Influencers and celebrity culture

 1) Media Magazine reading

Media Magazine 72 has a feature linking YouTube influencers to A Level media theories. Go to our Media Magazine archive, click on MM72 and scroll to page 60 to read the article ‘The theory of everything - using YouTubers to understand media theory’. Answer the following questions:

1) How has YouTube "democratised media creativity"?

As ordinary users are uploading their own content: they are the 'produsers' (producer-users) and 'prosumers' (producer-consumers). Content is published first and then filtered or judged by audiences later.

2) How does YouTube and social media culture act as a form of cultural imperialism or 'Americanisation'? 

Not all famous YouTubers, like Emma Chamberlain, are American but Americans certainly make up the majority. The universality of the English language undoubtedly plays an important part here. We could argue that YouTube influencers encourage the spread of US cultural references, language and attitudes. This form of globalisation implies a dominance of Western cultural attitudes (cultural hegemony).

3) How do influencers reinforce capitalist ideologies? 

Most globally popular youtubers also promote materialism and consumption. Once they become successful, YouTube stars are often sponsored by commercial companies and become endorsers of products. Their posts illustrate the commercialisation or commodification of entertainment which, although in some ways more honest and explicitly done than the subtle product placement of the past, still channels audiences into conformist ways of thinking and behaving, encouraging them to buy products and aspire towards material improvement.

4) How can YouTube and social media celebrity content be read as postmodern, an example of hyperreality? 

Typical youtuber videos tend to subvert the codes and conventions of traditional cinematography. They use techniques such as handheld camera, cartoon-like captions and sounds, crash zooms into extreme close-ups jump-cuts and other obvious editing devices which emphasise the artificiality of their film-making. This post-modern self-consciousness involves breaking the 4th wall by revealing the 'nuts and bolts' of video shooting and editing.

5) What are the arguments for and against regulating online content such as YouTube?

Livingstone and Lunt point out that there is a dilemma about whether to permit freedom of speech in the online space or to regulate it, to protect the public. It is difficult to restrict access to such sites to younger children who may be more impressionable and less able to distance themselves critically and emotionally from what they're viewing. Bandura's work in the 1960s claimed that there was a link between media content and the imitative 'copycat' behaviour.

6) How can Hesmondhalgh and Curran & Seaton's ideas be linked to online media debates? 

It supports the ideas of Hesmondhalgh and Curran and Seaton that the cultural industries are driven by corporate power and the pursuit of profit. When enormous conglomerates, like Google and Facebook buy up platforms and apps that were previously their competitors, they become leaders in the market and leave little room for independence, individualism and democracy.

7) How can Gauntlett's ideas around identity and audience be applied to YouTube and influencer content?

Gauntlett asserts that online media encourages ordinary users to experiment with other personas, projecting identity as multiple and fluid. There are many varied YouTubers to choose from, allowing audiences to see different ways of being and different points of view. The attraction of many Youtubers to younger audiences is that they see themselves reflected in their youtube heroes.

8) What is YOUR opinion on celebrity influencers? Are they a positive, democratic addition to the contemporary media landscape or a highly constructed product promoting hegemonic capitalist ideologies?   

In my opinion, I think that celebrity influencers are both a positive, democratic addition to the contemporary media landscape and a highly constructed product promoting hegemonic capitalist ideologies. This is because

2) How to build a social media brand: case study

Read this excellent case study on how to build a celebrity social media brand and answer the following questions: 

1) What are the different ways celebrities manage their social media accounts? Give examples.

Some celebrities take charge of their own social media account and are comfortable in sharing all the content created by the label or themselves. Whereas, there are also some celebrities who prefer the label to post only marketing assets on their behalf. An example of this is Harry Styles, where his social media management represent a sort of balancing act between marketers and their clients, there's always an aspect of business.

2) Why is 'voice' important in celebrity social media content and what examples are provided? 

Having a 'voice' is important in celebrity social media content as it significantly helps to create a distinct brand voice that helps companies/celebrities stand out from the crowd. An example of this is Chrissy Teigen as her humorous tweets don't often feel like they were written by a celebrity at all. Her human approach to social media has made her more endearing and relatable to all of her followers.

3) What different goals may celebrities have for their social media accounts? 

Some celebrities prefer to be very active and post content everyday, whereas, some celebrities prefer to have their social team to dive in and assist with copy and branding.

4) What types of content can be found from celebrity social media posts? 

The types of content that can be found from celebrity social media posts are things such as news, updates, hype posts, behind-the-scenes content, everyday life content and inspirational content.

5) How does social media allow influencers to interact with fans? Give examples.  

Social media allows influencers to interact with fans by giving them a platform to like their comments, retweet, answering their questions and responding to DMs.

3) Guardian article: Social media harming young people

Finally, read this Guardian article reporting that social media and celebrity culture is harming young people. Answer the following questions:

1) What did the YMCA's report suggest about social media content and celebrity culture?  

The youth charity YMCA spoke to more than 1,000 young people aged between 11 and 16. They found that 62% of 15 to 16-year-olds felt that social media had ramped up expectations over their personal appearance. Photoshopped images and the sharing of only the most flattering shots shifted young people’s understanding of what a normal body looked like, the charity said.

2) What examples are provided of how this can have a damaging effect on young people? 

Hatton said: “Today’s beauty standard is completely unobtainable, leading us to constantly feel bad about our bodies and looks. This is particularly the case for young people and it can have serious effects on their mental and physical wellbeing. Increasing numbers of academic studies have found that mental health problems have soared among girls over the past decade, coinciding with the period in which young people’s use of social media has exploded.

3) What is YOUR opinion on this topic? Do you feel social media is dangerous to young people? Should age restrictions be enforced? Explain your answer.

In my opinion, I feel like social media is not dangerous for young people as it is a platform that enables them to communicate to people, express themselves and meet new people. However, I also think that it might be better to age restrict some things for young people as it can have a seriously damaging effect on their mental health. Although, adding an age restriction to some thing son social media may not even work as almost everything is easily accessible via the internet which means that it won't do much other than making a bit more difficult in accessing that content.