Influencers and celebrity culture: blog tasks

 Influencers and celebrity culture: blog tasks

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"?

amateurs – rather than professionals inside of established gate-keeping broadcasting institutions

– can now become producers of global media content. The YouTube platform has democratised media creativity, with ordinary users uploading their own content:

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

YouTube influencers encourage the spread of US cultural references, language and attitudes. This form of globalisation implies a dominance of Western cultural attitudes. "The West vs the rest"

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. Which ultimately influences their audience to buy the products.

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

The vlog is a highly self-reflexive media form. This postmodern self- consciousness involves breaking the fourth wall by revealing the ‘nuts and bolts’ of video shooting and editing. Jean Baudrillard called these fake representations of reality ’hyperreality’.  For him, the artificial reality is more real to modern screen-centred audiences than authentic reality but how far do consumers of massively successful vloggers such as Zoella or PewDiePie – who at this stage in their careers are creating videos as part of their job rather than as an authentic expression of themselves – still understand that what they are seeing is hyperreality, a constructed version of the authentic?

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

Internet-based media is notoriously hard to regulate and control. Sonia Livingstone and Peter Lunt point out that there is a dilemma about whether to permit freedom of speech in the online space or regulate it, to protect the public.

The content of viral video clips is often subversive, the mode of address is informal. This raises

 the question of age suitability and availability to younger audiences. 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 are viewing. - Bandura's "copycat" theory.

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

A strong argument is that a primary role of the media is to deliver audiences to advertisers. YouTube, and its owner Google, rely on advertising for their substantial earnings and arguably, celebrity vloggers act as a promotional vehicle for advertisers and commercial sponsors. In a phrase: it’s all about clicks. So, this supports the ideas of both David 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?

David Gauntlett asserts that online media encourages ordinary users to experiment with other personas, projecting identity as multiple and fluid.  There are many and varied YouTubers to choose from, allowing audiences to see different ways of being and different points of view.

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?   

I think that celebrity influencers are mostly a positive and democratic addition to the contemporary media landscape as it takes some sort of autonomy from the elite in society and gives more opportunity to those who ultimately need it.

However,  some celebrity influencers are a highly constructed products that are used to promote capitalist ideals. This is because they convince their young audiences to perpetuate their luxurious, unattainable lifestyles when that is far from reality.

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. 

Although some celebrity social media accounts might seem like random musings and updates, others are centered around specific promotions, shout-outs and announcements. For example, it’s probably safe to say that this tweet from Harry Styles was actually written by Styles himself. 'i pledge miniature tacos for all.'

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

Much like a distinct brand voice helps companies stand out from the crowd, the same can be said for the tone and personality of a celebrity on social media. Chrissy Teigen might be the best example of someone with a distinct, consistent social brand. Teigen’s off-the-cuff and often humorous tweets often don’t feel like they were written by a celebrity at all. Her human approach to social has made her all the more endearing and relatable to her millions of followers. Meanwhile, someone like Mark Ruffalo adopts a more subtle tone while posting the sort of behind-the-scenes content we’d see from a celebrity account.

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

Here’s more from insight from Chan on how marketers achieve a celebrity’s voice:

“To get the best results for managing several social accounts, our team plans a meeting with management and artists face to face to discuss the tone and how they prefer the accounts to be taken care of.

Some artists are very hands-on with day-to-day posts and content, whereas some prefer the social team to dive in and assist with copy and branding.

To make sure we get the best results and stay consistent with the artist’s voice, we send out copy for any social posts in advance to be approved by management.”

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

News, updates and hype posts, “Slice of life” content, Behind-the-scenes content, “Celebrity” snapshots, Heartwarming and inspirational content.

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

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. Ideals of physical perfection were also said to be driven by celebrity culture, with 58% of 11 to 16-year-olds identifying it as the main influence.

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

Dr Bernadka Dubicka, the chair of the child and adolescent faculty at the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said last year: “There is a growing crisis in children and young people’s mental health, and in particular a gathering crisis in mental distress and depression among girls and young women.”

Dubicka said social media such as Snapchat and Instagram “can be damaging and even destructive” to girls’ mental wellbeing. “There’s a pressure for young people to be involved 24/7 and keep up with their peer group or they will be left out and socially excluded.”

Social media use has also contributed to a increasing sleep deprivation among young people, which could both be a symptom of mental illness and also raise the risk of it developing, she added.

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. 

I think that social media is dangerous to young people because it perpetuates unattainable lifestyles and expectations that young people are so desperate to conform to. This will definitely have damaging effects on their mental health so i do agree that age restrictions should be put in place. However, social media shouldn't be regulated because it takes some power away from people and gives it to the government, making it easier for us to be susceptible to fake news. 

More recently, Elon Musk, owner of X has said he will ban the words "decolonisation", "from the river to the sea" and similar euphemisms because they imply genocide. This is a clear example of an elite trying to control the narrative and ultimately conceal the truth. Expressing freedom and liberation from an apartheid state is not hate speech. Western media is corrupt beyond repair.