The transition from MTV to digital social networks has transformed how music videos are produced and consumed. Olivia Rodrigo’s 2023 music video “Vampire” provides a compelling example.

TikTok users quickly embraced the video’s gothic imagery, unexpected plot points, and memorable moments, inspiring thousands of fan edits, and dance challenges. The video’s iconic sequences and choreography became instantly identifiable templates for short-form content, with users adding their unique interpretations, often layered with humor, irony, or personal commentary, in addition to replicating the dance moves. This viral momentum shows how audiences are constantly reimagining and sharing music video aesthetics online, rather than being limited to their original format.

Unlike the passive viewing of MTV-era videos, today’s audiences actively participate, remixing, lip-syncing, and sharing content across platforms (Vernallis, 2022). Through features like duets, stitches, and trending audio clips, platforms such as TikTok enable fans to directly interact with the music video, blurring the lines between audience and creator. This participatory culture not only extends the lifespan of the original video, but also amplifies its cultural impact by embedding it within a network of user-generated content and global trends.

This participatory culture blurs the boundaries between artist and fan, and the music video becomes a modular, evolving text shaped by its audience. User-driven interpretations and viral challenges can even influence how the song is perceived, leading to new waves of popularity or reinterpretation. As Jenkins and Green (2023) argue, platforms like TikTok have redefined music video success: virality, meme-ability, and user engagement now matter as much as production value. The metrics of success have shifted from broadcast ratings and sales to shares, likes, and remixes, making audience participation a central element of a song’s trajectory.

Overall, “vampire” demonstrates how the social media ecosystem has revolutionized the music video, making it more interactive, participatory, and influential than ever before. The collaborative relationship between creator and audience transforms the music video from a finished product into an ongoing cultural event, continually reshaped and reinterpreted through digital engagement.

Sichen Liu 33775722

References
Jenkins, H., & Green, J. (2023). Participatory Culture: Social Media, Music, and Power (2nd ed.). Polity Press.
Vernallis, C. (2022). Music Videos in the Age of TikTok: From Narrative to Meme. Popular Music and Society, 45(2), 140–157.
“Olivia Rodrigo – vampire (Official Video).” (2023). YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlPNh_PBZb4&list=RDRlPNh_PBZb4&start_radio=1