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Political Influencers on YouTube: Business Strategies and Content Characteristics
[journal article]
Abstract Young media users increasingly engage with public affairs via social media such as YouTube, where content is increasingly produced by influencers who neither represent established professional news media nor political parties. Although the audience of these channels is already substantial in absolut... view more
Young media users increasingly engage with public affairs via social media such as YouTube, where content is increasingly produced by influencers who neither represent established professional news media nor political parties. Although the audience of these channels is already substantial in absolute terms and still growing enormously - making alternative influencers serious competitors to professional journalism - we still know little about their ways of attracting and monetizing audiences, the topics they emphasize, or the specific content they provide. To address this void, the present study examines political videos and their producers on YouTube in an explorative and comparative way for English- and German-speaking YouTube channels. We conducted a content analysis of the five most popular YouTube videos for each of the 20 most successful English- and German-speaking political influencers in 2020. Our analyses show that, although English YouTubers already appear to be more professionalized, similar patterns emerge in both language regions, particularly with regards to increasing efforts to manage microcelebrity status. In terms of content, two main types of political YouTube videos were identified: "partisan mockery" and "engaging education." Results will be discussed in terms of their implications for political discourse, youth participation, and established journalistic media.... view less
Keywords
political communication; journalism; online media; social media; video; discourse; adolescent; participation; political influence
Classification
Interactive, electronic Media
Media Contents, Content Analysis
Free Keywords
YouTube; alternative journalism; influencers
Document language
English
Publication Year
2022
Page/Pages
p. 259-271
Journal
Media and Communication, 10 (2022) 1
Issue topic
New Narratives for New Consumers: Influencers and the Millennial and Centennial Generations
ISSN
2183-2439
Status
Published Version; peer reviewed