LECTURE 6 · IN-CLASS TASK
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ONLINE MEDIA STUDIES 6 · WRITING FOR SOCIAL MEDIA

One article.
Three platforms.

The same 40-line news story, rebuilt three times — because a post that works on LinkedIn will die on Instagram.

VARGA DÓRA ESZTER  ·  DEPARTMENT OF MEDIA STUDIES  ·  2026/27 · 1ST SEMESTER
STEP 01 — WHAT WE WERE GIVEN

The brief

SOURCE ARTICLE — NEWS GENRE

“Remote Work Is Changing City Centers:
Offices Empty, Cafés Busy”

A 40-line feature on how remote work reduced office occupancy — hurting some businesses while boosting others, especially local cafés and co-working spaces.

Built on quotes from economists and workers, data from a city report, and a balanced discussion of pros and cons.

Longer, structured text — headline, lead, background, quotes, data, conclusion
Formal, neutral tone
In-depth explanation with multiple sources
−35%
OFFICE OCCUPANCY
TAP
+20%
ONE LOCAL CAFÉ’S SALES
TAP
2
SIDES QUOTED
TAP
THE TASK — SLIDE 25

Create tailored posts for Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn based on this article. Each post must be customised to its platform. In a presentation, conclude by explaining the differences you applied and the reasons behind them — and showcase the three posts.

HOW WE ANSWERED IT

We set the story in Budapest and kept the article’s own numbers, then rebuilt the message for each audience instead of copying one caption three times.

The differences are mapped on the four dimensions from slide 16 — main role & audience, tone & style, content focus, format constraints.

STEP 02 — PICK A PLATFORM

One story, three machines

Each platform rewards a different first second. Open any one to see the post we built for it.

PLATFORM 01 — FACEBOOK

Start with the reader

facebook.com
CD
City Desk
2 hrs · 🌐
Your city centre doesn’t look the way it did five years ago — and your coffee habit is part of the reason. ☕🏢 In Budapest, office occupancy is down 35% since 2020. Neighbourhood cafés? Busier than ever — one told us its sales are up 20%. Not everyone wins, though. The lunch spots and dry cleaners that lived off the 9-to-5 crowd are still struggling. Has your neighbourhood changed since you started working from home? 👇
👍 ❤️ 😮 2.1K318 comments · 94 shares
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Comment
Share

DESIGN CHOICES

Hover a line to light up the matching part of the post. Click it for the full note.

LENGTH ~110 wordsHASHTAGS noneCTA comment
PLATFORM 02 — INSTAGRAM

The picture is the headline

CD
citydesk
Budapest
Split illustration: empty office floor above, busy cafe below
♡💬✈⚑
1,842 likes
citydeskOffices emptier. Cafés busier. ☕🏢 Remote work didn’t empty Budapest — it moved it. Office occupancy is down 35%, while one neighbourhood café’s sales are up 20%. We spoke to economists, office workers and the people behind the counter about where the 9-to-5 crowd actually went. Full story at the link in bio 👆 Desk or café today? 👇 #RemoteWork #CityLife #FutureOfWork #HybridWork #Budapest

DESIGN CHOICES

The visual carries the argument; the caption only repeats it. Click the image to zoom it.

LENGTH ~70 wordsHASHTAGS 5CTA link in bio
PLATFORM 03 — LINKEDIN

Lead with the argument

linkedin.com
CD
City Desk
Independent newsroom · 12,480 followers
3 hrs · 🌐
Remote work didn’t empty the city centre. It redistributed it. Budapest’s latest city report puts office occupancy 35% below 2020 levels — while neighbourhood cafés and co-working spaces report record footfall. One café’s sales are up 20%. The pattern matches what labour economists have argued for two years: hybrid work doesn’t destroy demand, it relocates it — from business districts to residential streets. The planning question is now unavoidable: are our city centres designed for commuters, or for residents? Full analysis: citydesk.hu/remote-work-city-centres #UrbanPlanning #FutureOfWork #HybridWork
👍 💡 ❤️ 34742 comments · 18 reposts
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Comment
Repost
Send

DESIGN CHOICES

This audience wants the insight before the story. Hover a line to light up the post.

LENGTH ~90 wordsHASHTAGS 3CTA read the analysis
STEP 03 — THE FOUR DIMENSIONS (SLIDE 16)

Same story, three jobs

Switch a dimension to see how each platform handles it.

STEP 04 — WHAT WE ACTUALLY CHANGED

Six deliberate differences

Open any card for the full reasoning.

STEP 05 — THE PRESENTATION

What to say out loud

Five beats. Open one for the fuller line.

The source is a 40-line news feature — long, neutral, multi-source. Our job was to compress it into three posts without losing the data or the balance. We set it in Budapest and kept the two numbers the article gave us: minus 35% occupancy, plus 20% for one café. TIP Say the numbers out loud early — it signals the work is reported, not invented.
Didn’t empty the city centre — redistributed it. Then close on a question a planner can actually answer. TIP This audience rewards a thesis they can argue with.
Your city centre doesn’t look the way it did five years ago. Keep the losing side in, then end by asking for a personal story. TIP Comments are the distribution mechanism on Facebook.
Empty office above, busy café below. Caption stays short, the link moves to the bio, five hashtags do the distributing. TIP If the picture needs a caption to work, the picture is wrong.
One article became an argument, a neighbourhood conversation and a picture — and the differences follow the four dimensions on slide 16: audience, tone, content focus, format. TIP End on the framework. It shows the choices were systematic, not accidental.

IF THE TEACHER ASKS “WHY IS IT GOOD?”

Use the four checks from slides 9–12: relevance to a defined audience, perceived value, authenticity, consistency — plus an explicit call to action and a platform-native format.

THE END OF THE WALKTHROUGH

Three posts. One story.

Tailoring isn’t decoration.
It’s the whole assignment.

REFERENCES — APA 7
Varga, D. E. (2026). Online media studies 6: Writing for social media [Lecture slides]. Department of Media Studies.
Varga, D. E. (2026). Online media studies: Description and syllabus (BN-ONMEST-04-GY, 2026/27/1). Department of Media Studies.
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