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"?

 

Audiences are able to upload content onto youtube meaning they become producers and this content is only partially regulated by youtube but mainly by the audience.

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

 

Strong values from american culture and also a predominant usage of the english language are forms of cultural imperialism.

3) How do influencers reinforce capitalist ideologies? 

 

Capitalist ideologies such as consumerism and materialism are promoted through influencers via their expensive items.

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

 

What audiences think are real and atainable lifestyles/results are actually constructed by content producers for financial gains.

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

 

The online space should be public and free for everyone to use without the threat of censorship whereas if content is not regulated it could become a bad influence for kids.

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

They suggest the idea that cultural industries attempt to appeal to audiences by having debates but the end goal is to generate profit. This can be seen by conglomerates buying other companies such as amazon purchasing ring ect.

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

When audiences view the content they may aspire to be like the influencers or inturn create character traits in which they adopt personalities from influencers.

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 believe that most of them are negative towards audiences as they drive towards extrapolating money from them rather than sharing positive messages. They also act different in reality versus on screen which can be used to support hyperreality theory however this reveals further that they have created fake personalities which are viewed and again this can be harmful for audiences.

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. 

 

Frequent posts are created by celebrities in order to engage with their audiences and this can be seen by Harry Styles who said "I pledge miniature tacos for all.". This is a tactic used to relate to the audience further which helps him to generate more views and inturn more money.

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

 

Voice helps celebrities become more relatable and "real" to their audiences and an example can be seen through Mark Ruffalo as he can be seen taking a more political approach to his posts.

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

 

For example Zendaya pursues actively about charitiy events that are happening.

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

 

Lifestyle updates, Inspirational content, BTS content ect

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

 

Opinions can be heard and asked for, DMs can take place and also questionaires or shoutouts.

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 report says that  "They found that 62% of 15 to 16-year-olds felt that social media had ramped up expectations over their personal appearance." meaning that expectations did not meet reality and the audiences were fed a false reality.

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

 

One example is that Snapchat and Instagram could be possibly damaging and even destructive to young girls wellbeing. This is due to the constant pressure on young people to be involved 24/7.

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 feel like there should be restrictions from parents on young people because being on social media especially in the present age where this alot of toxic drama and a constant need to stand out from one another that by having reduced exposure to social media platforms such as snapchat peoples mental health especially young people would improve significantly.