Sponsored content in the context of short-format SM journalism: an exploratory analysis of GenŞtiri Instagram page

Social media platforms have become central arenas for both journalistic communication and branded advertising, raising pressing questions about transparency, authenticity, and audience trust. This study examines how Gen.Stiri, a Romanian Instagram-native news outlet targeting Generation Z, integrates sponsored content while preserving journalistic conventions. Drawing on a dataset of 220 posts (140 sponsored, 80 non-sponsored) published between March 2023 and July 2024, we conducted a comparative analysis of content features, engagement metrics, and user sentiment. Methods combined automated text analysis of journalistic style, classification of sponsorship categories, and sentiment analysis of both posts and user comments. Our findings reveal two main dynamics. First, non-sponsored posts adhere more consistently to journalistic style and generate stronger engagement, underscoring the difficulty of aligning editorial integrity with commercial imperatives. Second, engagement is shaped less by posting frequency and more by narrative clarity, ethical transparency, and the affective tone of content. Cultural and lifestyle sponsors that preserve authenticity resonate with audiences, while overtly promotional sectors risk undermining trust. These results contribute to debates on journalism ethics in social media contexts, highlighting that sustainable engagement for short-format outlets depends less on volume and more on transparent practices and affective resonance in storytelling.