Designing engagement with purpose

In the Change-Centric model, platforms aren’t just distribution channels — they’re tools for strategic connections. Every engagement effort should clarify two things: what is this story for, and who is it for? When platforms are used with intention, engagement efforts create feedback loops that reveal what audiences find valuable, and why. 

This reflects a classic design principle: form follows function. Or, in journalistic terms, format should serve purpose and not just aesthetics or trends. The latter has become a trap in digital journalism that can lead to wasted resources and team efforts that are not rewarded with the expected outcomes.  

At El Surti, the “form follows function” principle reshaped how we reached our core audience: young people in urban Paraguay. After Facebook’s pivot to video in 2017 failed to deliver results – partly due to limited bandwidth – we created a lighter, more accessible format: scrollytelling.³⁰ It preserved our visual journalism style, but gave readers more depth without sacrificing usability. 

 Sometimes, engagement is a pathway to greater impact. Other times, it’s the impact itself.³¹ In Portugal, Catarina Carvalho’s Mensagem de Lisboa is openly committed to improving life in the capital city. Beyond publishing, they host public gatherings and artistic interventions in the city. “It’s about proximity,” Carvalho explained. “We want to share with people.”

³⁰ Fundación Gabo. (2020). El Surtidor: scrollytelling for in-depth journalism. Retrieved from https://fundaciongabo.org/es/blog/laboratorios-periodismo-innovador/el-surtidor-scrollytelling-depth-journalism

³¹ Napoli, P. (2014). Measuring media impact. An overview of the field. The Lear Center.