Screen and Digital Media

Screen and digital media encompass a vast array of technologies and practices through which images, sound, text and interactive experiences are created, distributed and consumed. From the long-standing dominance of cinema and television screens, the landscape has rapidly shifted to on-demand streaming services, social-media platforms and immersive interfaces such as augmented reality headsets. Key developments include the rise of participatory viewing—where audiences not only watch but actively comment, share and monetise content—and the deployment of algorithms that shape what appears on our screens, influencing both production choices and cultural trends. Advances in sensor technology and haptic feedback are extending screen experiences beyond sight and sound, exploring scent, gesture and touch as new channels for engagement. Globalised access to affordable hardware and ubiquitous broadband has turned screens into everyday portals for education, commerce, entertainment and social connection, while also raising questions about equity, mental health, privacy and the sustainability of content ecosystems.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Analyses of large-scale data from a leading live-streaming platform reveal extreme disparities in creator earnings and viewership. A small elite of broadcasters capture the lion’s share of attention and revenue by diversifying monetisation channels and cultivating enduring communities, whereas niche streamers, though supported by platform features, struggle to scale their audiences.

A study of e-sports live-stream viewers, drawing on self-determination theory, finds that intrinsic motivations—such as enjoyment, identification with players and the thrill of competition—are the primary drivers of prolonged engagement. Extrinsic incentives alone fail to sustain viewing, and may even undermine enthusiasm when introduced alongside intrinsic motives.

In the realm of immersive interfaces, researchers have demonstrated that integrating precisely synchronised scent cues into augmented-reality headsets significantly enhances users’ sense of presence, emotional immersion and memory retention. These findings point towards a multisensory future for metaverse-style applications, leveraging smell as a critical component of deeper virtual experiences.

Research from all publishers

Reverse-engineering of a major streaming service’s recommendation engine has exposed how algorithmic taste-making not only personalises user suggestions but also feeds back into commissioning decisions. Certain genres and formats gain disproportionate support, reinforcing viewer profiles and shaping production slates in a self-perpetuating loop.

Analysis of millions of social-media posts shows that K-pop fandom networks became unexpectedly powerful vectors for public-health messaging during the COVID-19 crisis. Hashtags anchored in popular idols generated vastly more engagement than official health-agency tweets, reaching under-served regions through parasocial bonds and fan-driven diffusion.

Case studies of TikTok’s rapid expansion into South Korea illustrate a model of “platformed glocalization” in which the app tailored its features, labour practices and promotional events to align closely with local entertainment norms. Collaborations with K-pop stars and fan communities highlight how global platforms can co-create markets by embedding vernacular cultural codes.

Screen and Digital Media publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in screen and digital media across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Streaming platform: A digital service that delivers audio–visual content in real time over the internet, often supported by subscription or advertising models.

Augmented reality (AR): Technology that overlays digital information—visuals, audio or other sensory cues—onto the physical environment to enrich user perception.

Self-determination theory: A psychological framework distinguishing intrinsic from extrinsic motivations and examining how they influence sustained engagement and well-being.

Parasocial engagement: A one-sided emotional bond audiences form with media personalities or content, which can drive online sharing and collective action.

Recommender system: An algorithmic tool that analyses user behaviour and preferences to suggest personalised content and influence discovery patterns.

References

1. Monetization in online streaming platforms: an exploration of inequalities in Twitch.tv. Scientific Reports (2023).
2. Exploring e-sports fans’ motivation for watching live streams based on self-determination theory. Scientific Reports (2024).
3. Advances in olfactory augmented virtual reality towards future metaverse applications. Nature Communications (2024).
4. Algorithms and taste-making: Exposing the Netflix Recommender System's operational logics. Convergence The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies (2021).
5. Parasocial diffusion: K-pop fandoms help drive COVID-19 public health messaging on social media. Online Social Networks and Media (2023).
6. K-pop TikTok: TikTok's expansion into South Korea, TikTok Stage, and platformed glocalization. Media International Australia (2023).