Vertical video on mobile devices. Case study on TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts

Abstract

In the current context of social media, vertical video has become an emerging format for sharing content. From the perspective of audio-visual communication, the proliferation of mobile devices has promoted the popularity of the vertical video format on social platforms. This trend raises the need to understand its relationships, implications and influence. Objective: In this context, this research focuses on analyzing images on three leading platforms: TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts. Methodology: A comparative study was carried out on the three social platforms to know the characteristics and variables of genre, image (format, type, camera placement, recording space, shots, scenes, montage, continuity, audio and overlays) and time (structure, order and duration), and in total 1,194 audio-visual pieces were studied. Conclusions: From the sample it can be deduced that in the three social platforms moving images of vertical format predominate, of the entertainment genre, of a scene, recorded with the camera at eye level, indoors, with open shots and sequence, with continuity with cuts, with a linear and chronological structure, with music, with superimpositions on the image, and of variable duration.