDO), then adapted for hearing audiences.

Mimpi basah sering jadi momen pertama yang bikin bingung banyak remaja laki-laki. Padahal, ini hal normal banget dan jadi tanda tubuh kamu lagi tumbuh dan berkembang! Kamu masih ingat gimana rasanya w... TikTok video by DW Indonesia

It’s extremely cool to have contributed to this project 🧡

„Tuli Tau“ is DW’s first format, and as far as we have seen, the first from any international media outlet, that directly targets deaf youth in Indonesia.

Check out the first episode: www.tiktok.com/@dw_nesia/vi...

CapCut’s latest policy update is more than just a legal tweak; it raises serious questions about data access, copyright, and editorial control for journalists and newsrooms using the tool for mobile editing.

I broke it down for @journalismnews.bsky.social
www.journalism.co.uk/news/capcut-...

È morto lo scultore Arnaldo Pomodoro Aveva 99 anni ed era famoso in Italia e nel mondo per le sue grandi opere, spesso in bronzo e spesso sfere

È morto lo scultore Arnaldo Pomodoro

Truly honored to be mentioned alongside such thoughtful media minds.

Thank you, @eduardosuarez.bsky.social, for the kind inclusion!

(Personal) Highlight of the week!

Monday mornings are usually my time to catch up on newsletters I missed the week before, and what a surprise to find myself featured in the @reutersinstitute.bsky.social Friday newsletter!

This isn’t about dumbing down the news. It’s about distribution, format, and storytelling that actually gets seen.

If you're in a newsroom and still think “we’ll get to TikTok later,” I’d say: Later is already too late.