The Mountaineer’s recent TikTok video got its most liked video of all time with 15,000 likes and 233,000 views, and 76 new followers–and it’s still growing.

The shsnews TikTok account is managed by seniors Katelyn Pantinople, ’25, and Morgan Tucker, ’25, who are responsible for creating original content, sharing Mountaineer Newspaper content, and building site engagement with our readers. On March 28, this successful five-second video was a part of their recent weekly series of TikTok videos counting down the remaining Fridays for the Class of 2025. Recently, another video from this series, from March 7, is following closely with 121,000 views, and it has garnered 96 new followers. Tucker says she chose to work on the social media team and with TikTok because”it’s fun and creative.”

Tucker explained she wanted to make a video for seniors because she noticed how fast the days seemed to be passing, and said, “It’s a reminder for seniors to enjoy these last few moments of high school.”

Pantinople had this to say about why social media is important in the current state of the world: “Networking through social media is important because it allows people to connect globally, share ideas, and collaborate easily.”

Last month, our social media teams for both Instagram and TikTok joined forces to compete for journalism’s Student News Online Audience Engagement Award.  The Instagram team of Georgie English, ’26, Zsani Findley, ’25, and the TikTok team of Tucker and Pantinople set out to create 30 consecutive days of new video content, get 5000 page views, and 1000 new visitors. Last month, social media earned its Audience Engagement Award.

“Social media is a great tool for journalism because of its immediacy and wide reach. It allows journalists to share breaking news and interact with younger audiences who may not engage with traditional outlets like the news,” expressed Pantinople.

Overall, social media is used as a valuable tool for journalists to reach out to people worldwide. And at the blink of an eye, you can receive vital information from anywhere on the planet. And for journalists, it’s a good way for people to connect with each other and portray their skills.

“For the newspaper and Stroudsburg, viral social media content can attract new readers or followers, which is beneficial for growth. It also shows that the paper is modern and relevant in a digital age,” Pantinople added.