By comparing and contrasting other creators’ content within this media niche on both Instagram and TikTok, I noticed that their content styles followed a similar narrative. Majority of the content follows a tarot reading about a theme in someone’s life such as their friendships, romantic love life and their work life. The psychic or tarot reader will begin by explaining that if a person has come across this content on their fyp then the reading is meant for them. The reading will then unfold like a story, narrating potential future events and the emotional journey that may follow. It is also crucial to highlight that content conversations are broken down into concise phrases (Lim 2013). 

Example of an online tarot reading:

@thepsychicmercury

This message is for you.#tarot #tarotreading #tarotreader #tarotcards #tarottok

♬ Emotional Piano for the Soul (Inspirational Background Music) – Fearless Motivation Instrumentals

For the curation of my content this week I realised I had to be flexible if I wanted to increase my audience engagement. I decided to alter my approach in how I participate within this niche, as I acknowledge that adaptability is vital for an ethnographer.

Financieras (2022) suggests that, regardless of the social network preferred by the target demographic, it is advised to leverage the affordances they provide. Consequently, I utilise music and transitions for TikTok and multi-slide images for Instagram. The article also emphasises that narrating stories that humanise your content is a strategic approach to pique public interest (Financieras 2022).

I realised that my creative informative content was not receiving as much attention as traditional tarot reading content. Therefore, to observe if the online tarot community actually preferred readings over informative content I decided to replicate a tarot reading video. 

Firstly, before I began filming my TikTok video I had to try and do a tarot reading. Before this I conducted some research on how to do a reading (Timmons 2015). Fortunately, on my first attempt I drew some cards that aligned with a career reading. I then crafted a calm and aesthetic background for my video with items I had in my room. To begin my video, I tried to incorporate inclusivity by stating in the introduction that if this video has come across the viewers for you page, it was intended for them; implying that no matter who the viewer is, anyone can experience and interpret this prediction. Throughout the rest of the video I displayed the relevant cards and provided a textual explanation of the significance of each card. I aimed to utilise soft and sensitive wording to avoid offending anyone and ensuring that the video is inviting and uplifting. Finally, during the editing process I incorporated soft, calm music to set the tone of the video.

To adapt this content for Instagram, I opted to post slide images. I photographed the relevant cards in front of the aesthetic backdrop and uploaded them as individual slides. However, I chose to place the explanation in the caption, along with the relevant hashtags, instead of on the images to ensure it is easy for the audience to read. The caption also contained a disclaimer that I am not a psychic or tarot professional and therefore the reading may not be accurate. This transparency will help me build trust within my audience which is a critical element for social media success (Kim & Ahmad 2013). 

I am eager to observe if this form of tarot content receives more engagement on my accounts compared to my previous posts.

Audio summary of the blog:

References:

Creswell, John W. (2016) 30 Essential Skills for the Qualitative Researcher, Sage: Los Angeles

Financieras, N 2022, Powering your business: five content strategies , ProQuest, viewed 12 October 2023, <https://www.proquest.com/docview/2705705522?pq-origsite=primo&parentSessionId=TWaTDI%2FMiSb2VrF5zBiMFbEgRtah5ooZjP3DHcPznbE%3D>

Kim, YA & Ahmad, MA 2013, ‘Trust, distrust and lack of confidence of users in online social media-sharing communities’, ScienceDirect, vol. 37, pp. 438–450, viewed 12 October 2023, <https://doi-org.ezproxy.uow.edu.au/10.1016/j.knosys.2012.09.002>

Lim, M 2013, ‘Many Clicks but Little Sticks: Social Media Activism in Indonesia’, Journal of Contemporary Asia, vol. 43, no. 4, pp. 636–657, viewed 12 October 2023, <10.1080/00472336.2013.769386>

Timmons, J 2015, How To Do A Basic Tarot Reading For Yourself Or A Friend, mindbodygreen, viewed 12 October 2023, <https://www.mindbodygreen.com/articles/how-to-do-a-basic-tarot-reading>