Narrative strategies of Media discourse: motivating content of TikTok and YouTube visual platforms

Pavlov Dmitrii Nikolaevich Lecturer; Department of Journalism; Griboyedov Moscow University Postgraduate student; Department of Journalism, Media Communications and Advertising; Griboyedov Moscow University Teacher of Russian language and literature; School No.2089 21 Entuziastov str., Moscow, 111024, Russia dima2011211@gmail.com Other publications by this author

The article examines the narrative structure of motivating content (hereinafter referred to as MK), posted both in the video hosting of the predominant horizontal long videos You-tube, and in the service for creating short videos of the vertical type TikTok. The term "motivating content" has not previously been considered as a separate unit of analysis. Its prevalence in the media space indicates the expediency of academic study. This study includes videos that reflect the audience's reception ^[1] to motivating content, the means of artistic expression, tropes and constructions that are grammatically unrelated to the members of sentences in the narrator's speech, the narrator's style of speech, the narrative chains of stable matrix combinations are identified, the comments of subscribers regarding the posted material are analyzed.

The compositional and narrative side of motivating content lies in the peculiarities of its organization, which refers to the textbook studies of the structure of a fairy tale ^{[3, p. 241]}. The use of narrative matrices indicated in the study is explained by the simplicity of the fairy-tale plot ^{[13, p. 75]}, which determines the sequence of actions to resolve a particular crisis situation ^{[5, 80]}.

The subject of the research is the principles of narrative organization in motivating content, the study of the viewer's reception on the MK, the principles of using a conversational style of speech within the framework of a confidential conversation with the viewer ^[4].

The object of the study is six video materials (3 materials of the horizontal nature of the You-Tube platform, three materials of the vertical nature of the TikTok service), affecting standard human crisis situations (approx. lack of material security). The choice of these particular videos is associated with a high degree of their representativeness. The empirical basis is the content of the comments on the MK, reflecting the viewer's reception, since, in our opinion, the narrator touches on everyday human problems.

The research methodology is based primarily on the narrative analysis of repetitive matrix elements, which were identified by V.Y. Propp during the study of the organization of the fairy tale narrative 13, 18].

Let's list the invariant functions justified by V.Ya. Propp on fairy-tale material: Absenteeism, prohibition, violation of the ban, intelligence of the antagonist, giving out information, trick, complicity, sabotage (shortage), mediation, incipient opposition, sending, the first function of the donor, the hero's reaction to the actions of the future donor, receiving a magic remedy, moving to another kingdom, struggle, branding, victory, elimination of trouble or shortage, return, pursuit, salvation, unrecognized arrival, unreasonable claims, difficult task, solution, recognition, denunciation, transfiguration, punishment, wedding, accession ^{[15, p. 26]}.

When constructing a compositional narrative, the narrator does not use all matrix elements, but their repeatability on different platforms proves the fixed structure of motivating content (see the practical part of the study) ^{[3, p. 240]}.

Let's turn to the analysis of the materials of the You-Tube video platform:

The first video contains information about millionaire Grant Cardona, a man gives advice for transforming his own thinking. "Learn to think like a millionaire - Grant Cardon is the motivation for success" ^[14].

1. First of all, we consider the narrative structure of the material, which includes fabulous narratives and consistent disclosure of the plot:

- "Guys, my name is Evan, and I believe in you, in this channel. Today we will learn from the best, with you Grand Cardon and his advice on how to succeed in life, be my mentor, Grand." This remark contains the motif of "denunciation", suggesting an active story about the hero before the beginning of the narrative itself.

- "Thoughts are large-scale. Any mother wants to protect her children, and I protested. My mother taught me not to talk to strangers, and I wanted to communicate with everyone, I watched my father communicate with everyone. My mother taught me not to draw too much attention to myself, and I wanted to become famous, my mother told me to be happy with what you have." The following excerpt shows how the main character's thinking was formed in childhood. Here the viewer can notice such motives as "prohibition" and "violation of the prohibition".

- "Be happy that you are healthy, be happy that you are surrounded by loving people, now I am happily married and have two wonderful children, and my wife understands well that I could never be satisfied with just having a marriage and children." The main character begins to perceive these people as magical givers who help him move towards his goal on a daily basis. This passage reflects the motives of "the appearance of the magic giver", "the actions of the future giver".

"When I was ten years old, my father worked every single day to provide for the family. A good family, a middle-class family. We had food, a roof over our heads and some insurance money, but it wasn't enough, if it was enough, then my mother wouldn't have to sell the house and dreams." Next, the man talks about his starting positions. He raises topics that are expressed in the motives of "the intrigues of the antagonist", "a difficult task".

"I've known millionaires who lived as if they were in need, they didn't spend the money they had because they were worried that they might go bankrupt in the future. Make a list of things, because many of them are your mental attitudes, make a list of what poor people do, what they have entered into their subconscious." In this part, the narrator, using the example of the main character, shows how to move towards your own goal. The man raises the topic of "struggle".

- "Work on yourself, I was arrested once for a fight, there were moments in my life when I treated myself worse than anyone else. For the last few years, I have been doing only one thing: I am working on self-knowledge and self-development." Here, the "transfiguration" motif shows how the main character begins to change, to become a professional.

"Every single day I do something that I absolutely don't want to do. I have no idea who these people are spreading these ideas, maybe they inherited their business or it was someone's gift. Personally, I want to say that if you don't do what you absolutely don't want to do, then your business will never prosper, and you won't be able to keep it. You don't just have to love your job, you have to be obsessed." The story ends with the motifs "struggle" and "victory". These narratives are the final ones in the narration of both fairy tales and motivating content.

"If you're poor, then what's the point of taking a weekend break if you're barely making ends meet." The narration ends with the instruction of the main character, he has moved into a new hypostasis, now he can give advice. The "accession" motif.

2. Therefore, we can distinguish a narrative chain of matrices based on the plot of the material: denunciation-prohibition-violation of the prohibition-the first appearance of the magic donor-reaction to the actions of the future donor-the machinations of the antagonist-a difficult task-struggle-transfiguration-struggle-victory-accession.

3. The use of the above-mentioned narratives is supported by a specific presentation of the material. The narrator's speech contains various means of expression, tropes and constructions that are grammatically unrelated to the members of sentences:

Appeal: "Guys, my name is Evan...", "Be my mentor, Grand";

Motivational tips: be happy, work on yourself, think big;

Phraseology: making ends meet;

Metaphor: Sell dreams;

4. All the above-mentioned patterns of motivating content are revealed by the author in a conversational style of speech, which sets the viewer up for a confidential conversation in a commentating environment.

5. In the commentary environment, you can notice the reception of the viewer. Motivating content inspires trust, which is reflected in the following messages:

- "Grant is a handsome man! A dude with incredible energy! At his seminars, he just blows the roof off the hall!" - @Michalych65.

- "Of all the motivators of the video that I've seen, Grant is the most honest. He does not use vanilla phrases, immediately explains the truthfulness of the statement, and calls for decisive action. He immediately says that in order to achieve a result, you need to work hard. When I had financial problems a year ago, his book helped me cope. Well, not only his book honestly, I drew a lot of information. But it was his philosophy that pushed me. So I can say from my experience that Grant says sensible things," @AlpinWeb.

Thus, the narrative organization of the video corresponds to the canonical structure of a fairy tale, but it also includes means of artistic expression, tropes and constructions that are not grammatically related to the members of sentences, which are fully revealed in the colloquial style of speech. All these features are probably chosen by the narrator to maintain a confidential conversation and the comfort of the viewer.

The second video tells the story of Jason Statham's formation. "Motivation from Jason Statham | Tips from a Hollywood actor ^[12].

1. The narrative structure of the second video is repeated, the plot matrices used in the construction of a fairy tale are also found in the motivating content:

- "He did not immediately become a highly paid actor, before his acting career he was engaged in trading watches and jewelry on the street." The story also begins with the "denunciation" motif, suggesting a story about the achievements of the main character.

- "Before his acting career, he was engaged in trading watches and jewelry on the street. Don't stop, keep going no matter how bad you feel, don't give up, even if you don't achieve the desired results, keep doing your job to the end." The next part continues the development of the plot and shows what starting opportunities the man had before appearing on the screens, the motive of "shortage".

- "Many people, after seeing your result, will try to express a negative, if there is nothing good to say, then it is better to keep silent." Next, the main character encounters the antagonist of his story, we isolate the motive of the "intrigues of the antagonist".

- "You force yourself to do what makes you afraid, when you prove to yourself that you can do it, then your confidence increases, as a result of which you experience very pleasant emotions and become morally stronger." In this story, the hero is involved in the struggle to further achieve his own goal, the motive of the "struggle".

"Don't miss the moment. Sometimes you find yourself in the right place at the right time and, of course, you meet the right person and that's when all the doors open for you." The narrator does not exclude the appearance of people who are able to help achieve the goal. The motifs "the first appearance of the magic giver" and "receiving the magic remedy" are shown here.

- "You can say that up to the age of 32 I was an ordinary conman, I hardly thought that my life could change dramatically, and my life changed dramatically after meeting with filmmaker Guy Ritchie." Next, the hero changes his location, which indicates the development and movement of the plot. The motives are "moving to another kingdom" and "actions of the future donor".

- "Jason is almost 53 years old, but he is in excellent physical shape, the actor does not hide that he used to allow himself what is forbidden, but he began to train normally." The story ends with the standard motivating content motifs "victory" and "accession".

2. Consequently, the plot narrative develops into a narrative chain: exposure-shortage-the machinations of the antagonist-struggle-the first appearance of the magic donor-receiving a magic remedy-moving to another kingdom-the actions of the donor-victory-accession.

3. The persuasiveness of the narrator is supported by the following insertion constructions, means of expression and tropes:

Metaphor: all doors open;

Phraseology: at the right time in the right place;

Motivational tips: "Don't stop, keep going no matter how bad you feel, don't give up, even if you don't achieve the desired results, keep doing your job to the end";

Colloquial speech: life has changed dramatically.

4. These constructions support the image of a positive blogger, which allows you to continue using a conversational style of speech.

5. This is reflected in the commentary environment, where viewers begin to share their own desires and goals:

- "Statem - krasava. I liked him as an actor, when I first saw a movie with his participation, he really inspires me to change," @user-yf5dt2px1m.

- "It depends on the set of qualities of a person, he motivates me, but he is honest and kind, in a small poor country he is unlikely to achieve a million-dollar fortune, although there are plenty of examples," @peaceful3959.

The second analyzed material contains a chain of narrative matrices that reflect the path of becoming the hero of the work, and in the comments you can see messages about the motivation of subscribers.

The third video contains information about Hollywood actor Matthew McConaughey, a man tells his success story. "Young Matthew McConaughey: "I Never Dreamed That I Would Achieve So Much!" ^[11].

1. This story also begins with the introduction of the main character:

In the video, there is a dialogue where the main character is not indicated, but in the description field of the video, the author describes all the achievements of the main character: "Today we will watch an interview with Matthew McConaughey in 1997. He talks about whether he wanted to become an actor, whether he expected success in the film industry and how success affected his life. I hope you enjoyed it! Leave your suggestions and feedback in the comments below the video." As in previous materials, narrators use the motif of "denunciation".

"When you were growing up in Longview, Texas, in the so-called Land of the Pine Forests, did you dream that everything would turn out like this? "No, ma'am... not at all. In Longview...We moved there in the eighties, so I was 10. I've never thought of that. I don't even know what I wanted to do. Before that, I wanted to become a football player, like my father." Continuing the plot, the author reveals the information that in this passage you can see the story of the move and the formation of the personality of the main character. We see the motive of "absence", which implies the relocation of the hero's family.

"We didn't even watch much movies. I wasn't allowed to watch TV or go to the movies." Next, you can notice the already standard use of the motives "prohibition" and "violation of the prohibition".

"So it's always been outside my area of interest. So I never dreamed of it. I probably didn't care what I was going to do in life back then." Then the motive of "incipient opposition" appears in the story, it suggests that the main character begins to grow up, he has to resolve the current situations, even being in a childish position.

"But now you're here. One of the best actors in the country. Did everything go well? - I would say excellent. - Would you change anything? - Would I have changed anything... no. No, I wouldn't change anything." Next, the main characters undergo standard changes, a motive, "transfiguration".

- "Everything went according to the scenario that I would have prescribed. I probably wrote it. And everything turned out wonderfully. I'm learning a lot, and I'm growing. And at the same time I get a lot of pleasure from it." The need to change the location in the story reveals the motive of "moving to another kingdom" and "struggle". It is assumed that a man struggles with certain moments in order to become better.

- "At first, right after the movie "Time to Kill", when the first wave of widespread attention began, it was a little unsettling. When attention goes with such intensity and in such a size, it was necessary not to lose oneself, to maintain one's usual state of mind. Being from Texas, I wanted to keep to myself what I got there." This passage contains the invariant "struggle", the invariant "transfiguration", the invariant "branding", which also indicates the development of the character.

"And now I'm learning to really enjoy the opportunities that come my way." The story ends with the classic "victory" motif.

2. Therefore, on the basis of the above-mentioned narrative, it is possible to determine the narrative chain: denunciation-absence-prohibition-violation of the prohibition-incipient opposition-transfiguration-accession-transfer to another kingdom-struggle-transfiguration-branding-victory.

3. For more persuasiveness, the author uses the following constructions, tropes and means of expression:

A rhetorical question: "Would I change anything...";

Phraseology: unsettling;

Parcel: "I've never thought about that. I don't even know what I wanted to do. Before that, I wanted to become a football player, like my father.";

Colloquial vocabulary: opportunities fall out;

Metaphor: a circle of interests, a wave of attention, opportunities fall out;

4. These features, as in previous materials, are revealed in the colloquial style of speech.

5. This technique works because the audience's commentary environment contains positive statements:

"Thanks for the guidance. I love you. Happiness, health and success to you!" - @user-pr8cm6wn4b.

- "Thank you so much for your help and support," - @luckyman6033.

"My FAVORITE ACTOR! And guess what made me fall in LOVE with him?! When I heard and saw him carrying his OLD DOG in his arms, whose hind legs had failed from old age and illness. He loved him so much that he refused to put him to sleep, but tried to prolong his life as much as possible, helping him in everything!!!!!" - @allamatveeva1703.

Based on the analysis of media production, one can notice a positive reaction and gratitude for the "instructions".

Let's turn to the analysis of the materials of the TikTok short video service:

Consider the first video clip ^[7] posted on TikTok. It contains information about Whitney Wolf, she is the creator of one of the famous dating apps.

1. As in the previous videos, the choice of revealing the plot is obvious:

- "She launched her first business at the age of 19, while still studying, Whitney came up with the design of bamboo bags and founded the charity organization HelpUs, each bag cost $ 24, and she gave the money from the sale to charity." At the beginning of the story, we get to know the main character of the video. The author designates her achievements, which is already indicated by the invariant motif of "denunciation", which involves the glorification of the hero. The viewer may also notice that the heroine plays the role of a benefactor, which can be correlated with the invariants "actions of the future donor" and "accession".

- "In 2011, Wolf moved to Los Angeles and got a job as a marketing manager at the fledgling Tinder company." The author, telling the story, uses the "sending" motif, which is necessary for further narration and disclosure of the main character.

- "By the way, it was Wolf who came up with the name Tinder. However, in 2014, Whitney left the service, citing a stupid attitude, sexual harassment." In the next part of the motivating content, you can see the motives of the "intrigues of the antagonist", "incipient opposition", where the heroine is faced with harassment from management and decides to create her own business.

"Whitney fell into a deep depression, she just burned out. But the head of the Badoo dating service wrote to her and offered her a job." During the narration, the hero is assisted by a magical giver, the motives of "the first appearance of the giver" and "struggle".

- "Whitney refused, but offered to invest in a joint startup Bumble, the exceptional feature of which is that a man cannot write first." The story develops in this passage, which contains the motives of "the actions of the future donor", "moving to another kingdom".

- "The success of the startup exceeded all expectations, in the first month it was downloaded more than 100 thousand times." The standard motive for completing a story is "victory."

- "Today, this application has more than one hundred million users in 150 countries. Whitney Wolf owns 12% of the company, and its share was estimated at 1.6 billion dollars." The narrative that completes the entire narrative is called "enthronement."

2. Based on the above narrative, we can distinguish a chain of narrative matrices: exposure-actions of the future donor (within the framework of exposure)-accession (within the framework of exposure)-dispatch-intrigues of the antagonist-incipient opposition-the first appearance of the donor-struggle-actions of the future donor-moving to another kingdom-victory-accession.

3. The authors of the service also build positive communication with the viewer, there are means of artistic expression, tropes and constructions in their speech:

Colloquial vocabulary: by the way;

Metaphor: A nascent company;

4. The narrator uses a conversational style of speech.

5. This style of presentation does not leave the audience indifferent, which is reflected in the commentary environment:

- "GOOD GIRL, WE NEED TO OPEN OUR OWN BUSINESS" - user67006

- "A strong girl, I want the same success" - Pavel.

Having analyzed the first video of the TikTok service, we can already assert the structural similarity of motivating content. The narrators of the service also use a confidential conversation style to build contact with the audience.

The second video ^[8] contains a story about a famous designer named Philippe Plein.

1. The plot narration of this video is similar to the previous ones:

- "I started working in 1998, my skull with pebbles appeared on clothes in 2002. That's how it all started." At the beginning of the story, the author uses the "denunciation" motif, which also introduces the viewer to the main character of the work.

- "I sold furniture until '99, brought it to famous design exhibitions. And if you Google my furniture on the Internet, you'll see what kind of minimalism I was doing in the beginning." In this passage, we can notice the beginning of the main character's path and the motif of "incipient opposition".

- "No one buys my oversized furniture, and I decided that I would definitely come to the next exhibition with interior accessories, and not drag around with all these tables, armchairs and chairs." Further in the story, the motive of "sending" is revealed, which is necessary for the development of the narrative.

- "I mastered the technology of hot spinning and gluing and began to make Swarovski pillows." The main character begins to make the transition from one state to another, "transfiguration".

"And so I returned to Paris, to the 2001 exhibition, with a pile of pillows in rhinestones, they flew like hot pancakes, because no one made pillows with rhinestones." After gaining a new state, the hero enters a state of struggle, the motive is "struggle", the man begins to create his own brand.

- "Then there was an international furniture exhibition in Cologne, I bought an old vintage army jacket and pasted it on the old ones. At the exhibition, everyone asked me where I got this jacket." Next, an assistant appears in his life who is able to unlock the potential of the hero. "Getting the magic remedy."

"On the second day of the exhibition, I decided to sell it, and then I sold hundreds more of these jackets." The standard ending of the story is the use of the motifs "victory" and "accession".

2. In the course of the narrative, the following narrative chain is built: denunciation-incipient opposition-dispatch-transfiguration-struggle-obtaining a magic remedy-victory-accession.

3. For the greater location of the viewer to himself, the author uses means of expression, trails and various constructions:

Colloquial vocabulary: a pile of pillows, hanging around with all these tables, Google;

Idiom: they spread like pancakes;

Hyperbole: sold a hundred of these jackets;

4. To create a comfortable viewing experience, the author uses a conversational style of speech.

5. After that, the viewer reveals himself in the commentary environment:

"Well, in general, bad taste is trending now, like crows, but his work is sometimes inspiring," user3751.

- "Tell me better how kon got to these exhibitions, I will use such advice," Freia.

"Is he just a furniture maker? How did he do it?" - Freia.

This material also contains the narrative chain necessary to build motivating content.

The third video ^[6] contains information about the business of an Indian who came up with a plan on how to outwit large energy companies.

1. The motivating content of the service with short vertical videos is based on the same principle.

- "This Indian has a fortune of 1 billion dollars. He's a real marketing genius, thanks to one cool idea, he was able to beat companies like Red Bull and Monster." The story begins with the motif of "denunciation". The narrator introduces the viewer to the main character of the work, reveals the main achievements.

- "Look, in 2003 he decided to create an energy drink, there was one huge problem, how could an ordinary person compete with Red Bull?" for the development of the story, the author uses the motif "sending", the main character enters into active actions.

"But he was a smart guy and noticed that some customers didn't drink the energy drink completely. That is, they drink a little bit, and then they throw it away. This gave him the idea to make a jar of a non-standard shape." When faced with a problem, the main character begins to transform, in this passage the motif "difficult task" is used

"He made small jars so that you could drink in one gulp. These cans could be put on the shelf where ordinary energy companies stand, and they could be put on the cash register." Continuing the story, the author resorts to using the motives of "solving a difficult task" and "incipient opposition".

"In order for customers to understand the trick, he called his product "5 hours of extra energy" so that the consumer could immediately see the brand philosophy." The "struggle" motif shows how a man wins over other companies with the help of his ideas.

- "Already in 2012, its annual revenue was $ 1 billion." The standard ending of the story is the victory motif."

- "If you have a cool chip and brains, then in a competitive market, you can stand out and compete with huge giants." Having overcome the troubles, the main character begins to go through changes, this is reflected in the motif of "accession".

2. Thus, it is possible to build the following narrative chain within the framework of the above-described story: denunciation-dispatch-difficult task-solution-struggle-victory-accession.

3. The features of motivating content suggest the narrator's use of various means of artistic expression, tropes and constructions that are grammatically unrelated to the members of the sentence:

Colloquial vocabulary: cool trick, drink in one gulp, he's a smart guy, cool idea, this Indian…;

Metaphor: it gave me an idea;

Appeal: see;

Epithet: a huge problem;

4. When telling this material, the narrator uses a conversational style of speech, which is also an integral feature of MK.

5. The confidential conversation continues in the commentary environment:

"I noticed one thing: these people have all become rich in America. It seems that there are more chances to become rich if you have a head on your shoulders," Vasif-Ali.

- "It's easier than a fruit basket. I also want to do this, but I don't dare yet," - u_r_my_moon.

- "Bro, really cool, thanks," - Likemen.

- "Well done, boy, very masterly, clever!" - Kulsym.

The words of gratitude of the viewer reflect the involvement in motivational videos.

Thus, the uniqueness of motivating content in the media space is obvious, it is connected with the fact that MK, based on the archetypes of a fairy tale, becomes socially significant content. Replacing the initial visit to a psychological specialist, MK is able to evoke a response from the audience, expressed in words of gratitude and motivation. Such a response, apparently, is conditioned by correctly narratively constructed fairy-tale archetypes, which reflect not only the path of formation of the main character of the screen work, but also help to build an approximate plan of action for the viewer to get out of a crisis situation. Being rooted in the culture of fabulous narrative matrices ^{[9, p. 215]} helps the narrator to build contact with subscribers and increase the audience on different media platforms. By involving successful people who have gone through "struggle" and "ascension" in the narrative, the blogger shows that any problem can be overcome. The popularity of such materials is undeniable, since, having an important social function, the viewer is able to adjust the path of his own formation, based on the positive result of a socially approved person.