Investigating the Role of Visual Storytelling in Enhancing Audience Engagement in Digital Journalism

Abstract

The rise of digital media has fundamentally changed the way news is consumed, making audience engagement a critical success factor for news outlets. But in an age of information overload, traditional story-based journalism often struggles to capture and hold readers’ attention. This study examines the role of visual storytelling in increasing audience engagement with digital media, addressing the problem of readers not interacting with online content. The ultimate goal is to examine how various visual media—such as infographics, video, and interactive graphics—influence audience attention, retention, and engagement. Using a mixed methods approach, including case studies, audience research, and engagement metrics, the study found that infographics and data visualization provided when telling a visual story in articles, social media engagement, and user engagement increased significantly Time on page was shown to increase by up to 50%, while emotional visual evocative stimuli such as images and video increased audience engagement by 70% The findings highlight the potential of visual storytelling to transform digital media through engaging, memorable and interactive content. The study recommended that news organizations invest in visual storytelling to ensure ethical reporting and accessibility, and position themselves for future innovations such as AI, AR and VR.