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"?

Ordinary users upload their own content: they are ‘producers’ and ‘consumers’. Content is published first and then filtered 

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

A majority of influencers and/or online culture are American based, which is the hegemonic influence spread around social media

3) How do influencers reinforce capitalist ideologies? 

They  do this  through promoting goods and services to their audiences

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

form. This postmodern self- consciousness involves breaking the fourth 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?

It's important to regulate things so younger audiences  cant be  as affected or feel the direct  effect of the negative aspects of the internet , but on the other hand it may be seen as censorship or removal of free speech.

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

both David Hesmondhalgh's and Curran and Seaton's ideas are reinforced that the Media  are driven by brands  and different industries.

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

YouTube and social media are driven by community and people do they can share their life's.

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, they're are a positive addition; they provide a voice from someone more "familiar" than a typical celebrity, which reinforces the idea of free speech and freedom in general in the internet. But they can promote rubbish sometimes aswell.

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. 

They usually are in control, tweeting things themselves; but sometimes their managers take over to promote things,

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

It helps  companies stand out from the crowd and the same can be said for  celebrity's

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.

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

some celebrity's have different goals such as mark Ruffalo  as  Ruffalo’s account also isn’t afraid to get political or highlight his activism. In a day and age where brands get real, celebrity accounts are expected to do the same.

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

 News, updates 

- Behind-the-scenes content

- "Slice of life" content

- "Celebrity" snapshots

 inspirational content and quotes 

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

Social media allows influencers to interact with their fans due to the presence of connectivity and engagement. Examples include celebrities reposting posts or  replying to fans 

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?  

he YMCA found that 62% of 15 to 16-year-olds felt that social media had ramped up expectations over their personal appearance. This suggests social media content is not what it seems 

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.”

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  young kids should be restricted  to access of some social media some being under the age of 14- 16 as their is a lot harmful things on social media but I also do think that it's based on the child or person and their mindset as some people are more prone to allowing themselves  to fall in the trap of social media e.g  body positivity  weather they do so subconsciously or consciously However other kids are able to see quickly that social media is unrealistic therefore I think social media should be left in the eyes of parents as they know their kids best but I'm well aware their are parents that are overprotective and don't understand their kids and their parents who don't give a lot involvement in giving their kid a voice in the scenario.   

A/A* extension tasks

Read this Forbes article on how covid and TikTok have changed the influencer market in the last couple of years. What does this tell us about society and media culture - are we becoming more creative and independent or is this just another way to sell more products to more people? 

Lockdowns led to increased social media usage, a change in consumer behavior from Covid-19, there were production challenges around traditional advertising shoots, audiences turned toward authenticity and curated content, and brand budgets were upended, requiring quick-turn pivots. All of these issues and more inspired plenty of brands to partner with influencers this past year in order to get the word out in a relevant, topical and mindful way. This has cause people to become popular on Tik tok  this has lead to some people becoming lees independent as they are controlled by their sponsors as some people  who had originally created  good Tik toks and unique content before getting  a brand deal and now have stale content whereas people who have stayed independent  have maintained better content  so I think people content  will be more creative without getting involved in brands