Visibility dependence and format mismatch: Legacy media adaptation to platform logics

Social media platforms create visibility dependence for legacy media, where algorithmic metrics—not institutional authority—mediate audience access. This mixed-methods study (survey N=623, observation N=260 posts/6 outlets, interviews n=8) examines adaptation constraints in Greece. Findings reject generational disengagement: low engagement/trust persists across ages, driven by format mismatch cross media types, with markedly higher platform alignment in online and radio outlets than in television and print, and hybrid workflows. Triangulation reveals multi-level misalignments: audiences perceive formality, observation shows repurposing dominance, organisations cite resource limits. Legacy media thus face effort–return decoupling under platform logics. Media business contributions: (1) Cross-generational format mismatch as core constraint; (2) Hybrid strategies from path-dependent capabilities; (3) Imperative for platform-selective adaptation matching organisational strengths. Small-market Greece illuminates scale effects generalisable globally.