tag:theconversation.com,2011:/global/topics/youtube-1950/articles
YouTube – The Conversation
2024-02-23T03:31:31Z
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/220847
2024-02-23T03:31:31Z
2024-02-23T03:31:31Z
YouTube influencer Ruby Franke will go to prison for child abuse. What are the ethics of family vlogging?
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/577488/original/file-20240222-24-jtf0xb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C17%2C6000%2C3637&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://unsplash.com/photos/woman-holding-black-dslr-camera-VLgS0UfNfvE">Warren/Unsplash</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Mother and family YouTube creator Ruby Franke was this week <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-68353302">sentenced</a> to 30 years in prison after pleading guilty to four counts of aggravated child abuse.</p>
<p>Franke came under fire from viewers many times throughout her time on YouTube for her controversial parenting, which included videos of <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-66719859">withholding food</a> from the children, or sharing she made her son <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XZS5XuftWc">sleep on a bean bag</a> for seven months after pranking his younger brother.</p>
<p>In court, <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-68353302">prosecutor Eric Clarke said</a> “the children were regularly denied food, water, beds to sleep in, and virtually all forms of entertainment”.</p>
<p>Now, nine years after the channel started, Franke and her friend and business partner Jodi Hilderbrandt are going to prison. </p>
<p>Family channels are very popular on YouTube, with millions of subscribers. They feature the intimate lives of a family, are most often run by the mothers and focus on everyday family life: school, food, parenting, and occasionally discipline.</p>
<p>Family channels have been <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2017/04/youtube-family-vloggings-dark-side.html">consistently scrutinised</a> by the media and others online for sharing the lives of children online without their consent. While the Franke case is an extreme example, it raises important questions about sharing children’s lives online.</p>
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<h2>‘Sharenting’</h2>
<p>Parents sharing – or, more often, oversharing – information about their children online has been called “<a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2019-14508-036">sharenting</a>”. Sharenting allows parents to publicly post about their children and receive praise and validation, while also providing a sense of community. Many parents online share information in <a href="https://theconversation.com/should-i-post-photos-of-my-children-online-heres-what-new-parents-need-to-know-about-sharenting-190507">low-risk ways</a> on their private social media accounts. </p>
<p>However, when influencers share their children to their massive public platforms, the risks are magnified. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/should-i-post-photos-of-my-children-online-heres-what-new-parents-need-to-know-about-sharenting-190507">Should I post photos of my children online? Here's what new parents need to know about sharenting</a>
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<p><a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/334801974_Our_Baby_on_YouTube_The_Gendered_Life_Stories_of_the_Unborn">Researchers</a> worry about how this level of sharing is taking away agency from children and how it creates an online life story for them to which they cannot consent. There are also real risks of sharing children to <a href="https://www.newstatesman.com/science-tech/2016/04/why-youtube-mums-are-taking-their-kids-offline">potential predators online</a>, with concerns about videos being saved or embedded into unsavoury websites. </p>
<p>To combat some of these risks, YouTube recommends parents turn off the embedding function on videos as part of its <a href="https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/9229229?hl=en-GB">best practice guide</a> for content with children.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/577489/original/file-20240222-22-y4s9va.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="YouTube browser" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/577489/original/file-20240222-22-y4s9va.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/577489/original/file-20240222-22-y4s9va.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/577489/original/file-20240222-22-y4s9va.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/577489/original/file-20240222-22-y4s9va.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/577489/original/file-20240222-22-y4s9va.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/577489/original/file-20240222-22-y4s9va.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/577489/original/file-20240222-22-y4s9va.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">YouTube has a best practice guide for content with children.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/manchester-feb-13-youtube-gb-website-176457944">JuliusKielaitis/Shutterstock</a></span>
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<p>In one case, YouTuber Allison Irons took her children off her channel after looking at her analytics and realising her videos were being <a href="https://www.newstatesman.com/science-tech/2016/04/why-youtube-mums-are-taking-their-kids-offline">embedded onto websites</a> for paedophiles. After turning off the embedding function, her male viewership dropped from 40% to 17%.</p>
<p>Outside of legal issues, YouTube is largely a self-policing platform, where users and content creators dictate what is appropriate content within their own communities. </p>
<p>There have been multiple cases in which the community has decided the actions of a family channel have been inappropriate. The YouTube channel DaddyOFive shocked the community <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2017/04/daddyofive-youtube-abuse-controversy-explained.html">when the parents were shown</a> “pranking” their children on camera, in a way many interpreted as abuse. The channel is no longer active.</p>
<p>Similarly, Myka and James Stauffer received severe backlash after posting videos about <a href="https://www.thecut.com/2020/08/youtube-myka-james-stauffer-huxley-adoption.html">giving up their adopted child</a> after making multiple videos sharing his face and name with their followers.</p>
<p>But it’s not just children of influencers who are concerned about their lives being shared online. A survey <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32567783/">conducted in 2020</a> found “children were generally quite negative toward sharenting” and all children in the survey wanted their parents to ask for permission before posting content of them online. </p>
<h2>The case against 8 Passengers</h2>
<p>Ruby Franke and husband Kevin Franke began their YouTube channel, 8 passengers, in 2015. The channel featured the couple and their six children. At the height of the channel, they had 2.5 million subscribers and 1 billion channel views. The channel was <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruby_Franke">deleted in 2022</a> after a series of controversies involving the channel. Ruby and Kevin have since separated.</p>
<p>A 2020 petition called for an investigation into the Franke parents based on elements of their videos, including one in which Ruby Franke <a href="https://www.thecut.com/article/ruby-franke-utah-mommy-vlogger-pleads-guilty-to-child-abuse.html">refused</a> to drop lunch off at school for her six-year-old daughter, stating it was her responsibility to bring food and teachers were not allowed to feed her. </p>
<p>In 2023, one of Franke’s young children “<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2023/09/01/ruby-franke-youtube-8passengers-child-abuse/">escaped</a>”, according to media reports, and asked a neighbour for help, who then contacted the police, leading to this month’s court hearing.</p>
<p>The court heard the children had been victims of severe <a href="https://theconversation.com/yes-physically-disciplining-kids-is-an-act-of-violence-31425">corporal punishment</a>, including removal of food and bedding, and physical punishments such as being made to perform wall-sits or do manual labour in harsh weather. </p>
<p>Of course, not all family vloggers are the same as 8 Passengers. However, we do need to consider the ethical ramifications of sharing children online and the rights of all children on family channels.</p>
<h2>What should family vlogging look like?</h2>
<p>The landscape of family channels on YouTube is changing. In 2021, France implemented a <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2022/04/12/family-vlogs-child-influencers-exploitation-youtube-laws/">law</a> to protect the income of children online. In the United States, the <a href="https://www.markey.senate.gov/news/press-releases/senators-markey-and-cassidy-propose-bipartisan-bill-to-update-childrens-online-privacy-rules">Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act</a> came into effect in 2021. </p>
<p>The world of sharing your child online is ethically complex. Sharenting could impact the development of a child’s identity formation and <a href="https://www.verywellmind.com/the-impact-of-sharenting-6361714">sense of self</a>. </p>
<p>It’s imperative parents be aware of the dangers of public sharing and take the necessary steps to protect their children. Ask permission before sharing your children online, and consider the long-term effects of curating an online life for them. For more research on online child safety and education, parents should consult the <a href="https://digitalchild.org.au/">Centre of Excellence for the Digital Child</a>.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-arent-there-any-legal-protections-for-the-children-of-influencers-196463">Why aren't there any legal protections for the children of influencers?</a>
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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/220847/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Edith Jennifer Hill does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
While the Ruby Franke case is an extreme example, it raises important questions of sharing children’s lives online.
Edith Jennifer Hill, Associate Lecturer, Flinders University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/220834
2024-02-14T13:20:41Z
2024-02-14T13:20:41Z
Wildlife selfies harm animals − even when scientists share images with warnings in the captions
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/575067/original/file-20240212-26-k6xljg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C13%2C3039%2C2253&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The right way to photograph wildlife: from a distance, in the animal's natural habitat.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://flic.kr/p/D9s93c">Jim Peaco, Yellowstone National Park/Flickr</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>One of the biggest privileges of <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=Jd5jwiwAAAAJ&hl=en">being a primatologist</a> is spending time in remote locations with monkeys and apes, living near these animals in their habitats and experiencing their daily lives. As a 21st-century human, I have an immediate impulse to take pictures of these encounters and share them on social media. </p>
<p>Social media can help scientists raise awareness of the species we study, promote their conservation and obtain jobs and research funding. However, sharing images of wild animals online can also contribute to illegal animal trafficking and <a href="https://theconversation.com/dont-hike-so-close-to-me-how-the-presence-of-humans-can-disturb-wildlife-up-to-half-a-mile-away-162223">harmful human-wildlife interactions</a>. For endangered or threatened species, this attention can <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0069215">put them at further risk</a>. </p>
<p>My research seeks to find ways for scientists and conservationists to harness the power of social media while avoiding its pitfalls. My colleague, <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=VIynAt0AAAAJ&hl=en">ecologist and science communicator Cathryn Freund</a>, and I think we have some answers. In our view, wildlife professionals should never include themselves in pictures with animals. We also believe that featuring infant animals and animals interacting with humans leads viewers to think about these creatures in ways that are counterproductive to conservation. </p>
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<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pN-FkkUXYOU?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">A wildlife biologist explains how and why to photograph wild animals at a safe distance.</span></figcaption>
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<h2>Show and tell?</h2>
<p>Many conservation biologists are thinking hard about what role social media can and should play in their work. For example, the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Section on Human-Primate Interactions has issued guidelines for <a href="https://human-primate-interactions.org/best-practice-guidelines-responsible-images-of-non-human-primates/">how to use images of wild primates</a> and <a href="https://human-primate-interactions.org/responsible-primate-watching-for-tourists/">how to conduct primate watching tours</a>. </p>
<p>These guidelines recommend that when scientists show photos of themselves with a wild primate, the caption should state that the person in the image is a trained researcher or conservationist. However, there isn’t much data assessing whether this approach is effective. </p>
<p>We wanted to test whether people actually read these captions and whether informative captions helped curb viewers’ desires to have similar experiences or to own the animal as a pet. </p>
<p>In a study published in 2023, my colleagues and I created two mock Instagram posts – one showing a human near a wild gorilla, the other focusing on a gloved human hand holding a <a href="https://www.wwfindia.org/about_wwf/priority_species/lesser_known_species/slender_loris/">slender loris</a> – a small lemurlike primate native to Southeast Asia. Half of these photos carried basic captions like “Me with a mountain gorilla” or “Me with my research subject”; the other half included more detailed captions that also stated, “All animals are observed” (gorilla) or “captured and handled (loris) safely and humanely for research with the proper permits and training.” </p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/570968/original/file-20240123-29-9n8222.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A photo shows a gloved hand holding a small primate, with a caption stating that the animal was captured and handled humanely for research with proper permits and training." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/570968/original/file-20240123-29-9n8222.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/570968/original/file-20240123-29-9n8222.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=916&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570968/original/file-20240123-29-9n8222.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=916&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570968/original/file-20240123-29-9n8222.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=916&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570968/original/file-20240123-29-9n8222.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1151&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570968/original/file-20240123-29-9n8222.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1151&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570968/original/file-20240123-29-9n8222.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1151&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">A mock Instagram post with a caption stating that the person shown is a trained researcher working with the loris under official rules. Many viewers in a study said the post nonetheless made them want to handle a loris themselves.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Smitha Gnanaolivu/Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Bangalore</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
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<p>We showed over 3,000 adults one of these mock Instagram posts and asked them to complete a survey. The results shocked us.</p>
<p>Viewers who saw the Instagram posts with the more detailed caption recognized that the picture depicted research. But regardless of the caption, more than half of the viewers agreed or strongly agreed that they would want to seek out a similar experience with the loris or gorilla. </p>
<p>Over half of the viewers agreed or strongly agreed that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.14199">they would want these animals as pets</a> and that the animals would make good pets. Presumably, participants did not know anything about the animals’ life habits, behavior or survival needs, or that neither of these species is at all suited to be a pet.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="InstagramEmbed" data-react-props="{"url":"https://www.instagram.com/p/CP7MAi6gJM9/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link\u0026igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==","accessToken":"127105130696839|b4b75090c9688d81dfd245afe6052f20"}"></div></p>
<h2>Why media impact matters</h2>
<p>While these responses may sound merely sentimental or naive, research shows that media – particularly social media – contribute to harmful human encounters with wildlife and to the exotic pet trade. </p>
<p>For example, the Harry Potter films and books, which featured owls as magical creatures used by wizards, led to a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2017.04.004">sharp increase in the illegal owl trade in Indonesia</a>. Owls once were collectively known in Indonesia as “Burung Hantu,” or “ghost bird,” but now in the country’s bird markets they are commonly called “Burung Harry Potter.” </p>
<p>Studies show that images of people holding lorises drive illegal captures and sales of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1017/S0030605317000680">lorises and other primates</a>. Owners then post further videos showing them handling the animals improperly – for example, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpV7L--cQ8s">tickling the loris</a>, which makes it raise its arms. Viewers see this behavior as cute, but in fact the animals do this to activate <a href="https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/pygmy-slow-loris">toxic glands in their upper arms</a> and move venom to their mouths <a href="https://brill.com/view/journals/ijfp/86/6/article-p534_5.xml">in preparation to defend themselves</a>. </p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Social media channels do a poor job of detecting and policing posts that feature exotic or endangered animals, and they allow dealers to market directly to the public.</span></figcaption>
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<p>In earlier research, we found that when orangutan rescue and rehabilitation centers feature baby orangutans and humans interacting with orangutans in YouTube videos, these posts <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/pan3.10268">received more views</a> than videos of adult orangutans or orangutans not interacting with people. However, people who watched videos showing infant orangutans, or humans interacting with the animals, posted comments that were less supportive of orangutan conservation. They also stated more frequently that they wanted to own orangutans as pets or interact with them.</p>
<p>Many people who seek out wildlife encounters are not aware of the harm that these experiences cause. Animals <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-is-spillover-bird-flu-outbreak-underscores-need-for-early-detection-to-prevent-the-next-big-pandemic-200494">can transmit diseases to humans</a>, but it also works the other way: Humans can <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-85877-3_59-1">transmit potentially deadly diseases to wild animals</a>, including measles, herpes viruses and flu viruses. </p>
<p>When humans move through an animal’s habitat – or worse, handle or chase the animal – they cause stress reactions and <a href="https://theconversation.com/dont-hike-so-close-to-me-how-the-presence-of-humans-can-disturb-wildlife-up-to-half-a-mile-away-162223">alter the animal’s behavior</a>. Animals may avoid feeding sites or spend time and energy fleeing instead of foraging. </p>
<p>Owning wild animals as pets is even more problematic. I have worked with several rescue and rehabilitation centers that shelter orangutans formerly kept as pets or tourist attractions. These animals typically are in very poor health and have to be taught how to socialize, move through trees and find their own food, since they have been deprived of these natural behaviors. </p>
<p>The last thing that any responsible conservation biologist studying endangered species wants to do is encourage this kind of human-wildlife contact.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/575068/original/file-20240212-31-tgo7jv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A brown primate reaches from a cage to grasp a gloved human hand." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/575068/original/file-20240212-31-tgo7jv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/575068/original/file-20240212-31-tgo7jv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/575068/original/file-20240212-31-tgo7jv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/575068/original/file-20240212-31-tgo7jv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/575068/original/file-20240212-31-tgo7jv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/575068/original/file-20240212-31-tgo7jv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/575068/original/file-20240212-31-tgo7jv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">A vet at the Aceh natural resources conservation agency in Indonesia inspects a rescued gibbon that was formerly kept as an exotic pet.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/vet-inspects-an-owa-or-white-handed-gibbon-at-the-aceh-news-photo/1216848394">Chaideer Mahyuddin/AFP via Getty Images</a></span>
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<h2>Comment instead of sharing</h2>
<p>Many well-meaning <a href="https://theconversation.com/even-scientists-take-selfies-with-wild-animals-heres-why-they-shouldnt-61252">researchers and conservationists</a>, along with <a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/90906039/yellowstone-national-park-animal-selfies-danger-influencers-warning">members of the public</a>, have posted images of themselves near wild animals on social media. I did it too, before I understood the consequences. </p>
<p>Our findings indicate that caption information is not enough to keep people from seeking out animal encounters. As we see it, the answer is for researchers to stop taking and sharing these pictures with the general public. </p>
<p>When scientists create posts, we recommend selecting images that show only wildlife, in as natural a context as possible, or only people in the field – not both together. Researchers, conservationists and the public can go back through their social media history and delete or crop images that show human-wildlife interaction. </p>
<p>Scientists can also reach out to people who post images of humans interacting with wild animals, explain why the images can be harmful and suggest taking them down. Leading by example and sharing this information are simple actions that can save animals’ lives.</p>
<p><em><a href="https://www.cathrynfreund.com/">Cathryn Freund</a>, director of science communication at the Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science in Miami, contributed to this article.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/220834/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Andrea l. DiGiorgio has received funding from The National Science Foundation and Princeton University. She is a participating member of the IUCN's SSC Primate Specialist Group Section on Human-Primate Interactions. </span></em></p>
The caption may say that only scientists and trained professionals should handle wild animals, but viewers remember the image, not the words.
Andrea L. DiGiorgio, Lecturer and Post Doctoral Researcher in Biological Anthropology, Princeton University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/222882
2024-02-14T03:36:16Z
2024-02-14T03:36:16Z
‘Analog uncanny’: how this weird and experimental side of TikTok is forging the future of horror
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/575514/original/file-20240214-26-hd8l0m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C2048%2C858&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Skinamarink/Shudder © 2022</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Director Kyle Edward Ball’s feature film debut, Skinamarink, achieved unexpected commercial success last year after going <a href="https://medium.com/quilt-ai/a-look-at-skinamarink-the-viral-horror-taking-over-tiktok-4d393aed10d3">viral on TikTok</a>.</p>
<p>Hailed by some critics as the <a href="https://variety.com/lists/best-horror-movies-2023/skinamarink-2/">best horror film of 2023</a>, or even the <a href="https://www.inverse.com/entertainment/skinamarink-review">scariest of all time</a>, Skinamarink is a work of experimental slow cinema. The film’s ambiguous and grainy imagery exudes the aura of a degraded, possessed VHS tape.</p>
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<p>These aesthetics might seem to conflict with TikTok’s torrent of short, attention-grabbing videos. Yet TikTok has cultivated a hive of creative energy at the intersection of art and horror. Alongside YouTube, the platform has also helped to create pathways to international horror-film careers.</p>
<h2>Bite-sized nightmares</h2>
<p>YouTube and TikTok provide spaces where horror filmmakers can hone their craft and develop distinct voices, in collaboration with a community of users who provide input, theories and feedback. </p>
<p>A unique form of horror storytelling emerges from such <a href="https://stars.library.ucf.edu/etd/5482/">engaged online communities</a>, as they cultivate environments where creators can test new ideas and develop creative ingenuity. This leads to a creative dynamic I call “participatory experimentation”. It’s expanding the boundaries <a href="https://researchrepository.rmit.edu.au/esploro/outputs/9922217009501341">of the horror genre</a>.</p>
<p>Ball’s distinctive aesthetic was developed via his YouTube channel <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@BitesizedNightmares">Bitesized Nightmares</a>. Here, he shared experimental videos based on his nightmares. He then invited viewers to share their own “nightmares” in the comments so he could depict them in subsequent videos.</p>
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<p>One of these nightmare visions is shown in the short film <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVQzEzW4faA">Heck</a> (2020), the prototype for Skinamarink. Avant-garde in its approach, Heck is a work of art as well as horror. Its experimental beginnings on YouTube are key to its unsettling aesthetic power. </p>
<p>An upcoming cinema screening of Heck at RMIT’s Capitol Theatre, as part of an art/horror program I’ve co-organised with the <a href="https://acca.melbourne/screams-on-screen/">Australian Centre of Contemporary Art</a>, evidences the growing recognition of such digital horror content as “art” in spaces we may not normally expect. This is a significant cultural development. </p>
<p>The global horror hit Talk To Me (2023), one of Australia’s most successful <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2023/aug/04/talk-to-me-us-box-office-highest-grossing-australian-movie-rackaracka">films ever at the US box office</a>, was also germinated via a YouTube channel. Directors Michael and Danny Philipou have more than 1 billion views and nearly 7 million subscribers on their channel, RackaRacka. It was here that they honed their unique blend of horror and zany, violent comedy. </p>
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<p>YouTube has been home to boundary-pushing art-horror since its inception in 2005. Other notable examples include David Firth’s animated series <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3iOROuTuMA">Salad Fingers</a> (2004-), Becky Sloan and Joe Pelling’s <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZOnoLKzoBItcEk5OsES2TA">Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared</a> (2011-) – which <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14932528/">became a TV series</a> in 2022 – and Michelle Lyon’s <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0xXpwq9xfQ">Funnie Horsie</a> (2012-2016).</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/salad-fingers-wasnt-just-strange-it-was-art-heres-how-its-still-influencing-the-weird-part-of-youtube-2-decades-on-216911">Salad Fingers wasn’t just strange, it was art. Here’s how it's still influencing the ‘weird part of YouTube’ 2 decades on</a>
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<h2>From the ‘weird part’ of YouTube to TikTok</h2>
<p>TikTok is now also emerging as an important site for this <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/13548565231208569">aesthetically rich “uncanny and weird” creative</a> content. It’s not surprising Skinamarink went viral on TikTok when you consider the app’s category of “analog horror” <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/discover/analog-horror?lang=en">had 2.3 billion views</a> as of when this article was written. The closely related “liminal spaces” category had 4.9 billion views. </p>
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<p>Although “analog” typically refers to pre-digital audiovisual technology, “analog horror” refers to horror content which may be produced digitally, but which has an eerily nostalgic technological quality. This content is often suffused with a hazy grain, reminiscent of Skinamarink’s cursed videotape aesthetic. </p>
<p>Analog horror videos may be depictions of creepy inhuman (but human-like) creatures, such as in <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@your_darkside_guide/video/7320884717128125738?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7247360749801375234">this TikTok video</a>.</p>
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<p>Or they may depict mundane domestic spaces that become threatening once you realise the hallways have off-kilter corners, or the exits are impossible to access. Such imagery of everyday spaces evacuated of purpose, and instead injected with dread, produces the “<a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0170840613495323#:%7E:text=Most%20often%2C%20however%2C%20it%20is,suddenly%20becomes%20strange%20and%20unfamiliar">uncanny</a>”: a feeling of the familiar merged with the unfamiliar. </p>
<p>The creepy house in Skinamarink is a compelling example of this. Throughout the film, the cosily familiar space of a childhood bedroom becomes deeply unfamiliar and unsettling as doors and windows disappear and the ceiling suddenly seems to become the floor.</p>
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<p>TikTok’s user-friendly bag of special-effects tricks, such as retro-cam filters, green screens, body warping and face-morphing enable everyday users to experiment with these horror aesthetics with a community of like-minded enthusiasts.</p>
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<p>But while analog horror is being driven in new directions on TikTok, it has long been a mainstay of YouTube. One influential example is Marble Hornets (2009), which depicts the “<a href="https://techcrunch.com/2014/06/30/the-story-of-slenderman-the-internets-own-monster/">Slender Man</a>”, the internet’s most famous bogeyman.</p>
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<p>The <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8d12w6pMos">Mandela Catalogue</a> (2021) is a more recent example from YouTube. It has had a substantial influence on how the genre <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/discover/mandela-catalog?lang=en">has crystallised on TikTok</a>. This eerie series by Alex Kister depicts an alternative reality in which “alternates” (malevolent doppelgangers of real people) have overrun Wisconsin. Doppelgangers are another <a href="https://courses.washington.edu/freudlit/Uncanny.Notes.html">element of the uncanny</a>.</p>
<h2>The future of experimental art-horror</h2>
<p>Participatory art-horror experimentation on social media is having a global cultural moment. Last year, prestige film studio A24 (which also distributed Talk To Me) contracted 16-year-old Kane Parsons to direct his first feature based on his eerie YouTube video <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4dGpz6cnHo">The Backrooms</a>. </p>
<p>Director Jane Schoenbrun’s films also harness the themes and aesthetics of analog horror. Like Skinamarink, their debut feature, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/We%27re_All_Going_to_the_World%27s_Fair">We’re All Going To the World’s Fair</a> (2021), is an unapologetically creepy work of experimental slow cinema. The film unfolds largely through the vlog of an isolated teen YouTuber as she embarks on a (possibly deadly) online “challenge”, narrating her experience to her followers from her bedroom.</p>
<p>Schoenbrun’s upcoming second feature, I Saw the TV Glow (2024), another product of A24, similarly refracts aesthetics and themes of online horror genres such as analog horror and liminal spaces. It has been described as a “<a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-features/i-saw-the-tv-glow-jane-schoenbrun-sundance-horror-movie-transgender-rights-90s-fred-durst-1234955526/">surreal coming-of-age horror film</a>”, a “<a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/sundance-film-festival-i-saw-tv-glow-justice-smith-b2485062.html">masterpiece</a>” and Sundance’s <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-features/i-saw-the-tv-glow-jane-schoenbrun-sundance-horror-movie-transgender-rights-90s-fred-durst-1234955526/?sub_action=logged_in">hottest movie</a>.</p>
<p>The careers of Ball, Parsons, Schoenbrun and the Philipous showcase how experimental horror trends on TikTok and YouTube have successfully crossed into the mainstream. As emerging filmmakers harness social media to build their creative visions, we can expect participatory experimentation to keep expanding the frontiers of the horror genre.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/222882/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jessica Balanzategui receives funding from the Australian Children's Television Foundation, the City of Melbourne, and Creative Australia. Jessica is currently working with the Australian Centre of Contemporary Art to run public programs associated with their major exhibition, From the other side. </span></em></p>
A wave of horror content is popping up across TikTok, carrying on a legacy that began on YouTube.
Jessica Balanzategui, Senior Lecturer in Media, RMIT University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/222408
2024-02-07T12:03:02Z
2024-02-07T12:03:02Z
Using AI to monitor the internet for terror content is inescapable – but also fraught with pitfalls
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/573450/original/file-20240205-17-4tssh6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=33%2C0%2C3693%2C2460&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">shutterstock</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/technology-security-concept-personal-authentication-system-709257292">metamorworks/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Every minute, millions of social media posts, photos and videos flood the internet. <a href="https://www.socialpilot.co/blog/social-media-statistics">On average</a>, Facebook users share 694,000 stories, X (formerly Twitter) users post 360,000 posts, Snapchat users send 2.7 million snaps and YouTube users upload more than 500 hours of video. </p>
<p>This vast ocean of online material needs to be constantly monitored for harmful or illegal content, like promoting terrorism and violence. </p>
<p>The sheer volume of content means that it’s not possible for people to inspect and check all of it manually, which is why automated tools, including artificial intelligence (AI), are essential. But such tools also have their limitations. </p>
<p>The concerted effort in recent years to <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1057610X.2023.2222901">develop tools</a> for the identification and removal of online terrorist content has, in part, been fuelled by the emergence of new laws and regulations. This includes the EU’s terrorist content online <a href="https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX%3A32021R0784">regulation</a>, which requires hosting service providers to remove terrorist content from their platform within one hour of receiving a removal order from a competent national authority.</p>
<h2>Behaviour and content-based tools</h2>
<p>In broad terms, there are two types of tools used to root out terrorist content. The first looks at certain account and message behaviour. This includes how old the account is, the use of trending or unrelated hashtags and abnormal posting volume. </p>
<p>In many ways, this is similar to spam detection, in that it does not pay attention to content, and is <a href="https://www.resolvenet.org/research/remove-impede-disrupt-redirect-understanding-combating-pro-islamic-state-use-file-sharing">valuable for detecting</a> the rapid dissemination of large volumes of content, which are often bot-driven. </p>
<p>The second type of tool is content-based. It focuses on linguistic characteristics, word use, images and web addresses. Automated content-based tools take <a href="https://tate.techagainstterrorism.org/news/tcoaireport">one of two approaches</a>. </p>
<p><strong>1. Matching</strong></p>
<p>The first approach is based on comparing new images or videos to an existing database of images and videos that have previously been identified as terrorist in nature. One challenge here is that terror groups are known to try and evade such methods by producing subtle variants of the same piece of content. </p>
<p>After the Christchurch terror attack in New Zealand in 2019, for example, hundreds of visually distinct versions of the livestream video of the atrocity <a href="https://about.fb.com/news/2019/03/technical-update-on-new-zealand/">were in circulation</a>. </p>
<p>So, to combat this, matching-based tools generally use <a href="https://about.fb.com/news/2019/08/open-source-photo-video-matching/">perceptual hashing</a> rather than cryptographic hashing. Hashes are a bit like digital fingerprints, and cryptographic hashing acts like a secure, unique identity tag. Even changing a single pixel in an image drastically alters its fingerprint, preventing false matches. </p>
<p>Perceptual hashing, on the other hand, focuses on similarity. It overlooks minor changes like pixel colour adjustments, but identifies images with the same core content. This makes perceptual hashing more resilient to tiny alterations to a piece of content. But it also means that the hashes are not entirely random, and so could potentially be used to try and <a href="https://towardsdatascience.com/black-box-attacks-on-perceptual-image-hashes-with-gans-cc1be11f277">recreate</a> the original image.</p>
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<img alt="A close up of a mobile phone screen displaying several social media apps." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/573540/original/file-20240205-25-jovm4l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/573540/original/file-20240205-25-jovm4l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573540/original/file-20240205-25-jovm4l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573540/original/file-20240205-25-jovm4l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573540/original/file-20240205-25-jovm4l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573540/original/file-20240205-25-jovm4l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573540/original/file-20240205-25-jovm4l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Millions of posts, images and videos are uploaded to social media platforms every minute.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/moscow-russia-29072023-new-elon-musks-2339442245">Viktollio/Shutterstock</a></span>
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<p><strong>2. Classification</strong></p>
<p>The second approach relies on classifying content. It <a href="https://www.cambridgeconsultants.com/insights/whitepaper/ofcom-use-ai-online-content-moderation">uses</a> machine learning and other forms of AI, such as natural language processing. To achieve this, the AI needs a lot of examples like texts labelled as terrorist content or not by human content moderators. By analysing these examples, the AI learns which features distinguish different types of content, allowing it to categorise new content on its own. </p>
<p>Once trained, the algorithms are then able to predict whether a new item of content belongs to one of the specified categories. These items may then be removed or flagged for human review. </p>
<p>This approach also <a href="https://tate.techagainstterrorism.org/news/tcoaireport">faces challenges</a>, however. Collecting and preparing a large dataset of terrorist content to train the algorithms is time-consuming and <a href="https://oro.open.ac.uk/69799/">resource-intensive</a>. </p>
<p>The training data may also become dated quickly, as terrorists make use of new terms and discuss new world events and current affairs. Algorithms also have difficulty understanding context, including <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/2053951719897945">subtlety and irony</a>. They also <a href="https://cdt.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Mixed-Messages-Paper.pdf">lack</a> cultural sensitivity, including variations in dialect and language use across different groups. </p>
<p>These limitations can have important offline effects. There have been documented failures to remove hate speech in countries such as <a href="https://restofworld.org/2021/why-facebook-keeps-failing-in-ethiopia/">Ethiopia</a> and <a href="https://www.newamerica.org/the-thread/facebooks-content-moderation-language-barrier/">Romania</a>, while free speech activists in countries such as <a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/revealed-seven-years-later-how-facebook-shuts-down-free-speech-egypt">Egypt</a>, <a href="https://syrianobserver.com/news/58430/facebook-deletes-accounts-of-assad-opponents.html">Syria</a> and <a href="https://www.accessnow.org/transparency-required-is-facebooks-effort-to-clean-up-operation-carthage-damaging-free-expression-in-tunisia/">Tunisia</a> have reported having their content removed.</p>
<h2>We still need human moderators</h2>
<p>So, in spite of advances in AI, human input remains essential. It is important for maintaining databases and datasets, assessing content flagged for review and operating appeals processes for when decisions are challenged. </p>
<p>But this is demanding and draining work, and there have been <a href="https://www.wired.co.uk/article/facebook-content-moderators-ireland">damning reports</a> regarding the working conditions of moderators, with many tech companies such as Meta <a href="https://www.stern.nyu.edu/experience-stern/faculty-research/who-moderates-social-media-giants-call-end-outsourcing">outsourcing</a> this work to third-party vendors. </p>
<p>To address this, we <a href="https://tate.techagainstterrorism.org/news/tcoaireport">recommend</a> the development of a set of minimum standards for those employing content moderators, including mental health provision. There is also potential to develop AI tools to safeguard the wellbeing of moderators. This would work, for example, by blurring out areas of images so that moderators can reach a decision without viewing disturbing content directly. </p>
<p>But at the same time, few, if any, platforms have the resources needed to develop automated content moderation tools and employ a sufficient number of human reviewers with the required expertise. </p>
<p>Many platforms have turned to off-the-shelf products. It is estimated that the content moderation solutions market will be <a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/content-moderation-solutions-market-to-cross-us-32-bn-by-2031-tmr-report-301514155.html">worth $32bn by 2031</a>. </p>
<p>But caution is needed here. Third-party providers are not currently subject to the same level of oversight as tech platforms themselves. They may rely disproportionately on automated tools, with insufficient human input and a lack of transparency regarding the datasets used to train their algorithms.</p>
<p>So, collaborative initiatives between governments and the private sector are essential. For example, the EU-funded <a href="https://tate.techagainstterrorism.org/">Tech Against Terrorism Europe</a> project has developed valuable resources for tech companies. There are also examples of automated content moderation tools being made openly available like Meta’s <a href="https://about.fb.com/news/2022/12/meta-launches-new-content-moderation-tool/">Hasher-Matcher-Actioner</a>, which companies can use to build their own database of hashed terrorist content. </p>
<p>International organisations, governments and tech platforms must prioritise the development of such collaborative resources. Without this, effectively addressing online terror content will remain elusive.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/222408/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Stuart Macdonald receives funding from the EU Internal Security Fund for the project Tech Against Terrorism Europe (ISF-2021-AG-TCO-101080101). </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ashley A. Mattheis receives funding from the EU Internal Security Fund for the project Tech Against Terrorism Europe (ISF-2021-AG-TCO-101080101).</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>David Wells receives funding from the Council of Europe to conduct an analysis of emerging patterns of misuse of technology by terrorist actors (ongoing)</span></em></p>
The complex task of tackling online terror needs human eyes as well as artificial intelligence.
Stuart Macdonald, Professor of Law, Swansea University
Ashley A. Mattheis, Postdoctoral Researcher, School of Law and Government, Dublin City University
David Wells, Honorary Research Associate at the Cyber Threats Research Centre, Swansea University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/222433
2024-02-02T12:54:33Z
2024-02-02T12:54:33Z
Four trends you’ll see in online election campaigns this year
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/572490/original/file-20240131-17-d8aq6r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=152%2C54%2C7063%2C4788&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Flickr/Number 10</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Over the past decade, <a href="https://www.electionanalysis.uk/uk-election-analysis-2015/section-6-social-media/the-battle-for-the-online-audience-2015-as-the-social-media-election/">social media</a> has become an essential component of <a href="https://academic.oup.com/pa/article/71/suppl_1/189/4930846">election campaigns</a>. But in 2024, the options seem endless. With a record number of elections taking place around the world, how will digital campaigning look different this year? </p>
<h2>1. TikTok is drawing a crowd</h2>
<p>In 2024, campaigners have access to more digital channels than ever. Facebook and X (formally Twitter) remain a mainstay, but campaigns will also be looking to exploit newer platforms to reach the electorate.</p>
<p>TikTok is the obvious choice, after it was so successfully used by New Zealand prime minister <a href="https://www.tophamguerin.com/work/the-digital-campaign-that-rewrote-nzs-political-playbook">Chris Luxon</a> and Jagmeet Singh, leader of <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/20563051231157604">Canada’s New Democratic Party</a>. UK campaigners will be tempted to follow suit in the 2024 campaign. Many Labour, Conservative and Lib Dem MPs already have their own accounts, and more aspiring politicians are joining by the day.</p>
<p>While Reform UK and the Green Party have official party accounts, the major parties have yet to join TikTok – probably because they’re focusing efforts on reaching <a href="https://ukandeu.ac.uk/gender-gaps-in-the-2019-general-election/">older voters</a> considering switching from Tory to Labour, who are not TikTok’s natural demographic. However, we’re sure to see more new accounts springing up as the election approaches.</p>
<h2>2. Advertising beyond Facebook is more important than you think</h2>
<p>Since January, we’ve seen a lot of focus on <a href="https://archive.is/RYVqG">Facebook advertising</a>, with Labour and the Tories already spending tens of thousands on these ads. What has been less commented on is expenditure on other digital advertising channels.</p>
<p>Parties are now also using Google, YouTube and optimised programmatic advertising – where automation is used to place ads on websites aligned with a campaign’s desired target audience – to communicate with audiences online.</p>
<p>This means that large sums are already being quietly spent on things like unskippable YouTube pre-roll videos, Google search ads, and web ads on local newspaper sites, websites and message boards. These tools are highly effective at reaching particular groups of voters, with research showing that unskippable pre-rolls are more likely to be <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02650487.2022.2153529?casa_token=MpT_kg8wprkAAAAA:G31YJpgCoOc93N297x3LzgdVF_R8MzyQsq462xxdYynsN0OvtJWq-hapfL37dxaPujRokGuw1Ag">noticed</a> by the intended audience. </p>
<p>For campaigns trying to connect with and grab the attention of particular audiences, these tools will be very powerful – perhaps the defining feature of the next election campaign.</p>
<p>The reason you’ve probably not heard about this is because these practices are much harder to monitor than other kinds of campaigning, because of a <a href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3898214">lack of transparency</a>. It’s therefore going to be almost impossible to monitor how these services are using during the 2024 campaign.</p>
<h2>3. Micro-targeting no, Mumsnet yes</h2>
<p>There has been much concern in recent years about the use of microtargeted electoral messaging. This is where people receive personalised (and potentially contradictory) messages based on their personal data. However, there is little evidence that fears about this practice have been realised. Indeed, recent studies – including my own <a href="https://global.oup.com/academic/product/data-driven-campaigning-and-political-parties-9780197570234?lang=en&cc=gb">recent book</a> – have shown that data collection and analysis is often <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/13540688221084039">unsophisticated</a>, and <a href="https://global.oup.com/academic/product/data-driven-campaigning-and-political-parties-9780197570234?lang=en&cc=gb">targeting</a> is often focused on broad groups rather than individual people.</p>
<p>Rather than seeing campaigns in 2024 develop more individualised and bespoke campaign messaging than ever before, we’ll instead see them use different platforms to connect with the types of voter their data shows to be electorally significant.</p>
<p>If they’re trying to win support from 18- to 34-year-old men, they’ll be tempted to campaign on <a href="https://www.twitch.tv/">Twitch</a> – a gaming platform which US congresswoman <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/aoc-among-us-twitch-stream/">Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez</a> used to engage that demographic group. Alternatively, if they’re looking to connect with 30- to 40-year-old women, then websites like MumsNet will be a better venue for advertising and <a href="https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/mumsnet_live_events/4468388-Webchat-about-women-mums-in-politics-with-Stella-Creasy-and-Caroline-Nokes-1st-February">web chats</a>.</p>
<p>Of course, advertising on Meta platforms such as Facebook will also be used to reach particular demographics – but alongside this tactic, we’ll see campaigners meeting voters wherever they are online. So, party campaigns will need to manage and generate content for multiple platforms.</p>
<h2>4. The playing field will not be level</h2>
<p>Digital technology is often seen as levelling the political playing field. The idea is that anyone on any budget can make a success of campaigning online if they play the game well. But the reality is that, just like offline campaigning, there are significant inequalities in campaigners’ ability to benefit from digital tools.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Keir Starmer poses for a selfie with a young woman" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/572498/original/file-20240131-23-bln54d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/572498/original/file-20240131-23-bln54d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/572498/original/file-20240131-23-bln54d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/572498/original/file-20240131-23-bln54d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/572498/original/file-20240131-23-bln54d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/572498/original/file-20240131-23-bln54d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/572498/original/file-20240131-23-bln54d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Young activists could help Labour’s campaign.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/190916320@N06/53458447920/">Flickr/Keir Starmer</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Within campaign HQs, there are vastly different numbers of digital staff and huge disparities in expertise around digital tools. Labour and the Conservatives often have large digital teams for elections (a point evidenced by the number of jobs currently being advertised by <a href="https://labour.org.uk/about-us/work-with-us/current-vacancies/">Labour</a>), but parties like the Greens often have a minimal central staff. This limits their capacity to create and manage content.</p>
<p>Even at a grassroots level, we see parties having different capacities. Labour, for example, has many more <a href="https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/sn05125/">party members</a> than others, giving them an advantage. It’s notable that Labour has been making a concerted effort to upskill its activist base, hiring large numbers of <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/posts/the-labour-party_labours-digital-trainee-scheme-activity-7009846602764832768-gvZq/?trk=public_profile_like_view">digital trainees</a> and hosting training sessions on “creating good digital content” and developing “your digital strategy”.</p>
<p>The use of Labour’s grassroots activists in digital campaigns could be particularly useful for creating locally relevant content. Other parties haven’t rolled out such schemes at scale, leading them to rely on local pockets of expertise.</p>
<p>Of course, parties can buy external expertise to compensate for a lack of digitally savvy activists – something the Conservatives may attempt to do, especially given the recent uplift in <a href="https://bylinetimes.com/2023/11/30/government-challenged-over-massive-hike-to-election-spending-limit-which-is-set-to-benefit-conservatives/">campaign spending limits</a> which make it possible for parties to spend more than ever before. The Tories have the capacity to make such outlays, but other parties such as the Liberal Democrats, Greens, SNP and Plaid Cymru don’t have that financial clout.</p>
<p>The digital campaign will evolve throughout 2024, but it’ll by no means be uniform across the different parties. In fact, we’re likely to see greater inequality in digital campaign activity than ever before.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/222433/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Katharine Dommett is the author of 'Data-Driven Campaigning in Political Parties: Five Advanced Democracies Compared' published by Oxford University Press.
She has previously received funding from The Leverhume Trust for the Project RPG-2020-148: “Understanding Online Political Advertising” and for the project 'Data-Driven Campaigning: Intended and Unintended Consequences for Democracy' funded by the NORFACE Joint Research Programme on Democratic Governance in a Turbulent Age and co-funded by ESRC, FWF, NWO, and the European Commission through Horizon 2020 under grant agreement No 822166. She has also previously undertaken consultancy work for the SNP and Green Party. </span></em></p>
Youtube ads are money well spent – but smart campaigns will also target Twitch and Mumsnet.
Katharine Dommett, Professor of Digital Politics, University of Sheffield
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/217745
2024-01-15T13:37:50Z
2024-01-15T13:37:50Z
Embracing ‘virtual dark tourism’ could help heritage sites at risk of degradation – expert explains
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/559589/original/file-20231115-21-m3lxxa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=64%2C9%2C1979%2C1139&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Neptune Baths in Romania.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://flickr.com/photos/swithuncrowe/52348941800/">swithuncrowe/flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Do you believe in ghosts? If so, there is a whole genre of digital storytelling to explore on YouTube. My <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1743873X.2023.2268746">recent research</a> (which identified more than 60 dedicated channels) has shown that there is a fast-growing audience on YouTube for paranormal investigations that are filmed like a virtual tour of a range of “dark” heritage sites – places with rumoured hauntings or a tragic history. </p>
<p>Dark tourism allows people to understand tragic events, and potentially experience a catharsis of emotions related to the deaths at a site or even help people respond to collective trauma. For example, <a href="https://theconversation.com/dark-tourism-memorial-sites-will-help-us-heal-from-the-trauma-of-coronavirus-139164">memorials dedicated to COVID deaths</a> have become a place for people to reflect.</p>
<p>The COVID lockdowns brought travel to a standstill. During this period, many museums around the world took the opportunity to create virtual tours, and many would-be tourists explored 360-degree street views that served as <a href="https://artsandculture.google.com/project/streetviews">silent “virtual tours”</a>. </p>
<p>Outside of museums, visitors also have an interest in learning about the history and stories at heritage sites which are places that contain cultural, historical or even natural significance. Commonly known heritage sites include the Unesco world heritage sites – and many nations have their own lists of heritage sites such as archaeological ruins, cathedrals or monasteries and national parks. </p>
<p>Dark tourism is considered a subset of heritage tourism, because many dark tourism sites are also heritage sites. For example, Leap Castle in Ireland is a heritage site with history dating back to the 1500s while also being renowned as one of the most haunted castles in Europe. </p>
<p>Many <a href="https://www.europanostra.org/11-european-heritage-sites-shortlisted-for-the-7-most-endangered-programme-2023/">heritage sites are also currently at risk</a> for a variety of reasons, including climate change, a lack of funding to maintain their infrastructural integrity, vandalism, or the impacts of mass tourism. </p>
<p>My <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1743873X.2023.2268746">paper</a> argues that using the interest in virtual dark tourism could be one way for these heritage sites to mitigate some of these challenges.</p>
<p>Some people view this interest in dark sites as a kind of <a href="https://theconversation.com/are-dark-tourism-performances-of-gulag-life-educational-or-voyeuristic-123544">voyeurism</a> and the ethics of monetising entry or tours at sites of death and tragedy have been questioned. Despite the controversies, dark tourism has a <a href="https://networks.h-net.org/node/19399/reviews/20701/pierce-young-making-crime-pay-evolution-convict-tourism-tasmania">long history of attracting public interest</a> and there are other benefits, too. </p>
<p>My primary case study, the YouTube channel <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@samandcolby">Sam and Colby</a>, has amassed more than 10 million subscribers and over 1 billion views. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/E6mwC6UwZ_c?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Videos on the Sam and Colby channel amass millions of views.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>These two US-based content creators have published hundreds of YouTube videos exploring haunted places, including infamous private homes. This includes locations such as The Conjuring House in the US which dates to circa 1736 (famous for its paranormal activity), multiple castles associated with dark stories like Bran Castle in Romania (the home of Dracula in Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel) and many hotels including the Grade II listed building, The Ancient Ram Inn in England, known as the most haunted building in England.</p>
<p>This style of digital storytelling combines typical YouTube content creation techniques, such as breaking the fourth wall (talking directly to the camera), handheld-style filming and comedic interludes to break the tension with conventions seen more in documentary films, such as b-roll (supplemental or alternative footage intercut with the main action) animations, dark lighting and music and <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1743873X.2023.2268746">a tour-guide style narrative arc</a>.</p>
<h2>Why take virtual dark tours?</h2>
<p>Not all tourists interested in dark sites are willing to take the associated risks to their health and safety associated with exploring old buildings or to experience the potentially high levels of fear of physically visiting these haunted locations. Therein lies the appeal of a virtual dark tourism experience on YouTube.</p>
<p>For example, while the Museum of Partisan Glory in Odesa – an underground museum in Ukraine – is safe for visitors, paranormal <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpGTmZAhzCo">YouTubers ventured</a> deep into the former mining tunnels in 2021 escorted by a local guide despite the risks involved. The catacombs are largely unmapped and could result in explorers getting lost and there are precarious underground conditions.</p>
<p>Similarly, the Saratoga County Homestead (a former hospital opened in 1913 as a tuberculosis sanitarium that is now privately owned and attracts those who believe its haunted), was abandoned during <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtJjHcvNvIQ">the YouTubers’ 2021 paranormal investigation</a> of the property. It was in a state of disrepair and could pose physical risks to visitor safety as well as charges of antisocial behaviour or illegal trespassing. </p>
<p>Most paranormal investigation teams on YouTube gain access to private properties with permission from the owners. Some explore abandoned buildings after dark without conducting paranormal investigations (this sub-genre of urban exploration is called urbex). Some paranormal investigation YouTube channels even have disclaimer statements noting that they do not illegally trespass and they advise viewers not to visit some of the more dangerous locations.</p>
<p>YouTubers are continuing to conduct paranormal investigations to challenge their own belief systems and fears, to better understand the history and happenings at dark sites (including heritage-listed places) and to share this with others through digital storytelling. </p>
<p>This genre has expanded to a network of at five to six paranormal investigation teams who are collaborating and producing similar virtual dark tours at a variety of locations across the globe. As the audience for this virtual dark tourism content continues to grow, heritage sites at risk may benefit from developing narrative-focused virtual tours or by partnering with influential YouTubers. </p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><em>Looking for something good? Cut through the noise with a carefully curated selection of the latest releases, live events and exhibitions, straight to your inbox every fortnight, on Fridays. <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/newsletters/something-good-156">Sign up here</a>.</em></p>
<hr><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/217745/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Nicole Basaraba does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Dark tourism allows people to understand tragic events, experience a catharsis of emotions related to the deaths at a site and it can help people heal from collective trauma.
Nicole Basaraba, Assistant Professor in Digital Humanities, Trinity College Dublin
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/217657
2023-12-04T13:26:31Z
2023-12-04T13:26:31Z
With the end of the Hollywood writers and actors strikes, the creator economy is the next frontier for organized labor
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/560585/original/file-20231121-21-zja6ti.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=59%2C51%2C4883%2C3238&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">YouTuber Matthew Smith, who posts under the name DangMattSmith, takes a selfie with fans at VidCon Anaheim in June 2023.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/dangmattsmith-takes-selfie-with-fans-at-vidcon-anaheim-2023-news-photo/1501722144?adppopup=true">Unique Nicole/Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Hollywood <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/sag-aftra-contract-deal-agreement-actors-ai/">writers and actors recently proved</a> that they could go toe-to-toe with powerful media conglomerates. After going on strike in the summer of 2023, <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/sag-aftra-contract-deal-agreement-actors-ai/">they secured</a> better pay, more transparency from streaming services and safeguards from <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-are-hollywood-actors-and-writers-afraid-of-a-cinema-scholar-explains-how-ai-is-upending-the-movie-and-tv-business-210360">having their work exploited or replaced by artificial intelligence</a>.</p>
<p>But the future of entertainment extends well beyond Hollywood. <a href="https://www.adobe.com/express/learn/blog/content-creator">Social media creators</a> – otherwise known as influencers, YouTubers, TikTokers, vloggers and live streamers – entertain and inform a vast portion of the planet.</p>
<p>For the past decade, we’ve mapped the contours and dimensions of the <a href="https://nyupress.org/9781479846894/">global social media entertainment industry</a>. Unlike their Hollywood counterparts, these creators struggle to be seen as entertainers worthy of basic labor protections. </p>
<p>Platform policies and government regulations have proved capricious or neglectful. Meanwhile, creators’ bottom-up initiatives to collectively organize have sputtered.</p>
<h2>Living on the edge</h2>
<p>Industry estimates regarding the size and scale of the creator economy vary. But <a href="https://ir.citi.com/gps/7PUfiT7fJPblL%2FqpQla8YnPTu1opFVW5Qb5fu0LPwJGLKt4p0HcsDxN87TOJ%2F6kA%2FbMcrnTJTn8SFOdAlpoihg%3D%3D">Citibank estimates</a> there are over 120 million creators, and an April 2023 Goldman Sachs report predicted that the creator economy would double in size, <a href="https://www.goldmansachs.com/intelligence/pages/the-creator-economy-could-approach-half-a-trillion-dollars-by-2027.html">from US$250 billion to $500 billion</a>, by 2027. </p>
<p>According to Forbes, the “<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/stevenbertoni/2023/09/26/top-creators-2023/?sh=719659204c0c">Top 50 Creators</a>” altogether have 2.6 billion followers and have hauled in an estimated $700 million in earnings. The list includes <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/12/magazine/mrbeast-youtube.html">MrBeast</a>, who performs stunts and records giveaways, and makeup artist-cum-true crime podcaster <a href="https://www.youtube.com/baileysarian">Bailey Sarian</a>.</p>
<p>The windfalls earned by these social media stars are the exception, not the norm.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.signalfire.com/blog/creator-economy">venture capitalist firm SignalFire</a> estimates that less than 4% of creators make over $100,000 a year, although <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/creativegroup/youtube/meet-the-creator-middle-class/">YouTube-funded research</a> points to a rising middle class of creators who are able to sustain careers with relatively modest followings.</p>
<p>These are the users who find themselves most vulnerable to opaque changes to platform policies and algorithms.</p>
<p>Platforms like to “<a href="https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/move-fast-break-things-facebook-motto/">move fast and break things</a>,” to use Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s infamous expression. And since the creator economy relies on social media platforms to reach audiences, creators’ livelihoods are subject to rapid, iterative changes in platforms’ features, services and agreements. </p>
<p>Yes, various platforms have introduced business opportunities for creators, such as YouTube’s advertising partnership feature or Twitch’s virtual goods store. However, <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2022/09/21/twitch-subcription-revenue-share-changes/">the platforms’ terms of use can flip on a switch</a>. For example, in September 2022, Twitch changed its fee structure. Some streamers who were retaining 70% of all subscription revenue generated from their accounts saw this proportion drop to 50%.</p>
<p>In 2020, TikTok, facing rising competition from YouTube Shorts and Instagram reels, launched its billion-dollar Creator Fund. The fund was supposed to allow creators to get directly paid for their content. Instead, <a href="https://www.engadget.com/tiktok-stars-creator-fund-payouts-222006327.html">creators complained</a> that every 1,000 views only translated to a few cents. TikTok <a href="https://www.zdnet.com/article/tiktok-is-ending-reviled-creator-fund-says-replacement-offers-bigger-income/">suspended the fund</a> in November 2023.</p>
<h2>Bias as a feature, not a bug</h2>
<p>The livelihoods of many fashion, beauty, fitness and food creators depend on deals brokered with brands that want these influencers to promote goods or services to their followers.</p>
<p>Yet throughout the creator economy, people of color and those identifying as LGBTQ+ have encountered bias. Unequal and unfair compensation from brands is a recurring issue, with <a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/msl-study-reveals-racial-pay-gap-in-influencer-marketing-301437451.html?tc=eml_cleartime">one 2021 report</a> revealing a pay gap of roughly 30% between white creators and creators of color.</p>
<p>Along with brand biases, platforms can exacerbate systemic bias. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/20563051211003066">Creator scholar Sophie Bishop</a> has demonstrated how nontransparent algorithms can categorize “desirability” among influencers along lines of race, gender, class and sexual orientation. </p>
<p>Then there’s what creator scholar Zoë Glatt calls the “<a href="https://zoeglatt.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Glatt-2023-The-intimacy-triple-bind-Structural-inequalities-and-relational-labour-in-the-influencer-industry.pdf">intimacy triple bind</a>”: Marginalized creators are at higher risk of trolling and harassment, they secure lower fees for advertising, and they are expected to divulge more personal details to generate more engagement and revenue.</p>
<p>Couple these precarious conditions with the whims and caprices of volatile online communities that can turn beloved creators <a href="https://www.insider.com/mrbeasts-curing-disability-videos-upsetting-reputation-2023-5">into villains in the blink of a text or post</a>, and even the world’s most successful creators live on a precipice of losing their livelihoods. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Large Black man hunches over a meal of fried seafood as he holds his smartphone." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/560537/original/file-20231120-26-tp4qis.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/560537/original/file-20231120-26-tp4qis.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/560537/original/file-20231120-26-tp4qis.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/560537/original/file-20231120-26-tp4qis.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/560537/original/file-20231120-26-tp4qis.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/560537/original/file-20231120-26-tp4qis.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/560537/original/file-20231120-26-tp4qis.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Food influencer Larry Mcleod, 47, better known on social media as Big Schlim, reviews the restaurant Shellfish Market in Washington, D.C.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/washington-dc-larry-mcleod-of-greenbelt-better-known-on-news-photo/1718277220?adppopup=true">Sarah L. Voisin/The Washington Post via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Rumblings of solidarity</h2>
<p>Unlike their counterparts in the legacy media industries, creators have neither taken easily nor well to collective action as they operate from their bedrooms and fight for more eyeballs.</p>
<p>Yet some members of this creator class recognize that the bedroom-boardroom power imbalance is a bottom line matter that requires bottom-up initiative. </p>
<p>The Creators Guild of America, or CGA, <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2023/08/28/creators-guild-america-influencer-labor-rights-nonprofit/">which launched in August 2023</a>, is but one of many successors to the original Internet Creators’ Guild, <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2019/7/11/20688929/internet-creators-guild-shutting-down-hank-green-youtube-copyright-claims-monetization">which folded in 2019</a>. Paradoxically, CGA describes itself as a “professional service organization,” not a labor union, yet claims to offer benefits “similar to those offered by unions.” </p>
<p><a href="https://dot.la/tiktok-creators-labor-union-2658380734.html">There are other movements afoot</a>: A group of TikTok creators formed a Discord group in September 2022 to discuss unionizing. There’s also the <a href="https://blog.twitch.tv/en/2023/04/12/announcing-new-twitch-unity-guild-leaders-and-our-call-for-members/">Twitch Unity Guild</a>, a program launched in December 2022 for networking, development and celebration and includes a dedicated Discord space. In response to the rampant bias in influencer marketing, creator-led firms like “<a href="https://www.theverge.com/22684237/fuck-you-pay-me-lindsey-lee-lugrin-decoder-interview">F–k You Pay Me </a>” are demanding greater fairness, transparency and accountability from brands and advertisers. </p>
<p>Twitch streamers are already seeing some of their organizing efforts pay off. In June 2023, after a year of repeated changes in streamer fees and brand deals, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/antoniopequenoiv/2023/06/15/twitch-introduces-7030-revenue-split-for-some-streamers-through-new-program-with-some-caveats/?sh=44fe992d6759">the company capitulated</a> in response to the backlash of their top streamers threatening to leave. </p>
<p>None of these initiatives has yet attained the legal status of unions such as the Writers Guild of America. Meanwhile, efforts by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists to recruit creators have proved limited. <a href="https://lawecommons.luc.edu/lclr/vol34/iss2/4/">Legal scholar Sara Shiffman</a> has written about how SAG-AFTRA provides creators with health and retirement benefits, but offers no resources to ensure fair and equitable compensation from platforms or advertisers. Nonetheless, <a href="https://time.com/6301824/influencers-sag-strike/">while on strike</a>, SAG-AFTRA threatened creators that partnered with studios with a lifetime ban from joining the union.</p>
<p>And despite these bottom-up efforts, the tech behemoths refuse to recognize creators’ fledgling organizations. When a union for YouTubers formed in Germany in 2018, <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2019/8/26/20833315/youtube-union-youtubers-negotiate-germany-meeting">YouTube refused to negotiate with it</a>. Nonetheless, you’ll see companies trot out their biggest stars when they find themselves under regulatory scrutiny. That’s what happened when <a href="https://www.tubefilter.com/2023/03/20/tiktok-project-texas-restrict-act-ban-congress-shou-zi-chew/">TikTok sponsored creators to lobby politicians</a> who were debating banning the platform.</p>
<h2>An invisible class of labor</h2>
<p>Meanwhile, most governments have failed to provide support for – or even recognition of – creator rights. </p>
<p>Within the U.S., creators “<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/10/26/creator-economy-influencers-youtubers-social-media/">barely exist</a>” in official records, as technology reporters Drew Harwell and Taylor Lorenz recently pointed out in The Washington Post. The U.S. Census Bureau makes no mention of social media as a profession; it is invisible as a distinctive class of labor. </p>
<p>To date, the Federal Trade Commission is the only U.S. agency <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/plain-language/1001a-influencer-guide-508_1.pdf">to introduce regulation</a> tied to the work of creators, and it’s limited to disclosure guidelines for advertising and sponsored content. </p>
<p>Even as the European Union has operated at the forefront of tech and platform policy, creators rate scant mention in the body’s laws. Writing about the EU’s 2022 Digital Services Act, legal scholars <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0267364923000808">Bram Duivendvoorde and Catalina Goanta</a> criticize the EU for leaving “influencer marketing out of the material scope of its specific rules,” a blind spot that they describe as “one of its main pitfalls.” </p>
<p>The success of the 2023 Hollywood strikes could be just the beginning of a larger global movement for creator rights. But in order for this new class of creators to access the full breadth of their economic and human rights – to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2I91DJZKRxs&ab_channel=Movieclips">borrow from the movie “Jaws”</a> – we’re gonna need a bigger boat.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/217657/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Stuart Cunningham receives funding from the Australian Research Council. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>David Craig does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Even the world’s most successful creators can see their livelihoods threatened by social media companies that routinely change their algorithms and policies with impunity.
David Craig, Clinical Associate Professor of Communication, USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism
Stuart Cunningham, Distinguished Professor of Media and Communication, Queensland University of Technology
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/218220
2023-12-04T13:26:11Z
2023-12-04T13:26:11Z
Online ‘likes’ for toxic social media posts prompt more − and more hateful − messages
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/562566/original/file-20231129-15-f1jgk5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=355%2C0%2C4540%2C3442&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Posting a hateful message online can have a lot to do with how like-minded bigots will respond.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/concept-of-social-media-communication-and-digital-royalty-free-image/1647673589">Thitima Uthaiburom/iStock via Getty Images Plus</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The rampant <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/15/technology/hate-speech-israel-gaza-internet.html">increase of hate messages</a> on social media is a scourge in today’s technology-infused society. Racism, homophobia, xenophobia and even personal attacks on <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2019/10/10/partisan-antipathy-more-intense-more-personal/">people who have the audacity to disagree</a> with someone else’s political opinion – these and other forms of online hate present an ugly side of humanity.</p>
<p>The derision on social media appears in vile and profane terms for all to see. Obviously, the sole purpose of posting online hate is to harass and harm one’s victims, right?</p>
<p>Not necessarily, according to recent studies about hate messaging in social media. Although seeing hate comments is unquestionably upsetting, new research suggests there’s a different reason people post hate: to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2021.12.010">get attention and garner social approval</a> from like-minded social media users. It’s a social activity. It’s exhilarating to be the nastiest or snarkiest and to get lots of thumbs-ups or hearts. Anecdotal evidence makes a good case for the social basis of online hate, and new empirical research backs it up.</p>
<p>In <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=LJNfe3cAAAAJ">over 30 years of research about online interaction</a>, I’ve documented how people make friends and form relationships online. It now appears that the same dynamics that can make some online relationships intensely positive can also fuel friendly feelings among those who join together online in expressing enmity toward identity groups and individual targets. It’s a “<a href="https://www.adl.org/resources/report/hate-parties-sharing-links-fringe-platforms-drives-antisemitic-comments-youtube">hate party</a>,” more or less.</p>
<h2>Online hate is a social phenomenon</h2>
<p>When you look at online hate messages, you start to notice clues that suggest, more often than not, that hatemongers are posting messages to each other, not to those their messages implicate and denigrate.</p>
<p>For instance, white supremacists and neo-Nazis often include codes and symbols that have shared meaning for the in-group but are opaque to outsiders, including the very people that their messages vilify. Including “88” in one’s message, hashtag or handle is one such code; the <a href="https://www.adl.org/resources/hate-symbols/search">Anti-Defamation League’s lexicon of hate symbols</a> explains that the 8th letter of the alphabet is H. And 88, therefore, is HH, or Heil Hitler.</p>
<p>Another clue that hate is for haters is the way it has shifted somewhat from mainstream social media to fringe sites that have gotten so hateful and disturbing that it’s hard to imagine any member of a targeted group wanting to peruse those spaces. The fringe sites <a href="https://www.politico.eu/article/fringe-social-media-telegram-extremism-far-right/">say they promote unfettered free speech online</a>. But in doing so, they attract users who write posts that are widely unacceptable and wouldn’t last a minute on mainstream sites with community standards and content moderation.</p>
<p>The kinds of messages that would quickly be flagged as hate speech in any offline setting come to dominate the threads and discussions in some of these spaces. Users curate meme repositories – for instance, the anti-Jewish, anti-LGBTQ and “new (n-word)” collections – that are hideous to most people but funny to those who partake in these secluded virtual backrooms. They’re not spaces where the targets of these epithets are likely to wander.</p>
<h2>Ganging up builds community</h2>
<p>Further research lends credence to the hypothesis that haters are in it for social approval from one another. Internet researchers <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=fM-s2vQAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">Gianluca Stringhini</a>, <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=W_ApnIUAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">Jeremy Blackburn</a> and their colleagues have been tracking what they call cross-platform “raids” for a decade.</p>
<p>Here’s how it works. A user on one platform recruits other users to target and harass someone on another platform – the creator of a specific video over on YouTube, for instance. The originator’s post contains a link to the YouTube video and a description of some race or gender issue to prey on, instilling the urge to act among prospective accomplices. Followers <a href="https://doi.org/10.1145/3359309">head to YouTube and pile on</a>, filling the comments section with hate messages.</p>
<p>The attack looks like its purpose is to antagonize a victim rather than building ties among the antagonists. And, of course, the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1377/hpb20200929.601434">effects on the targeted person</a> can be devastating. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/562567/original/file-20231129-27-br46au.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="man smiling looking at mobile phone" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/562567/original/file-20231129-27-br46au.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/562567/original/file-20231129-27-br46au.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/562567/original/file-20231129-27-br46au.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/562567/original/file-20231129-27-br46au.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/562567/original/file-20231129-27-br46au.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/562567/original/file-20231129-27-br46au.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/562567/original/file-20231129-27-br46au.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Online posters cheer on the toxic messages of their peers – and savor their social approval.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/mullet-royalty-free-image/1304467498">ianmcdonnell/E+ via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>But backstage, the attackers circle back to the platform where the plot was organized. They boast to one another about what they did. They post screen grabs from the YouTube page to show off their denigrating deeds. They congratulate each other. It was for getting attention and approval after all, consistent with the social approval theory of online hate.</p>
<h2>Social approval eggs users on to greater extremes</h2>
<p>More direct evidence of the effect of social approval on hate messaging is also emerging. Online behavior researcher <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=DwYC8vkAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">Yotam Shmargad</a> and his collaborators have studied newspapers’ online discussion websites. When people get “upvotes” on antisocial comments they’ve posted, they become <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0894439320985527">more likely to post additional antisocial comments</a>. </p>
<p>A recent study by my colleagues <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=xlNV12MAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">Julie Jiang</a>, <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=veoVwKwAAAAJ&view_op=list_works">Luca Luceri</a> and <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=0r7Syh0AAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">Emilio Ferrara</a> looked at users of X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, and what happened when they received signs of social approval to their xenophobic tweets. When posters’ toxic tweets got an unusually high number of “likes” from other users, <a href="https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2310.07779">their subsequent messages were even more toxic</a>. The more their messages were retweeted by others, the more posters doubled down with more extreme hate.</p>
<p>These findings do nothing to diminish the real hurt and anger that justifiably arise when people see themselves or their identity groups disparaged online.</p>
<p>The social approval theory of online hate doesn’t explain how people come to hate others or become bigoted in the first place. It does provide a new account for the expression of hate on social media, though, and how social gratifications encourage the ebb and flow of this problematic practice.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/218220/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Joseph B. Walther receives funding from the Institute for Rebooting Social Media, Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University, and donations for online hate research and the Center for Information Technology and Society at the University of California, Santa Barbara.</span></em></p>
Hate is for the haters. Much of the thrill of posting toxic messages can come from the attention and social approval a poster gets from like-minded people.
Joseph B. Walther, Visiting Scholar at Harvard University, Distinguished Professor of Communication, University of California, Santa Barbara
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/216911
2023-11-19T18:59:50Z
2023-11-19T18:59:50Z
Salad Fingers wasn’t just strange, it was art. Here’s how it’s still influencing the ‘weird part of YouTube’ 2 decades on
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/559488/original/file-20231115-25-27e8ua.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=1%2C2%2C799%2C536&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQNRkdHeK1A">Screenshot of Salad Fingers and the corpse Kenneth in Episode 7, Shore Leave.</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The words “Salad Fingers” may not mean anything to some readers, but for others they will trigger nostalgia, some very discomforting memories - or perhaps a “weird” combination of both. </p>
<p>Salad Fingers and his perturbing love of rusty spoons is an uncanny animated pioneer of viral YouTube videos. This creepy character came into being just before the arrival of YouTube, but went on to become the embodiment of “<a href="https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/im-in-that-weird-part-of-youtube">the weird part of YouTube</a>”. </p>
<p>The character’s influence is enduring - almost two decades after Salad Fingers first saw the light, the eponymous animated web series is still ongoing. The latest episode, <a href="https://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/899778">Harvest</a>, was released in September 2023. </p>
<p>In <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/13548565231208569">the first academic paper</a> to be published on the series, we argue Salad Fingers was a key influence on “weird YouTube’s” countercultural melange of content that escapes the aesthetic, regulatory and moral constraints of mainstream film and television. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/M3iOROuTuMA?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Episode one of Salad Fingers: Spoons.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Salad Fingers and the dawn of ‘weird YouTube’</h2>
<p>The year was 2004, and the launch of YouTube was still a year away. On <a href="https://www.newgrounds.com/">Newgrounds</a>, a still-active platform dedicated to user-generated content, a young British artist by the name of David Firth released a web series titled Salad Fingers. The series featured a character with an eerie but gentle and soothing voice who inhabits a mysteriously apocalyptic, desolate landscape. </p>
<p>The first episode, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3iOROuTuMA">Spoons</a>, shows the protagonist caressing a rusty spoon and reaching a state of sensual extasis. Like most episodes that would follow, it’s punctuated by repetitive, looping music courtesy of experimental electronic duo Boards of Canada that - like the character’s voice - is as calming as it is unsettling. </p>
<p>Salad Fingers is a green anthropomorphic figure coded as male and with lettuce leaves as hands. His blank, simple features are rendered using rough-hewn animation that looks like a child’s drawing. This rudimentary animation was done in Flash, a software that enabled amateur artists to experiment with narrative and visual style. Flash also simplifies content distribution: the software creates vector images, which weigh less and use less bandwidth.</p>
<p>Over the years, the series has come to enjoy a cult following and Firth released 13 new episodes between 2005 and 2023. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WK7UzOwpDGw?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Salad Fingers episode ten: Birthday.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>While it looks and feels like a children’s show, Salad Fingers does not conform to the norms of children’s television. The series expanded the boundaries of what 21st-century animation can do as an expressive medium. </p>
<p>Today, it’s common to see animations with a subversive, experimental edge destined for adult consumption and dealing with existential crisis (think of Netflix’s <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1eJMig5Ik4">Bojack Horseman</a>). </p>
<p>But when Salad Fingers was released, it pushed generic boundaries in shocking ways that harnessed the internet’s freedom from content regulation like ratings systems (such as Australia’s G and PG ratings designating child appropriateness).</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/i1eJMig5Ik4?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Netflix’s BoJack Horseman.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>These ambiguous intentions are the combined appeal and horror of the show: the most common Google search phrases around the series are “Is Salad Fingers supposed to be scary?”, “Is Salad Fingers a children’s show?” and “Why is Salad Fingers weird?”</p>
<p>Firth’s series transgressed the norms of animation styles alongside other artists of the period who used web animation in an experimental way (among them, <a href="https://homestarrunner.com/">Homestar Runner</a> by The Brothers Chaps, <a href="https://illwillpress.com/vault.html">Neurotically Yours</a> by Jonathan Ian Mathers, and the 2003 viral video <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2018/01/end-of-the-world-viral-video-sequel-by-jason-windsor.html">The End of the World</a> by Jason Windsor).</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kCpjgl2baLs?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">The End of the World.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Salad Fingers is beyond classification</h2>
<p>While Salad Fingers is culturally aligned with boundary-pushing animated TV series popular at the time, such as The Simpsons and South Park, it’s also distinct due to its avant-garde ambiguity. </p>
<p>Firth <a href="https://narcmagazine.com/interview-david-firth/">talks about the influence</a> of beloved kids’ cartoon Rugrats on his series and character, and indeed Salad Fingers behaves in a very childlike, imaginative manner. However, he also commits unhinged acts of violence with no apparent moral compass. He speaks to his finger puppet imaginary friends, but also to corpses, and cooks a child alive in the oven. </p>
<p>When a Canadian primary school teacher was suspended for screening Salad Fingers to his class, Firth <a href="https://twitter.com/DAVID_FIRTH/status/1157025361399635972">tweeted</a> “I fully support Salad Fingers being shown to children. In fact it should be mandatory”.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1157025361399635972"}"></div></p>
<p>This subversive play with the boundaries of good taste and child/adult content is at the heart of Salad Fingers, and of YouTube’s “weird part”. </p>
<p>Yet Salad Fingers also highlights how this weird YouTube mode continues avant-garde and surrealist art, film and television traditions. </p>
<p>The barren landscapes in which the character exists have links to the dark portraits of painter Francis Bacon, to the filmography of auteur David Lynch, and to the grim animated characters of cult art-rock opera Pink Floyd: The Wall. The show’s apocalyptic ethos was also indicative of post-Y2K pessimism and rebellion against aesthetic, cultural and political norms.</p>
<p>The series aligns such traditions with the gleefully disruptive generic ambiguity of early 2000s online video sharing cultures - an ambiguity made possible by the web’s freedom from the constraints of the formal production and distribution structures of film and television. </p>
<p>The series would go on to influence a vibrant and globally beloved genre of “weird” YouTube content committed to derailing cultural expectations about the distinctions between children’s and adult content. </p>
<p>A beloved example is Michelle Lyons’ animated web series [Funny Horsie], which emerged in 2011: this dark and absurd series about an ungainly horse, is ironically <a href="https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/WebAnimation/FunnyHorsie">described as</a> “one of Britain’s most well-loved, yet obscure children’s programmes”</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/B0xXpwq9xfQ?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Funny Horsie.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Another progeny of Salad Fingers is cult YouTube puppet-animated hit <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZOnoLKzoBItcEk5OsES2TA">Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared</a> (Joseph Pelling and Rebecca Sloan, 2011-16). This nightmarish parody of puppet-based kids’ shows such as Sesame Street became a BBC Channel 4 television series in 2022, highlighting how the influence of weird YouTube is crossing into mainstream media.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/sXOdn6vLCuU?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Don’t hug me I’m scared.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Today, “weird” content on YouTube remains indebted to Salad Fingers and other early internet viral animations such as Funny Horsie. </p>
<p>Just this year, a series titled <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-ZXraMeHBPJHXBhrNowJaQslyqtUg-tZ">Skibidi Toilet</a> became a viral sensation. The videos show, in rudimentary 3D animation, a series of moving toilets with heads sticking out of them. The singing, fighting toilets have become a sensation, with <a href="https://www.insider.com/skibidi-toilet-is-good-actually-2023-10">Business Insider</a> claiming the series “captures the anarchic spirit of the internet”. </p>
<p>Salad Fingers embodies the anarchic weird YouTube spirit that lives on through these singing toilet heads.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tzD9OxAHtzU?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Skibidi Toilet.</span></figcaption>
</figure><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/216911/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jessica Balanzategui receives funding from The Australian Children's Television Foundation and The City of Melbourne.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>César Albarrán-Torres does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Do you remember the bizarre Salad Fingers videos from the early 2000s? They inspired a whole genre of genre-less online videos.
Jessica Balanzategui, Senior Lecturer in Media, RMIT University
César Albarrán-Torres, Senior Lecturer, Department of Media and Communication, Swinburne University of Technology
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/211093
2023-09-26T22:51:51Z
2023-09-26T22:51:51Z
Family vlogs can entertain, empower and exploit
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/548388/original/file-20230914-27-rfrjml.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C23%2C5329%2C3523&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Family vlogs can be a double-edged sword that provide families with income, but also lead to exploitation.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/family-vlogs-can-entertain-empower-and-exploit" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>YouTube channels belonging to American content creator Ruby Franke were recently <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/9960389/ruby-franke-youtube-kevin-jodi-hildebrandt/">scrubbed from the site</a> after the YouTuber was charged with child abuse. Franke was known for making parenting videos on her YouTube channel, 8 Passengers. Her videos frequently featured content on the family and her six children.</p>
<p>Police in Utah said the charges were laid after Franke’s 12-year-old son <a href="https://www.sltrib.com/news/politics/2023/09/05/heres-what-we-know-about-arrest/">climbed out of the window</a> of a home and went to a neighbour to ask for food and water. Police said the boy and his younger sister were found emaciated and required hospitalization. </p>
<p>As blogs and live journals gather internet dust, <a href="https://www.wix.com/blog/photography/how-to-vlog">vlogging</a> has emerged as a new source of intimate entertainment, and for creators, potential income. However, they also raise serious questions about exploitation and the privacy rights of children.</p>
<h2>What is vlogging?</h2>
<p>Vlogs are videos, usually published through social media, that share the creator’s personal thoughts and experiences. Family vlogs like Franke’s are a popular form of this medium, where parents take viewers into their homes. The content might involve taking viewers along on the family’s daily routine. Family vlogging channels upload videos sharing <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cq1hI0Mmyic">significant milestones</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxUHjIFkeIk&t=401s">morning routines</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkpvqOUrWec">preparing for school</a>. </p>
<p>Many might feel uneasy about <a href="https://theconversation.com/want-to-be-a-social-media-influencer-you-might-want-to-think-again-203306">content creation</a> that showcases private family life. However, at the same time, vlogs might offer families agency and alternative means of making ends meet at a time of stagnant wages and soaring living costs.</p>
<p>Thinking about vlogging as a kind of social reproduction allows us to think through the double-edged sword of content creation. Social reproduction refers to the labour of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8330.00207">lifemaking</a>: the day-to-day work of care, education and sustenance. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0309132518791730">Feminist theorists</a> use this term to think about the ways in which caring labour supports and shapes our social, political and economic world.</p>
<p>Social reproduction is “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8330.00207">the fleshy, messy and indeterminate stuff of everyday life</a>.” It involves the responsibilities and relationships involved in maintaining daily life.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/544800/original/file-20230825-21-qhucf7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A man and two young children sit in front of cameras and a laptop." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/544800/original/file-20230825-21-qhucf7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/544800/original/file-20230825-21-qhucf7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/544800/original/file-20230825-21-qhucf7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/544800/original/file-20230825-21-qhucf7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/544800/original/file-20230825-21-qhucf7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/544800/original/file-20230825-21-qhucf7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/544800/original/file-20230825-21-qhucf7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Many might feel uneasy about content that showcases private family life. However, vlogs offer alternative means of making ends meet.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
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<h2>A response to the pressures of parenting</h2>
<p>Family vlogging did not develop in a vacuum. Instead, the trend towards “mumpreneurs” emerged from within a <a href="https://newleftreview.org/issues/ii100/articles/nancy-fraser-contradictions-of-capital-and-care">care crisis</a>. The cost of living is rising, wages are stagnating, and government benefits do not provide the support families need. Parents — and mothers in particular — are facing significant pressures when it comes to caring for children and the household.</p>
<p>There has been a rise in gender equity in the workforce, however there is still <a href="https://theconversation.com/we-can-we-reduce-gender-inequality-in-housework-heres-how-58130">huge inequity</a> when it comes to work in the home. Women are working unprecedented (paid and unpaid) hours, and are often being told they are <a href="https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/series/women-work-more/143-amanda-watson.html">failing at both</a>.</p>
<p>As a response to these pressures, mothers developed their own online communities to express the <a href="https://jarm.journals.yorku.ca/index.php/jarm/article/view/40238">highs and lows of parenting</a>. These communities began as <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2016.1187642">“mommy blogs,”</a> but have increasingly moved to vlog format over the years. </p>
<p>Family vlogs can offer intimate counter-narratives to the expectations of parenthood. Mothers can share <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/17504813221123663">the anxieties and pressures they face</a> and offer support to one another.</p>
<h2>Commodifying families</h2>
<p>However, there can be downsides to the trend. Many family vlogs are highly curated productions that can perpetuate ideas about what constitutes “good” motherhood, rather than challenge racialized, gendered and classist <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305117707186">ideals of motherhood</a>. In this way, vlogs are less about connection and more about commodification.</p>
<p>The implications of this monetization are complex. Performing <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/ccc/tcy008">socially desirable</a> forms of motherhood can reproduce racial, sexual and class-based exclusion around who does and who does not count as a good mother. Dominant ideas of “motherhood” are shaped by heterosexual family structures, and there is a <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/37354/women-race-and-class-by-angela-y-davis/">long history</a> of surveilling and <a href="https://utorontopress.com/9781442691520/exalted-subjects/">disciplining</a> racialized parents.</p>
<p>YouTube <a href="https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/72851">creators</a> depend on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/intl/en_ph/creators/how-things-work/video-monetization/">viewership and subscribers</a> to monetize their content. They also use YouTube advertisements, sponsorships and brand deals to generate income. While some creators can make millions of dollars, most do not. Many are precarious workers with fluctuating incomes determined by <a href="https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/141805#zippy=%2Chow-does-youtube-choose-what-videos-to-promote%2Chow-are-videos-ranked-on-home">YouTube’s algorithm</a>. </p>
<p>On the other hand, content creation allows mothers to rebel against economic insecurity by making their motherhood a source of income. While this offers a means of paying the bills, who benefits and who doesn’t when a certain version of the family is commodified? </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/544801/original/file-20230825-15-k4cmur.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A man and a young girl preparing food in a kitchen while a smartphone films" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/544801/original/file-20230825-15-k4cmur.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/544801/original/file-20230825-15-k4cmur.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/544801/original/file-20230825-15-k4cmur.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/544801/original/file-20230825-15-k4cmur.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/544801/original/file-20230825-15-k4cmur.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/544801/original/file-20230825-15-k4cmur.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/544801/original/file-20230825-15-k4cmur.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Many content creators are dependent on social media algorithms that determine what content gets the most views.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Kids and clickbait: What is the law?</h2>
<p>Exploitation is twofold for family vloggers. Firstly, in the United States, parents are considered responsible for protecting their underage children’s privacy information and consent. Many influencers live or move to the U.S. for <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/1987946563736">creator funds</a> and better networking opportunities. This can become an issue when <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-arent-there-any-legal-protections-for-the-children-of-influencers-196463">parents exploit their children</a> while also being <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/youtube-lets-lawless-lucrative-sharenting-industry-put-kids-mercy-internet-1635112">in charge of providing consent</a>. </p>
<p>Secondly, <a href="https://static.googleusercontent.com/media/research.google.com/en//pubs/archive/45530.pdf">social media algorithms</a> determine whether a video becomes popular on a platform, which <a href="https://www.youtube.com/intl/en_ca/creators/how-things-work/content-creation-strategy/">prioritizes content that gains the most views</a>.</p>
<p>The algorithms can <a href="https://theconversation.com/want-to-be-a-social-media-influencer-you-might-want-to-think-again-203306">change without warning</a>, so creators never know if their content will remain popular. If family vloggers choose to stop showcasing their children on their channels, they might <a href="https://www.popsugar.com/family/posting-kids-faces-social-media-privacy-49045872">lose viewership</a> and priority within the algorithm.</p>
<p>Existing U.S. laws are unequipped to handle this new form of child labour. <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2023/08/25/illinois-child-influencer-earnings-law-history-jackie-coogan/">The Coogan Act</a> attempts to protect the income of child performers, but it does not account for the unique conditions of child social media stars. </p>
<p>Most recently, <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/child-influencers-law-illinois-reaction-rcna99831">Illinois is the first U.S. state</a> to pass a law to ensure child influencers featured in monetized videos receive financial compensation. The law will take effect in July 2024, and there is hope that other states will follow suit. </p>
<p>This is a good start, but it is not enough. Policymakers should also look at the steps France has taken to protect child influencers. In 2020, the country passed a law that gives children the <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-54447491">right to be forgotten</a>. This means that child influencers can request that the platform removes content featuring them without their parent’s permission.</p>
<p>Laws need to include more than financial compensation for child influencers. There need to be regulations protecting children’s privacy, rights to have content removed and preventing children from being overworked. There also needs to be a call for greater regulation and transparency of social media algorithms that control and manipulate what is profitable.</p>
<p>Whether it is entertainment, exploitation or employment, family vlogging is a reminder of the complex interconnections between care work and wage work. As the households of strangers stream across our screens, parents and lawmakers must think carefully about the impacts on families and children.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/211093/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Rebecca Hall receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Christina Pilgrim does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Vlogging has emerged as a new source of intimate entertainment, and for creators, potential income. However, they also raise serious questions about exploitation and the privacy rights of children.
Rebecca Hall, Assistant Professor, Global Development Studies, Queen's University, Ontario
Christina Pilgrim, Master's student, Department of Sociology, Queen's University, Ontario
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/211036
2023-08-07T03:52:00Z
2023-08-07T03:52:00Z
Foreign interference through social media is an active threat. Here’s what Australia can do
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/541363/original/file-20230807-25-d9igz1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C251%2C3678%2C2533&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Last week, a special Senate committee <a href="https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/download/committees/reportsen/RB000062/toc_pdf/SenateSelectCommitteeonForeignInterferencethroughSocialMedia.pdf">released a report</a> on foreign interference through social media. </p>
<p>It makes for scary reading. In addition to <a href="https://www.skynews.com.au/australia-news/politics/contempt-popular-chinese-social-media-platform-wechat-refuses-to-front-foreign-interference-probe-after-repeated-requests/news-story/5aa4854df7d668a5fa63f6c5d6db83e7">widely publicised criticisms of WeChat and TikTok</a> – social media platforms owned by Chinese companies – the committee found US-based platforms like X (formerly known as Twitter), Meta, LinkedIn and YouTube have <a href="https://www.afr.com/technology/meta-says-china-experimenting-with-facebook-influence-tactics-20230711-p5dnds">been targeted by foreign interference campaigns</a>. </p>
<p>Yet no one has been convicted for foreign interference since Australian law reforms on this were passed in 2018. So, what’s going on?</p>
<h2>What did the report find?</h2>
<p>The inquiry heard <a href="https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/download/committees/commsen/26690/toc_pdf/Foreign%20Interference%20through%20Social%20Media%E2%80%94Select%20Committee_2023_04_21_Official.pdf;fileType=application%2Fpdf#search=%22committees/commsen/26690/0007%22">evidence of actual interference</a> in Australia carried out using social media, such as fake Russian accounts used to stalk Ukrainians in Australia, and death threats made against foreign journalists.</p>
<p>Among its 17 recommendations, the report proposes transparency standards for social media companies. This includes requiring companies to have a physical presence in Australia (such as offices). A lack of this presence was one of the main reasons <a href="https://www.skynews.com.au/business/tech-and-innovation/wechat-app-warned-by-australian-government-over-contempt/video/d6d371a2dfc56f98b1761fdbad4d9cac#:">WeChat couldn’t be compelled</a> to give evidence during the inquiry.</p>
<p>The report also recommends companies which don’t comply with the transparency standards should face <a href="https://www.afr.com/technology/fine-ban-social-media-that-fails-transparency-tests-senate-committee-20230801-p5dt04">massive fines</a> or even be banned from operating in Australia.</p>
<p>TikTok and WeChat were also called out by the committee, with pressure building to ban those platforms from critical businesses like <a href="https://thewest.com.au/politics/federal-politics/tiktok-and-wechat-already-banned-by-government-contractors-ahead-of-senate-inquiry-report-c-11462175">banks, airports and electricity providers</a>. This is in addition to bans already in place for <a href="https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/australia-bans-tiktok-on-all-official-devices/fpn6uvlw7">government-issued devices</a>, as well as some of the <a href="https://www.afr.com/technology/deloitte-ey-and-mckinsey-consultants-banned-from-using-tiktok-20230706-p5dm4u">large consultancy firms</a> that work for the government.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-was-tiktok-banned-on-government-devices-an-expert-on-why-the-security-concerns-make-sense-202339">Why was TikTok banned on government devices? An expert on why the security concerns make sense</a>
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<p>The report also highlights the <a href="https://www.acma.gov.au/sites/default/files/2023-07/Digital%20platforms%20efforts%20under%20Code%20of%20Practice%20on%20Disinformation%20and%20Misinformation.pdf">threat posed by generative AI</a> in fuelling disinformation. On top of this, it recommends a full review of our espionage and foreign interference laws.</p>
<h2>Our current foreign interference system</h2>
<p>Australia already has <a href="https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2018C00506">some of the toughest laws</a> in the world when it comes to criminalising threats to our national security, like espionage, foreign interference, and stealing classified information. These reforms were introduced in 2018 specifically to address the rising threat posed by foreign actors.</p>
<p>But foreign interference hasn’t gone away. In 2021, parliament was handed another report, this time by the Joint Committee for Intelligence and Security, which <a href="https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Joint/Intelligence_and_Security/NationalSecurityRisks/Report">looked at national security risks in universities</a>. That report found Australian universities are at risk of being infiltrated by foreign agents looking to steal scientific research and technology. </p>
<p>In 2022, the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) revealed its officers had disrupted an actual attempt to <a href="https://www.asio.gov.au/resources/speeches-and-statements/director-generals-annual-threat-assessment-2022">interfere with an election in Australia</a>. </p>
<p>A wealthy individual with deep connections to a foreign government had hired an employee to identify electoral candidates who would support the interests of said foreign government. They then plotted to advance the candidates’ political prospects through generous support and favourable articles on foreign language news platforms. But their plans were disrupted by ASIO before they could act.</p>
<p>Despite clear instances of foreign interference occurring in Australia, only two people have been charged under the 2018 laws. The first case <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/nov/06/i-have-nothing-to-hide-melbourne-man-accused-of-beijing-links-vows-to-fight-foreign-interference-charge">alleged that Di Sanh Duong</a> – a prominent member of the Melbourne business community – was in league with Chinese intelligence officers.</p>
<p>The second charge involved <a href="https://theconversation.com/could-using-open-source-information-online-get-you-arrested-for-foreign-interference-204548">Sydney businessman Alexander Csergo</a>, again alleging he provided reports to Chinese intelligence. Both are still awaiting trial.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/541361/original/file-20230807-21-mp3dlr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Close-up of a smartphone qwerty keyboard in a dark room" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/541361/original/file-20230807-21-mp3dlr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/541361/original/file-20230807-21-mp3dlr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541361/original/file-20230807-21-mp3dlr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541361/original/file-20230807-21-mp3dlr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541361/original/file-20230807-21-mp3dlr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541361/original/file-20230807-21-mp3dlr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541361/original/file-20230807-21-mp3dlr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Only two cases of foreign interference charges have occurred since the 2018 law reforms were put in place.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://unsplash.com/photos/Qw_u8x5XS68">Nate Smith/Unsplash</a></span>
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</figure>
<h2>Why have there been so few cases?</h2>
<p>In part, few people have been charged for foreign interference because the evidence needed to prosecute someone <a href="https://theconversation.com/amid-warnings-of-spy-hives-why-isnt-australia-using-its-tough-counter-espionage-laws-more-200440">might divulge how</a> Australian law enforcement and spy agencies keep their eyes out for this kind of activity.</p>
<p>This is where the laws designed to keep our national security information confidential in court <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/witness-j-secret-prosecution-should-never-have-happened-national-security-watchdog-20220728-p5b5hy.html">have been strongly criticised</a>.</p>
<p>Prosecutions of this kind also need to be <a href="https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2023C00123/Html/Volume_1#_Toc139551386">approved by the Attorney-General</a>. It is entirely possible the Attorney-General has declined to prosecute a person because the evidence didn’t stack up. However, that same law doesn’t prevent a person from being charged or held in remand.</p>
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<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-australias-tough-national-security-laws-cannot-stop-foreign-interference-in-our-elections-177451">Why Australia’s tough national security laws cannot stop foreign interference in our elections</a>
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<p>Without more details from our security agencies – which aren’t likely to be forthcoming – we may never know how many people have been charged with a foreign interference offence but aren’t subsequently prosecuted because the Attorney-General did not consent to do so.</p>
<p>Another possibility why few people have been prosecuted for foreign interference is that it can be difficult to obtain the evidence needed to prove a particular person committed foreign interference. This is because it is easy to use anonymising technologies when engaging in foreign interference online, so it may not be possible to actually identify who committed the offence.</p>
<p>Even if the person can be identified, if they are located overseas they would have to be extradited to Australia to face prosecution. This can be a challenging – if not impossible – process.</p>
<h2>What needs to be done</h2>
<p>Further reforms to Australia’s espionage and foreign interference laws probably aren’t necessary. The laws are already strong enough and, if anything, are too broad as they are. For example, they have the capacity to criminalise the legitimate work of <a href="http://classic.austlii.edu.au/au/journals/MelbULawRw/2021/1.html">journalists</a> and <a href="http://www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/journals/SydLawRw//2022/24.html">academics</a>. This can undermine core liberal democratic rights such as press freedom and academic freedom.</p>
<p>Rather than reform espionage and foreign interference laws, the government could focus on making changes to regulate the conduct of social media companies. For example, social media companies could be required to take reasonable steps to prevent foreign interference from occurring via their platforms. Failure to do so could be regulated in a number of ways, such as civil and/or criminal penalties if appropriate.</p>
<p>However, in doing so it is important the government works with social media companies to ensure we get the laws right.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/541357/original/file-20230807-19-46i2be.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A finger hovering over the uninstall button of the WeChat app on a smartphone" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/541357/original/file-20230807-19-46i2be.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/541357/original/file-20230807-19-46i2be.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541357/original/file-20230807-19-46i2be.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541357/original/file-20230807-19-46i2be.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541357/original/file-20230807-19-46i2be.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541357/original/file-20230807-19-46i2be.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541357/original/file-20230807-19-46i2be.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Some users have been uninstalling the WeChat app over surveillance concerns.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In addition to law reform, government needs to resource law enforcement and intelligence agencies so they can take the actions needed to enforce existing foreign interference laws.</p>
<p>New transparency standards and reformed legislation won’t make a difference if the Australian Federal Police won’t – or can’t – investigate and help prosecute those responsible. If the committee’s recommendations go ahead, <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-04-22/what-was-in-victoria-belt-and-road-deal-with-china/100086224">putting a banning power</a> in the hands of a minister is only helpful when this power gets used.</p>
<p>We shouldn’t forget the power of users either. Australians could consider whether they should join the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/jul/28/wechat-user-numbers-plummet-nearly-30-in-australia-amid-concerns-of-chinese-interference">30% of WeChat users</a> who have already ditched the platform over interference and surveillance risks.</p>
<p>Additionally, we all have a role to play in fighting disinformation and social media hatred. Being responsible sharers of content and <a href="https://erc.europa.eu/projects-statistics/stories/why-people-share-disinformation">checking our facts</a> could go just as far in combating disinformation as locking up those responsible.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/3-2-billion-images-and-720-000-hours-of-video-are-shared-online-daily-can-you-sort-real-from-fake-148630">3.2 billion images and 720,000 hours of video are shared online daily. Can you sort real from fake?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/211036/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Brendan Walker-Munro receives funding from the Australian Government through Trusted Autonomous Systems, a Defence Cooperative Research Centre funded through the Next Generation Technologies Fund.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>This article was written in Sarah Kendall's personal capacity as a PhD Candidate at The University of Queensland School of Law. It does not reflect the views of any organisation with which the author is affiliated.</span></em></p>
Foreign interference campaigns have targeted every major social media platform in Australia. But to date, nobody has been prosecuted for this.
Brendan Walker-Munro, Senior Research Fellow, The University of Queensland
Sarah Kendall, PhD Candidate in Law, The University of Queensland
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/209118
2023-07-12T04:58:59Z
2023-07-12T04:58:59Z
The toxic gossip train: what Colleen Ballinger teaches us about YouTubers and inappropriate relationships with young fans
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536944/original/file-20230712-27-of56i6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=5%2C0%2C1991%2C997&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Miranda Sings</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>On June 29, YouTuber Colleen Ballinger posted a video to her channel “apologising” to fans in response to recent allegations made against her. Ballinger had been accused of creating inappropriate relationships with her underaged fans, grooming and exploitation, all of which <a href="https://variety.com/2023/digital/news/colleen-ballinger-miranda-sings-grooming-allegations-1235657282/">she has denied</a>. </p>
<p>Many YouTubers have used the platform to apologise. So many, in fact, that a genre of apology videos has formed. Users of the platform now have expectations around what an apology video should look like, many of which fall into the <a href="https://theconversation.com/friday-essay-youtube-apologies-and-reality-tv-revelations-the-rise-of-the-public-confession-114970">genre of apology</a> broadly. Ballinger, however, subverted genre expectations when she sung her apology.</p>
<p>In the apology video, Ballinger sat in front of the camera and sung to the audience. Unlike many other apologies on the platform, including a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5AsmKUSaQg">former one of Ballinger’s</a>, the YouTuber did not address the specific allegations made against her. Instead, she speaks (sings) to her audience in an accusatory tone, stating it doesn’t matter what she says, people just want to be entertained.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ceKMnyMYIMo?wmode=transparent&start=46" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<p>Ballinger rose to stardom on YouTube after she created the character Miranda Sings in 2008. Her two YouTube channels, Colleen Ballinger and Miranda Sings have 8.5 million and 10.7 million subscribers, respectively. Her massive online fame led to a Netflix show, Haters Back Off, collaborations with other YouTubers, a podcast and a multiple live shows.</p>
<p>Academic <a href="https://theconversation.com/friday-essay-youtube-apologies-and-reality-tv-revelations-the-rise-of-the-public-confession-114970">Kate Douglas</a> explores how apology videos on YouTube have become so popular that they are often the subject of parody. This has been the case with Ballinger, as countless videos on YouTube, TikTok and Instagram make fun of Ballinger’s “apology”. </p>
<p>Some users are speculating this has quickly become a key piece of internet history. Specific lines of Ballinger’s video have been made into memes, including the now infamous “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8cUdiyKnrk">toxic gossip train</a>”.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/W8cUdiyKnrk?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<p>The story has surpassed YouTube’s somewhat insular community and reached mainstream media. </p>
<h2>Boundaries with fans</h2>
<p>Ballinger’s most popular videos are when she plays her character, Miranda Sings. Intended to be a portrayal of an “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/@ColleenVlogs">egotistical, weird</a>” singer, Ballinger’s character has been heavily criticised.</p>
<p>Part of Miranda’s character is that she has an inappropriate, incestuous relationship with her uncle that is misunderstood by clueless Miranda. The humour supposedly stems from Miranda’s misunderstanding of social boundaries and norms such as referring to anything remotely grownup as “porn”. </p>
<p>A former writer’s assistant on the Netflix show Haters Back Off explained how uncomfortable they were with the story line of Miranda and Uncle Jim, describing it as “<a href="https://www.vulture.com/article/colleen-ballinger-miranda-sings-allegations-controversy.html">stomach churning</a>”. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ojxNzl8mtc0?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<p>Ballinger had a group chat with her fans called “Colleeny’s weenies”. The chat, made up of predominantly underage fans at the time, shared memes, spoke with Ballinger, and talked between themselves about Miranda Sings. Alleged <a href="https://www.vulture.com/2023/07/colleen-ballinger-miranda-sings-allegations-controversy.html">screenshots</a> released by former fans show Ballinger responding in the group chat. </p>
<p>The group chat is a small part of a long list of Ballinger’s allegedly inappropriate actions. She has <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5AsmKUSaQg">previously apologised</a> online for sending one fan, Adam McIntyre, lingerie when he was 13 years old, and in the same (now deleted) video apologised for her portrayal of racial stereotypes.</p>
<p>This week, fellow YouTuber <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vj3D_XRowC8&t=552s">Trisha Paytas</a> addressed rumours that Ballinger had subscribed to her sex work website and allegedly shared her content without permission. Former fans of Ballinger have alleged that she distributed this explicit content in group chats with underage fans, as well as among her friends at “<a href="https://www.vulture.com/article/colleen-ballinger-miranda-sings-allegations-controversy.html">viewing parties</a>”.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, Ballinger is not the only YouTuber who has been brought into the spotlight for inappropriate relationships with fans. </p>
<p>Shane Dawson has been accused of having inappropriate fan relationships (along with a long list of other transgressions). <a href="https://junkee.com/shane-dawson-cancelled/259639">Videos resurfaced</a> in 2020 of him asking an underage fan to twerk for him on a live video, as well as kissing young fans on the lips at meet-and-greets. </p>
<p>In 2014, YouTubers Sam Pepper and Tom Milsom were both accused of serious misconduct, including <a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/pa99dy/the-problematic-relationships-between-some-youtubers-and-their-fans">allegations</a> of coercing sexual activity and explicit photos from underage fans.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vj3D_XRowC8?wmode=transparent&start=552" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<h2>Fans and fandom</h2>
<p>Fandoms are groups of people who are dedicated fans to a particular person, show or aspect of internet culture. Academic Tracey Nearmy <a href="https://theconversation.com/celebrities-can-be-cancelled-fandoms-are-forever-141775">explores</a> how fandoms are places where people share interests, but she says they “can also be spaces of invisible emotional attachments: private ‘friendships’ with real or imagined characters”.</p>
<p>In the case of Ballinger, many of her fans shared their obsession not only with her, but with the character she portrayed, Miranda Sings.</p>
<p>Repeat contact with an online personality can form what media scholar <a href="https://academic.oup.com/ct/article-abstract/5/1/58/4259836?redirectedFrom=fulltext">Janice Peck</a> terms a “parasocial relationship”. </p>
<p>These relationships can make social media users feel like they have a connection, or know a content creator like they are a friend. This can lead to complex feelings and attachments, and are all the more dangerous for children who are in the process of forming identities and learning boundary-setting behaviours themselves. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/H2PkFHtXZ9U?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<h2>The toxic gossip train</h2>
<p>Watching the apology video, it is clear Ballinger’s audience is predominately children. Titled “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceKMnyMYIMo&t=46s">hi.</a>”, it shows Ballinger on her couch in a black top, holding a ukulele. In the song, now infamously known online as the “Toxic Gossip Train”, Ballinger sings that her team has “strongly advised” her not to say what she wants, but they never said she couldn’t sing it. And sing she does. </p>
<p>Other than singing her “apology” video, Ballinger breaks the genre conventions in another way. She doesn’t actually apologise. </p>
<p>Ballinger sings, “Many years ago, I used to message my fans. Not in a creepy way like many of you are trying to suggest. It was more of a loser kind of way”. She goes on to say “The only thing I’ve ever groomed is my two Persian cats. I’m not a groomer, I’m just a loser, who didn’t understand I shouldn’t respond to fans”. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/celebrities-can-be-cancelled-fandoms-are-forever-141775">Celebrities can be cancelled. Fandoms are forever</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Ballinger clearly articulates her position in the video: she believes the online discourse around her is founded in cancel culture, not fact, despite multiple records of her alleged actions. She sings: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>What oh you don’t care oh okay I thought you wanted me to take accountability but that’s not the point of your mob mentality, is it? No, your goal is to ruin the life of the person you despise while you dramatise your lies and monetise their demise.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Ballinger’s video highlights the massive responsibility that online personalities have to interact with their fans appropriately.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/209118/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Edith Jennifer Hill does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
YouTuber Colleen Ballinger recently posted a video to her YouTube channel “apologising” to fans in response to recent allegations made against her - and she did it through song.
Edith Jennifer Hill, Associate lecturer, Flinders University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/208270
2023-07-10T18:07:26Z
2023-07-10T18:07:26Z
Sex or social media? The sacrifices we’re willing to make to stay online
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/535668/original/file-20230704-20-uh6ied.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=22%2C22%2C4970%2C2784&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Some adolescents even describe feeling a sense of stress and poor emotional well-being when not online.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/sex-or-social-media-the-sacrifices-were-willing-to-make-to-stay-online" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>Your alarm clock goes off, it’s time to start your day. What’s the first thing you do? What about right before you go to bed? If your answer is scrolling social media, <a href="https://www.reviews.org/mobile/cell-phone-addiction/">you’re not alone</a>. People are spending increasing amounts of time on social media, with reports from 2023 suggesting an average worldwide usage of <a href="https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2023-global-overview-report">two and a half hours</a> a day.</p>
<p>With more social media apps and websites coming online, that amount of time is likely to increase. U.S. tech company Meta recently launched <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-66112648">Threads</a>, the newest social media platform vying for our time. The app is meant to rival Elon Musk’s Twitter.</p>
<p>With <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/617136/digital-population-worldwide/">4.8 billion</a> social media users worldwide as of 2023, social media has become a mainstay in everyday life, particularly among younger generations. Some adolescents even describe feeling a sense of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2020.106364">stress and poor emotional well-being</a> when not online. So much so that terms like FOMO (fear of missing out) and <a href="https://doi.org/10.4103%2Fjfmpc.jfmpc_71_19">Nomophobia (No Mobile Phone Phobia)</a> have been popularized to explain the feelings and thoughts some people experience when disconnected from their smartphone or their social media.</p>
<h2>Social media use</h2>
<p>As we become increasingly dependent on social media for entertainment and information, it can be challenging to create space between ourselves and our social media profiles. So much so that <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1057/ejis.2012.1">too much enjoyment from and time spent</a> on social media can result in strong usage habits, and in more extreme cases, addiction. </p>
<p>As researchers who study societal relationships with these technologies, we began to wonder the lengths young adults might go to maintain their connection to social media. To answer this question, <a href="https://www.igi-global.com/article/a-social-media-give-and-take/324106">we conducted a study</a> of 750 Canadians, aged 16-30 years old, who regularly use social media. We asked them about their social media usage patterns, their relationship with social media and the sacrifices they would be willing to make to remain on social media.</p>
<p>Our findings showed that smartphones were the most used method for accessing social media and approximately 95 per cent of participants had access to at least two social media accounts, with Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube among the most popular.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536133/original/file-20230706-16210-hcw4hs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Pair of hands typing on a keyboard." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536133/original/file-20230706-16210-hcw4hs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536133/original/file-20230706-16210-hcw4hs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536133/original/file-20230706-16210-hcw4hs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536133/original/file-20230706-16210-hcw4hs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536133/original/file-20230706-16210-hcw4hs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536133/original/file-20230706-16210-hcw4hs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536133/original/file-20230706-16210-hcw4hs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">As we become increasingly dependent on social media for entertainment and information, it can be challenging to create space between ourselves and our social media profiles.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Additionally, nearly half reported checking social media nine or more times a day, whereas only about one in every 10 people checked social media twice a day or less. The most popular times of day that people accessed their phone were in the morning and evening. However, access during the afternoon, at night and on the weekend was still frequent. </p>
<p>Interestingly, despite an average age just over 24 years old, nearly half of the young adults surveyed indicated they have had a social media account for close to or more than a decade, suggesting prolonged usage and interest from an early age. </p>
<h2>What trade-offs are young adults willing to make?</h2>
<p>Respondents were asked to consider what they would be willing to sacrifice to maintain their social media presence. Trade-offs fell into the following categories: food/drink, hobbies, possessions, career, appearance, relationships, health and life. </p>
<p>Approximately 40 per cent of respondents were willing to give up caffeine, alcohol and video games. Another 30 per cent or so were willing to give up playing sports, watching TV and eating at their favourite restaurant for an entire year. </p>
<p>When asked to make appearance or possession-related trade-offs, another 10 to 15 per cent said they would rather gain 15 pounds, shave their head, give up their driver’s licence, never travel again and live without air conditioning. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536134/original/file-20230706-29-m1fn6s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="People using laptops and smartphones sitting on the ground." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536134/original/file-20230706-29-m1fn6s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536134/original/file-20230706-29-m1fn6s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=369&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536134/original/file-20230706-29-m1fn6s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=369&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536134/original/file-20230706-29-m1fn6s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=369&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536134/original/file-20230706-29-m1fn6s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=464&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536134/original/file-20230706-29-m1fn6s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=464&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536134/original/file-20230706-29-m1fn6s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=464&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">With 4.8 billion social media users worldwide as of 2023, social media has become a mainstay in everyday life, particularly among younger generations.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>When asked to make more serious trade-offs relating to their relationships, health, or life, fewer were willing to make the sacrifice. For example, fewer than five per cent of participants said they would be willing to contract a sexually transmitted infection, or be diagnosed with a life-threatening illness like cancer rather than give up social media.</p>
<p>However, nearly 10 out of every 100 participants did say they would accept being unable to have children, give up sex or give up one year of their life to maintain their social media connections. When asked to give up more years of life, almost five out of every 100 and three out of every 100 participants said they would give up five or 10 years of their life, respectively.</p>
<p>Some young adults are willing to give up a considerable amount to maintain their access to social media. Notably, participants were far more likely to make food, drink and hobby-related sacrifices, followed by possessions and appearance-related trade-offs, compared to more serious concessions. However, knowing that even a small proportion of participants were willing to make health and life-related sacrifices is, quite honestly, scary. </p>
<p>We are not the kind of researchers who want to rid the world of social media. Quite the opposite, we use it ourselves. Rather, like most things in this world, we see the benefits and consequences and want to encourage conversations, reflection and thinking about how and why we use social media.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/208270/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Paige Coyne receives funding from SSHRC.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sarah Woodruff receives funding from SSHRC.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Bailey Csabai does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Social media has become a mainstay in everyday life, particularly among younger generations. And some are even willing to make trade-offs to stay online.
Paige Coyne, PhD Candidate, Department of Kinesiology, University of Windsor
Bailey Csabai, Research and Graduate Assistant, Faculty of Human Kinetics, University of Windsor
Sarah Woodruff, Professor, Director of the Community Health, Environment, and Wellness Lab, University of Windsor
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/205096
2023-05-30T12:23:06Z
2023-05-30T12:23:06Z
After the ALS ice bucket challenge and the rise of MrBeast, stunt philanthropy might be here to stay
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/527859/original/file-20230523-15345-lbuwlx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=59%2C623%2C4873%2C2670&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Jimmy Donaldson, aka MrBeast, leaned into charity to get a massive following.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/youtube-personality-jimmy-donaldson-better-known-as-mrbeast-news-photo/1247748364?adppopup=true">Michael Tran/AFP via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Stunt philanthropy is what happens when influencers, other celebrities and people who aren’t famous at all use entertaining videos to encourage support for a charitable cause. </p>
<p>When their stunts go viral, it can lead to massive public engagement that raises lots of money and draws new attention to previously less visible causes. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oF3mmcYFoYs?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Donald Trump took the ALS ice bucket challenge in 2014.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Why stunt philanthropy matters</h2>
<p>The biggest early success with stunt philanthropy online was the <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2017/07/03/ice-bucket-challenge-5-things-you-should-know/448006001/">ALS ice bucket challenge</a>. </p>
<p>People taking the challenge uploaded short videos in which someone dropped a bucket of icy water on their head. They then posted these clips on their social media accounts, tagging others to do the same and to donate to the ALS Association. Participants ranged from high school students to <a href="https://youtu.be/XS6ysDFTbLU">Bill Gates</a> and <a href="https://youtu.be/5W37Z6U16MY">Mark Zuckerberg</a>. Even <a href="https://youtu.be/oF3mmcYFoYs">Donald Trump</a> took the challenge, before his presidency. </p>
<p>The campaign raised <a href="https://www.als.org/stories-news/ice-bucket-challenge-dramatically-accelerated-fight-against-als">an estimated US$115 million</a> in 2014 for research tied to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis – a fatal neurological condition for which there is no cure. </p>
<p>More recently, stunt philanthropy has become associated with a single infuencer: Jimmy Donaldson. By late 2022, when he was 24 years old, the <a href="https://www.wnct.com/local-news/youtube-star-greenvilles-own-mrbeast-rethinks-old-notions-of-philanthropy/">entrepreneur who calls himself “MrBeast</a>” had <a href="https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/news/2022/11/mr-beast-now-most-subscribed-youtuber-ever-overtaking-pewdiepie-726321">more followers on YouTube than anyone else, ever</a>.</p>
<p>Donaldson calls himself “<a href="https://viewpoint.pointloma.edu/the-rise-of-the-social-media-influencer/">YouTube’s biggest philanthropist</a>.” He has gained <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@MrBeast">more than 150 million YouTube subscribers</a> through his entertaining stunt videos, such as recreating a game show version of the <a href="https://youtu.be/0e3GPea1Tyg">popular Korean Netflix series “Squid Game</a>” and giving the winner $456,000.</p>
<p>He relies on <a href="https://observer.com/2023/02/mrbeasts-sponsors-can-reach-a-super-bowl-sized-audience-for-half-the-price-of-a-super-bowl-ad">corporate partners like Honey</a>, TikTok and Quidd to pull off the stunts that have made him a celebrity.</p>
<p>Donaldson’s stunt videos have helped him earn lots of money for himself through advertising and the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/04/technology/mr-beast-youtube.html">sale of socks, water bottles and other merchandise</a>. He has created his own candy company, <a href="https://feastables.com/">Feastables</a>, which he celebrated with a stunt video that featured his own replica of <a href="https://youtu.be/Hwybp38GnZw">Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory</a>.</p>
<p>He now runs a <a href="https://www.dexerto.com/entertainment/mrbeast-breaks-another-record-with-his-mrbeast-burger-restaurant-opening-1922897/">global burger chain that partners with local restaurants</a> and reportedly made <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/abrambrown/2022/01/14/the-highest-paid-youtube-stars-mrbeast-jake-paul-and-markiplier-score-massive-paydays/?sh=46f766d11aa7">$54 million in 2021</a> alone.</p>
<p>Building on his formula for creating viral content, Donaldson also creates stunt videos that raise awareness and money and amass needed goods for Ukrainian refugees, African orphans and a <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/much-does-mrbeast-much-does-050300091.html">wide array of other causes</a>.</p>
<p>In addition to partnering with companies, Donaldson also teams up with nonprofits for his philanthropy-themed stunts. </p>
<figure>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">In early 2023, Donaldson collaborated with SEE International to facilitate 1,000 cataract surgeries.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Beast Philanthropy</h2>
<p>In May 2023, Donaldson worked with <a href="https://youtu.be/w1UzSiWUrr8">Hearing the Call</a> to provide hearing aids to 1,000 people across the U.S., Mexico, Guatemala, Brazil, South Africa, Malwai and Indonesia and donated $100,000 to organizations that promote education in sign language. The video his team made publicizing this campaign showcased the delighted looks on many of the faces of people getting the hearing aids.</p>
<p>Alongside posting these videos on his main YouTube channel, Donaldson has created a separate <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@BeastPhilanthropy">Beast Philanthropy</a> channel. Among the videos posted is one that celebrates <a href="https://youtu.be/STiUV6XXG4E">giving supplies to underfunded schools</a>, sponsored by Sun-Maid, a raisin producer, and another that showed <a href="https://youtu.be/BNO6DjteidM">homes being rebuilt in Kentucky following tornado devastation</a>, sponsored by Nord VPN, a tech company.</p>
<p>Some people have questioned <a href="https://www.thegamer.com/mrbeast-is-only-a-good-person-for-views/">Donaldson’s motives for his eye-catching charitable acts</a>, while others have raised ethical concerns about the way he <a href="https://www.deseret.com/entertainment/2023/2/2/23582916/mrbeast-backlash-1000-people-cataracts-surgery-blind-surgery">uses footage of people in need for online entertainment</a>.</p>
<p>It’s much easier for public displays of charitable giving to go viral today because of social media, but there are precedents from pre-internet days.</p>
<p>From 1966 to 2010, the entertainer <a href="https://www.oregonlive.com/tv/2015/09/what_happened_to_the_jerry_lew.html">Jerry Lewis</a> raised millions of dollars for the Muscular Dystrophy Association and spread awareness about the disease with help from his famous friends during annual 24-hour telethons. </p>
<p>And Lionel Richie and Michael Jackson convened a celebrity supergroup to perform the charity relief song “<a href="https://www.voanews.com/a/we-are-the-world-79429907/416483.html">We are the World</a>” in 1985 to raise money for African famine relief – following an example set by <a href="https://www.smoothradio.com/features/the-story-of/do-they-know-its-christmas-band-aid-lyrics-artists/">British musicians a year earlier</a>.</p>
<p>It’s hard to predict what the future holds for stunt philanthropy, but it seems to me that it’s probably here to stay. That is why I will continue to keep studying how <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=eFzpsScAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">social media can influence charitable giving</a>.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/205096/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Monica Lea does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
The person with the most YouTube followers calls himself ‘YouTube’s biggest philanthropist.’
Monica Lea, PhD Student in Public Administration, University of Nebraska Omaha
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/204277
2023-05-02T03:44:08Z
2023-05-02T03:44:08Z
‘Kidfluencer’ culture is harming kids in several ways – and there’s no meaningful regulation of it
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/523708/original/file-20230502-20-1nrq1h.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=35%2C23%2C7767%2C5182&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Parents share content of their children <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1329878X19828365">for myriad reasons</a>, including to connect with friends and family, and to seek validation or support. </p>
<p>However, some parents also do this for commercial gain. They manage their children as social media “kidfluencers” – allowing them to work with brands to market products to other children (and adults). </p>
<p>The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s latest interim <a href="https://www.accc.gov.au/about-us/publications/serial-publications/digital-platform-services-inquiry-2020-2025/digital-platform-services-inquiry-march-2023-interim-report">report</a> for the Digital Platforms Services Inquiry has acknowledged key issues relevant to kidfluencers, including privacy concerns and possible labour exploitation issues. </p>
<p>Our <a href="https://journal.media-culture.org.au/index.php/mcjournal/article/view/2952">research</a>, published recently in the M/C Journal, further highlights how the kidfluencer culture opens the door for possible child exploitation and a host of other problems.</p>
<p>There is a clear need for regulation in this space – and achieving it will require a considered, collective effort.</p>
<h2>Is YouTube the world’s most popular babysitter?</h2>
<p>Speaking to Forbes in 2019, Eyal Baumel, the chief executive of Yoola (a management company which also manages digital child stars), <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/maddieberg/2019/12/18/the-highest-paid-youtube-stars-of-2019-the-kids-are-killing-it/?sh=2a1a3d1e38cd">described</a> YouTube as “the most popular babysitter in the world”. </p>
<p>Since then, the COVID pandemic has prompted a surge in <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/2798256">screentime</a> for kids, who are being marketed toys as well as other products normally targeted to adults.</p>
<p>Product lines for kids are big business. In 2021, the global toys market was <a href="https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/toys-market-104699">projected to grow</a> from about US$141 billion to $230.6 billion by 2028.</p>
<p>It’s now common to see YouTube kidfluencers marketing toys to other kids through toy “reviews”. But these videos aren’t the same as traditional product reviews. They’re <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17482798.2019.1693409">mash-ups</a> that blur the lines between three major genres: reviews, branded content and entertainment.</p>
<p>The most popular toy review channels have millions of subscribers, and their hosts are some of YouTube’s top earners. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChGJGhZ9SOOHvBB0Y4DOO_w">Ryan’s World</a> is probably the most well-known channel in this genre. Conservative estimates suggest 10-year-old Ryan Kanji’s family earns about <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/05/magazine/ryan-kaji-youtube.html">US$25 million</a> each year. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xzaNqjc4fkE?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<h2>Instakids are on the rise</h2>
<p>Apart from YouTube (now more <a href="https://www.tvtechnology.com/news/new-data-shows-youtube-dominates-video-landscape-for-kids#">popular among kids than television</a>), a significant number of kids and teens are also spending time on Instagram. </p>
<p>According to <a href="https://info.thorn.org/hubfs/Research/Responding%20to%20Online%20Threats_2021-Full-Report.pdf">a 2021 report</a> by child protection organisation Thorn, about 40% of children under age 13 (out of some 750 interviewed) said they’d used Instagram. This is despite the platform ostensibly <a href="https://help.instagram.com/517920941588885">only being for</a> people aged 13 and older. </p>
<p>For our latest research, we analysed the Instagram accounts of two Australian influencer siblings to better understand the nature of child-to-child marketing in 2023.</p>
<p>Pixie Curtis, age 11, started her online toy store Pixie’s Pix during COVID, when toy sales rose globally. This came after initial success selling hair bows through Pixie’s Bows, a business managed by her mother, PR entrepreneur and reality TV personality Roxy Jacenko.</p>
<p>Pixie’s Instagram account (which has about 136,000 followers), and her brother Hunter’s (20,000 followers), have been used to promote Pixie’s Pix toys as well as other brands and products.</p>
<p>And although <a href="https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/parenting/kids/roxy-jacenkos-daughter-pixie-curtis-has-announced-a-huge-life-change-before-her-12th-birthday/news-story/ff6fda8895d4a682eb0f1b9fd6c3311c">Pixie recently “retired”</a> from the toy shop business, she continues to promote products, including her original line of hair bows and other brands’ skincare and beauty products.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="InstagramEmbed" data-react-props="{"url":"https://www.instagram.com/p/CrAnCYdhPXG","accessToken":"127105130696839|b4b75090c9688d81dfd245afe6052f20"}"></div></p>
<p>Our research identifies key areas of concern, including:</p>
<ul>
<li>a lack of online privacy for kidfluencers, who have many aspects of their lives publicised online</li>
<li>the commodification of children, and the enabling of a culture geared at up-selling them products and services </li>
<li>the <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10551-016-3080-3">gendered marketing of toys</a> and an increased focus on appearance for girls (which <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/facebook-knows-instagram-is-toxic-for-teen-girls-company-documents-show-11631620739">can be harmful</a> for their self-esteem) </li>
<li>the “stealth” marketing of toys and other products through advertorials.<br></li>
</ul>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/3-ways-app-developers-keep-kids-glued-to-the-screen-and-what-to-do-about-it-191672">3 ways app developers keep kids glued to the screen – and what to do about it</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Regulation is needed now</h2>
<p>So far, the French government appears to be the only one that <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-54447491">has taken tangible action</a> to regulate the labour of child social media influencers. Under <a href="https://www.ibanet.org/Social-media-Rise-of-kidfluencers-pushes-legislators-to-engage-with-childrens-rights-online#:%7E:text=Under%20the%20French%20law%2C%20the,their%20images%20and%20videos%20online.">French law</a>, children below age 16 can only work limited hours, and their earnings must be safeguarded in an account made accessible when they turn 16. </p>
<p>France is also considering <a href="https://www.euronews.com/next/2023/03/10/sharenting-why-is-france-trying-to-stop-parents-from-oversharing-their-childrens-images-on">legislation</a> to regulate “sharenting” – <a href="https://www.oed.com/viewdictionaryentry/Entry/93527020">a portmanteau</a> of sharing and parenting that describes the practice of consistently posting content about one’s children on social media. </p>
<p>In the US, the Coogan Act (named after child star Jackie Coogan) was signed into law in 1939 to regulate child labour in the entertainment industry, but no equivalent laws have been enacted for child social media stars.</p>
<p>Nonetheless, the problems surrounding kidfluencing are starting to <a href="https://www.teenvogue.com/story/influencer-parents-children-social-media-impact">gain attention</a> around the world.</p>
<p>Last year a UK <a href="https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/28742/documents/173531/default/">House of Commons</a> report investigated the implications of influencers targeting children with advertorials, especially those that provide little to no disclosure of the post being an ad. </p>
<p>The committee made several recommendations, including promoting young people’s social media literacy, developing a code of conduct for influencer marketing, and strengthening the powers of the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority and Competition and Markets Authority. </p>
<p>As a result, the UK’s Department for Education is now “open to exploring legislative ways of improving employment protection for child influencers”.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/is-13-too-young-to-have-a-tiktok-or-instagram-account-199097">Is 13 too young to have a TikTok or Instagram account?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>The unintended consequences of regulation</h2>
<p>In January, Meta (the parent company of Facebook and Instagram) held its first <a href="https://about.fb.com/news/2023/01/providing-safe-experiences-for-teens/">Summit on Youth Safety and Wellbeing</a>. It might be trying to get on the front foot as regulators continue to scrutinise platforms on issues relevant to young people’s social media use.</p>
<p>But regulating in the kidfluencer space won’t be easy. In March, Utah introduced laws to stop children under 18 having access to social media <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/27/podcasts/the-daily/social-media-instagram-tiktok-utah-ban.html">without parents’ explicit consent</a> – but critics have pointed out the potential negative consequences. </p>
<p>Teens use social media for important connections, including with friends and online support groups. Vulnerable teens may become isolated without online support from their peers. Beyond that, social media provide kids with a sense of enjoyment and identity. Taking this away could do more harm than good. </p>
<p>More work is needed to determine what effective regulation would look like. While parents and educators have a role to play to increase children’s social media literacy, digital platforms and businesses should also step up.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/anorexia-coach-sexual-predators-online-are-targeting-teens-wanting-to-lose-weight-platforms-are-looking-the-other-way-162938">'Anorexia coach': sexual predators online are targeting teens wanting to lose weight. Platforms are looking the other way</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/498128/original/file-20221129-22-imtnz0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/498128/original/file-20221129-22-imtnz0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=115&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498128/original/file-20221129-22-imtnz0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=115&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498128/original/file-20221129-22-imtnz0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=115&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498128/original/file-20221129-22-imtnz0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=144&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498128/original/file-20221129-22-imtnz0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=144&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498128/original/file-20221129-22-imtnz0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=144&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<p><em>The Conversation is commissioning articles by academics across the world who are researching how society is being shaped by our digital interactions with each other. <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/topics/social-media-and-society-125586">Read more here</a></em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/204277/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>I am an Associate Investigator with the ARC Centre of Excellence for the Digital Child. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kate Delmo does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Social media child influencers are increasingly marketing products normally targeted at adults, such as beauty and skincare items.
Catherine Jane Archer, Senior Lecturer, Communication, Edith Cowan University
Kate Delmo, Senior Lecturer and Head of Discipline of Strategic Communication, University of Technology Sydney
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/201537
2023-04-25T12:26:49Z
2023-04-25T12:26:49Z
Social media scatters your brain, and then you buy stuff you don’t need
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/522347/original/file-20230421-23-r10g8g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Do you really need another water bottle, or is your brain just tired?</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/men-use-smartphones-to-social-media-on-vacation-at-royalty-free-image/1363610830">Teera Konakan/Moment Collection/Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>The <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/topics/research-brief-83231">Research Brief</a> is a short take about interesting academic work.</em> </p>
<h2>The big idea</h2>
<p>Social media can be mentally draining. And when mentally drained, you are more likely to be influenced by a high number of likes on posts – even to the point of clicking on ads for products you don’t need or want – according to our recent experiments on <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/15252019.2022.2144780">how social media affects behavior</a>.</p>
<p>As a professor of advertising, I have studied <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=cXqXHpsAAAAJ&hl=en">social media behavior for years</a>. In late 2022, my colleague <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=GqkucpQAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">Eric Haley</a> and I conducted three online studies on Americans aged 18-65 to test how people under various mental loads respond to ads differently. </p>
<p>The control group in each study was given no introductory task – we just had them look at an ad. A second group had to memorize a nine-digit number and then look at the ad. The third group scrolled through their Instagram feed for 30 seconds and then looked at the ad. The first study used an ad for a meal prep service, the second was for ice cream and the third was for coffee beans.</p>
<p>The ad photo and caption were the same for everyone in each group, with only the number of likes manipulated. Participants randomly saw an ad with a few hundred likes or tens of thousands of likes. After viewing the ad, each participant rated how willing they would be to buy the product, and how much mental effort it took to think about the information. The group that used Instagram first were the most likely to want to buy the featured product when there were lots of likes or comments, and they also reported using the most mental effort to assess the ad. </p>
<p>In one study we asked people to explain why they wanted to buy a product, and those in the control group gave simple, rational answers for their choice: “I was thinking of the ice cream flavors and how they would taste.” Or, “I like the ad. It is simple and clean. It gets straight to the point …” </p>
<p>However, those who had just scrolled social media for 30 seconds often gave answers that made no sense. For example, some gave one-word answers like “food” or “plate.” Others explicitly told us it was difficult to process: “It had too many words and options in the picture.”</p>
<h2>Why it matters</h2>
<p>Researchers refer to this mentally exhausted state as “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s11251-009-9110-0">cognitive overload</a>.” Using social media puts you in this state because you are constantly evaluating different types of text, photo and video posts from so many different people. In the span of several seconds you can see a text from your spouse, a photo from a co-worker, a video from a celebrity and a meme from your brother. All of this scrolling and evaluating leaves us feeling frazzled and scattered.</p>
<p>Imagine asking your roommate if they want to go get pizza. Under normal conditions, the roommate might consider several factors such as cost, hunger, timing or their schedule. Now imagine asking your roommate the same question while they are on the phone with a sick relative after having stepped in dog poop and they also just got a text from their ex while remembering they were late for work. They no longer have the mental energy or resources to logically consider whether pizza for dinner is a good idea. They might just yell “Yeah, sure!” while running inside to clean their shoes.</p>
<p>The one exception to this is when a person has a lot of experience, history or knowledge with the particular product or idea. When this is the case, they are able to think about whether they will actually benefit from buying the advertised item. We confirmed this in the experiment with the ad for coffee beans. In general, coffee lovers will carefully consider many factors – type of bean, roast level, country of origin and more. So even when these people were in a mental fog, they were not persuaded by ads with high metrics. </p>
<p>By understanding how they might be influenced by social media in unconscious ways, consumers can be more thoughtful and deliberate in regulating their use – and hopefully not buy yet another water bottle they don’t need.</p>
<h2>What still isn’t known</h2>
<p>We don’t yet know which social media platforms are the most draining. </p>
<p>Media-rich environments like TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube are presumably the most mentally taxing because they have text, photos, videos, animations and sound – often all at once and overlapping. These platforms are also <a href="https://www.businessofapps.com/data/social-app-market/">where advertisers spend a lot of money</a>, as they offer a <a href="https://sproutsocial.com/insights/social-media-statistics/">high return on investment</a> for brands.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/201537/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Matthew Pittman does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Scrolling TikTok or Instagram causes mental fatigue, which can lead people to purchase items based on how many ‘likes’ an ad has instead of how much value the product will bring them.
Matthew Pittman, Assistant Professor of Advertising and Public Relations, University of Tennessee
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/203036
2023-04-24T19:22:58Z
2023-04-24T19:22:58Z
Cancel culture: YouTube videos on ‘getting cancelled’ are now their own genre and have links to the past
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/522406/original/file-20230421-18-3j3jq2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C178%2C4322%2C3034&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The aptly-titled video 'Canceling,' by cultural commentator and YouTuber ContraPoints, crystallized the cancellation video genre. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">(Wikipedia)</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/cancel-culture--youtube-videos-on--getting-cancelled--are-now-their-own-genre-and-have-links-to-the-past" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>The <a href="https://umaine.edu/undiscoveredmaine/small-business/resources/marketing-for-small-business/social-media-tools/social-media-statistics-details/">explosion of</a> user-created content on platforms like YouTube, Twitch and TikTok has unsettled traditional notions of authorship.</p>
<p>We can consider relationships between authors and audiences, and their roles in the creative process, by examining how some YouTubers have addressed critiques of their public commentary after they have been “cancelled.”</p>
<p>Cancelling is a colloquial term applied to anything from discussion about an author with a critical tone to internet pile-ons or <a href="https://theconversation.com/social-media-misogyny-the-new-way-andrew-tate-brought-us-the-same-old-hate-191928">campaigns to deplatform individuals</a> after that person does something their audience perceives as wrong. </p>
<p>There is <a href="https://www.vox.com/culture/2019/12/30/20879720/what-is-cancel-culture-explained-history-debate">much debate</a> as to whether cancelling is a real phenomenon. </p>
<p>Nevertheless, videos where YouTubers address their own cancellation, answer their audiences’ questions about their public mistake and correct misunderstandings suggest <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199935338.013.002">forms of authorship that predate the modern emphasis</a> on an individual creator.</p>
<p>Jessie Krahn, one of the authors of this story, has studied these “cancellation videos” as a unique sub-genre of YouTube apology videos.</p>
<h2>Direct response to audience desire</h2>
<p>In a 2019 article in <em>Vice</em>, Bettina Makalintal wrote that YouTubers’
“<a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/ywykzb/how-youtubers-james-charles-jaclyn-hill-pewdiepie-turned-the-apology-video-into-a-genre">apologies — like lipsticks — have become just another product” and their own genre</a>. YouTube apology videos feature a YouTuber unequivocally taking responsibility for one accusation. </p>
<p>In YouTube cancellation videos, by contrast, creators take responsibility for some of the accusations, question the validity of others and address the dynamics of social media cancellation more broadly in relation to their own situation. These videos are created in direct response to audience desire. </p>
<p>YouTubers frame these videos as opportunities to be <a href="https://www.sociomix.com/diaries/entertainment/the-problems-with-cancel-culture-and-popular-youtubers/1627615253">frank and open</a> with their viewers, acknowledging their audiences’ criticisms as worthy of engagement. However, they also critique the audiences’ critiques. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uFvtCUzfyL4?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">YouTube video ‘No More Lies’ from James Charles has had more than 50 million views.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Accepting, rejecting some criticisms</h2>
<p>One of the most famous examples of a cancellation video is <a href="https://medium.com/bolstered/youtube-beauty-gurus-an-explainer-232177009b7c">YouTube beauty guru</a> James Charles’s “<a href="https://youtu.be/uFvtCUzfyL4">No More Lies</a>,” when Charles surveys <a href="https://www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/celebs/a27484210/james-charles-tati-westbrook-youtube-drama-timeline/">criticisms levied against him</a>. The video, which has had more than 50 million views since it was posted in 2019, was in response to a messy public fallout that began with allegations that he was inconsiderate to a friend and mentor. </p>
<p>In Charles’s cancellation video, he stands by everything he said in an <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3Ukl4l_LM8">earlier apology video</a>, but the cancellation video also refutes public criticisms of his character. Commentators note some criticism directed at Charles <a href="https://www.dazeddigital.com/life-culture/article/44555/1/james-charles-tati-westbrook-drama-homophobia">was homophobic</a>.</p>
<p>The aptly titled 2020 video “<a href="https://youtu.be/OjMPJVmXxV8">Canceling</a>,” by cultural commentator and <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2019/01/contrapoints-political-philosophy-natalie-wynn-youtube/579532/">YouTuber ContraPoints</a>, crystallized the cancellation video genre. </p>
<p>In the video, Natalie Wynn, the personality behind ContraPoints, addresses the <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/youtuber-contrapoints-attacked-after-including-controversial-buck-angel-video-1466757">controversy that erupted</a> after she included content that some viewers believed endorsed the view that transgender identity is only authentic if a person transitions through medical intervention. </p>
<p>Wynn examines a number of her controversial tweets. She dismisses many of the criticisms as taking her tweets out of context and suggests that some of the criticisms were transphobic. However, she also accepts when something she wrote was open to being misconstrued, admitting: “We’ll call this a bad tweet.”</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OjMPJVmXxV8?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Video from Contrapoints on ‘Canceling.’</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Moral discussions</h2>
<p>Cancellation videos reveal how social media authors create their content in <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/40550803">direct response</a> to audience commentary and expectation. For audience members, cancelling is a way to negotiate their love for authors with their own values. </p>
<p>When an author is “cancelled,” audiences try to understand how they can continue engaging with the author despite their <a href="https://mashable.com/article/james-charles-tati-westbrook-bye-sisters-youtube-drama">newfound knowledge</a> of the author’s perceived flaws.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/joe-rogan-is-at-it-again-cancel-culture-can-be-harsh-but-it-can-also-help-reduce-harm-176776">Joe Rogan is at it again: Cancel culture can be harsh, but it can also help reduce harm</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>When, in response, YouTubers reach out to their viewers through the format their audiences came to know them in, it is a way to be publicly forthcoming and engage viewers in moral discussions. Such videos also reinscribe the boundaries that restrict audiences to only knowing authors through their video content.</p>
<p>Cancellation videos are examples of the ways internet video is not merely driven by the identities of popular personalities on social media, but also by the audience’s responses to those personalities. </p>
<p>Dialogues between authors and audiences shape future content created by the YouTubers. </p>
<h2>Pre-modern authorship</h2>
<p>The mode of authorship seen in YouTube cancellation videos combines the intense interest in the <a href="https://sites.cardiff.ac.uk/romtextv2/files/2013/02/cc08_n01.pdf">author as a singular creator</a> that has long dominated popular conceptions of authorship with an older model of authorship that was popular in 17th-century England.</p>
<p>Before the <a href="https://rpo.library.utoronto.ca/content/conjectures-original-composition-1759">belief in the original genius of the author</a> took root in Britain during the late 18th century, many anonymous pamphlets and books circulated that were crafted directly around readers’ desires and reading habits.</p>
<p>These included <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/secret-history-in-literature-16601820/1B0294ACC0E70BB5D3A56D15F2FD94CC">popular genres like the secret history, which purported to expose state secrets and political sexual intrigues, and “printed hoaxes” (both generating hoaxes and debunking them)</a>. </p>
<p>Such texts directly responded to their <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Reading-Fictions-1660-1740-Deception-in-English-Literary-and-Political/Loveman/p/book/9781138376229">readers’ desire for literature that invited public discussion and was socially oriented</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Patrons seen in a coffee house with long bench tables." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/522172/original/file-20230420-22-tec37q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/522172/original/file-20230420-22-tec37q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=410&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/522172/original/file-20230420-22-tec37q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=410&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/522172/original/file-20230420-22-tec37q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=410&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/522172/original/file-20230420-22-tec37q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=516&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/522172/original/file-20230420-22-tec37q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=516&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/522172/original/file-20230420-22-tec37q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=516&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Drawing of a London coffee house, circa 1690-1700.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Trustees of the British Museum)</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/">CC BY-NC-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>New access to information</h2>
<p>Authors wrote to engage with the political struggles of the time, and took advantage of <a href="https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300171228/the-social-life-of-coffee/">the new coffeehouses</a> to circulate their ideas and boost their texts’ popularity. </p>
<p>The number of coffeehouses <a href="https://www.bl.uk/restoration-18th-century-literature/articles/newspapers-gossip-and-coffee-house-culture">increased exponentially</a> in late 17th-century London. They were cheap places in which to conduct business and gain access to the latest newspapers and political gossip. </p>
<p>Coffeehouses’ bench-style seating made them egalitarian spaces for discussion, thus making them an integral part of the rise of democratic ideals in British society.</p>
<p>The rise in texts dependent upon social conversation to render them popular was directly linked to new public spaces. These spaces expanded access to news and knowledge for men <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/09574049108578077">(and some women)</a> at all levels of British society. </p>
<h2>New public spaces, new texts</h2>
<p>Seventeenth-century readers had a new, more accessible forum for media consumption, and <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/jearlmodcultstud.15.2.58?mag=the-woman-famous-for-not-sleeping-with-a-king">this influenced the texts being produced by authors at the time</a>. The same can be said for social media influencers today. </p>
<p>Examining social media creation within the complicated history of authorship spotlights how new ways of consuming media shift the relationship between author and audience. </p>
<p>It also suggests how authorial agency is never only about one person’s creative drive.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/203036/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Erin Keating has received funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jessie Krahn has received funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and the University of Manitoba Institute for the Humanities. </span></em></p>
What do YouTuber influencer videos about being ‘cancelled’ share with 17th-century texts? Both were crafted directly in response to audiences in new social spaces.
Erin Keating, Associate Professor, Department of English, Theatre, Film & Media, University of Manitoba
Jessie Krahn, Master's student, Department of English, Theatre, Film & Media, University of Manitoba
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/203306
2023-04-16T12:19:04Z
2023-04-16T12:19:04Z
Want to be a social media influencer? You might want to think again
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/520680/original/file-20230413-28-fxw1gb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C36%2C8179%2C5420&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The world of influencing is not always as honest and exciting as it's cracked up to be.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/want-to-be-a-social-media-influencer-you-might-want-to-think-again" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>Canadians <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/1317217/time-spent-on-social-media-in-canada/">spend more than two hours per day</a> on social media platforms. Social media is becoming more prevalent every day, and influencers and those that want to be influencers are too. </p>
<p>Influencing is an all-new career option that, until recently, didn’t exist. A <a href="https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/9-of-the-biggest-social-media-influencers-on-instagram">social media influencer</a> is someone who has established a reputation for being knowledgeable about a specific topic or industry and has an online following that they engage with.</p>
<p>Social media influencers <a href="https://sprott.carleton.ca/2022/12/the-power-of-persuasion-the-key-to-influencer-follower-relationships/">build relationships</a> with their followers through the content they share and interactions on live streams, comments and chats. This in turn builds a greater sense of community and ultimately gives influencers more influential power. However, the world of influencing is not always as honest and exciting as it’s cracked up to be. </p>
<h2>Allure of influencing</h2>
<p>As experts in social media and health outcomes, we recently <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/09760911231159690">examined the aspirations, desires and rationales of becoming a social media influencer among young adults</a>. We asked 750 Canadians between 16-30 years old, who were mostly women, about their social media use and thoughts about social media influencers. </p>
<p>The results showed that 75 per cent of participants wanted to become social media influencers. The top three stated reasons for wanting to become social media influencers were for the money, being able to try new products or services and because they thought the work would be fun. </p>
<iframe src="https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/7161549657150115078?lang=en-US" style="border:0;width:100%;min-height:800px;" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>Other factors, such as excessive social media use; knowing, following or trusting influencers; and being willing to accept money to market a product even if they didn’t like it, also informed aspirations to become a social media influencer.</p>
<p>Influencers often edit their content, <a href="https://healthcare.utah.edu/healthfeed/2022/09/impact-of-social-media-teens-mental-health">creating a highly desirable image</a> that is not always reflective of reality. Some might <a href="https://medium.com/plus-marketing/why-do-influencers-promote-products-that-they-dont-use-887ba80c09cc">promote products</a> they may not truly believe in or like for financial gain. This suggests not all social media influencers are as trusting as users perceive them to be. </p>
<p>According to one U.S. study, one-third of young people trust <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/debgordon/2022/12/20/33-of-gen-zers-trust-tiktok-more-than-doctors-new-survey-shows/?sh=78af2b6b6c7b">health influencers</a> on TikTok more than their doctors. This is seriously concerning, as influencers do not need any academic or professional credentials, and tend to curate their online persona through opinions rather than facts. </p>
<h2>More disadvantages than benefits</h2>
<p>Many social media users feel a career as an influencer is <a href="https://apnews.com/press-release/globe-newswire/business-media-social-media-39312e45ee2a748049cbd1ec4862b6e3">more desirable than a traditional career</a>. Influencers tend to be <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/09760911221113449">idolized</a>, especially by younger generations. So it’s not surprising that many of them are interested in a career in influencing. However, the disadvantages may outweigh the benefits.</p>
<p>Most participants in our study cited financial gain as the main reason for wanting to become a social media influencer, but the career might not be as lucrative as some think. It is true that top influencers can earn millions of dollars on their respective platforms, but this is the exception rather than the rule. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="InstagramEmbed" data-react-props="{"url":"https://www.instagram.com/p/CqeJPMUv7ZT/?hl=en","accessToken":"127105130696839|b4b75090c9688d81dfd245afe6052f20"}"></div></p>
<p>The average user who monetizes their content will bring in significantly less depending on the platform, number of followers, <a href="https://blog.hootsuite.com/how-much-do-influencers-make/">method of marketing</a> and the type of content they are creating. </p>
<p>While there is limited research on what types of content are easier to monetize, many top influencers belong to different genres. That suggests <a href="https://blog.hootsuite.com/top-influencers/">intangible factors</a>, like how authentic an influencer is perceived to be and how well they communicate and connect with their followers, are the most important keys to success. </p>
<p>Some platforms such as YouTube require <a href="https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/72851">meeting certain thresholds of subscribers and viewers</a> before content can be monetized, with no guarantee that the creator will ever meet that threshold, even if they post regularly.</p>
<p>On top of an unpredictable income, another disadvantage is volatile job security. Social media networking sites use <a href="https://blog.hootsuite.com/social-media-algorithm/">algorithms</a> to sort posts on a user’s feed to ensure that the user sees content that the algorithm deems is relevant to them at any given time. </p>
<p>As this technology advances, it is becoming more difficult than ever to predict how algorithms popularize content. Even well-established content creators <a href="https://digiday.com/marketing/content-creators-say-they-struggle-to-keep-up-with-their-audiences-as-social-media-platforms-evolve/">struggle to diversify their content and meet the ever-changing demands of seemingly random algorithms</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/520932/original/file-20230413-14-woa80b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A smartphone with social media app icons." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/520932/original/file-20230413-14-woa80b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/520932/original/file-20230413-14-woa80b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/520932/original/file-20230413-14-woa80b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/520932/original/file-20230413-14-woa80b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/520932/original/file-20230413-14-woa80b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/520932/original/file-20230413-14-woa80b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/520932/original/file-20230413-14-woa80b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Some platforms require meeting subscriber thresholds before content can be monetized, with no guarantee the creator will ever meet that threshold, even if they post regularly.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Unforeseen challenges</h2>
<p>Unforeseen national policy changes can also add uncertainty. Canada’s impending <a href="https://www.parl.ca/legisinfo/en/bill/44-1/c-11">Bill C-11</a> will require streaming platforms like YouTube to promote a minimum amount of Canadian content to its Canadian users.</p>
<p>This is <a href="https://macleans.ca/politics/why-youtubers-like-me-oppose-bill-c-11/">worrisome</a> for some Canadian content creators, as Bill C-11 does not <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/bill-c-11-explained-1.6759878">specifically define</a> what is considered Canadian content, and has the potential to reduce the visibility of their content and make it difficult for them to reach the same number of users.</p>
<p>Similarly, the <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-64792894">TikTok bans in Canada</a>, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/why-is-tiktok-being-banned-7d2de01d3ac5ab2b8ec2239dc7f2b20d">the U.S.</a> and <a href="https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-ban-privacy-cybersecurity-bytedance-china-2dce297f0aed056efe53309bbcd44a04">elsewhere</a> have some content creators on edge about <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/tiktok-ban-income-1.6765323">potentially losing access to the platform</a>.</p>
<p>All these issues make influencing a difficult career to break into and maintain. It is important for those interested in making a career out of influencing to be aware of these challenges. </p>
<p>As a form of independent entrepreneurship, influencing comes with no regulation, training or support. The result of this can be young content creators struggling with physical and mental health issues brought on by <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/330033878_Social_Media_Influencer_and_Cyberbullying_A_Lesson_Learned_from_Preliminary_Findings">cyberbullying</a> and high stress.</p>
<p>With more young people wanting to be influencers, it is our job to educate rather than dissuade. By highlighting these realities, we hope to mitigate some of the negative outcomes associated with a career in social media influencing.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/203306/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
As social media becomes more prevalent in our lives, a career as an influencer may seem enticing. But those interested in this new career should be aware of the challenges.
Sheldon Fetter, PhD Student, Department of Kinesiology, University of Windsor
Paige Coyne, PhD Candidate, Department of Kinesiology, University of Windsor
Samantha Monk, PhD Student, Department of Kinesiology, University of Windsor
Sarah Woodruff, Professor, Director of the Community Health, Enviornment, and Wellness Lab, University of Windsor
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/201792
2023-03-17T13:15:40Z
2023-03-17T13:15:40Z
Prime: a YouTuber expert explains how Logan Paul and KSI’s drink became so popular
<p>YouTubers Logan Paul and KSI released their drinks brand, Prime Hydration, in January 2022. One year on, Paul said the drink had generated US$250 million (£209 million) in <a href="https://www.dexerto.com/entertainment/logan-paul-reveals-how-much-prime-has-made-already-amid-viral-success-2061685/">retail sales</a> worldwide, with US$45 million of that in January 2023 alone.</p>
<p>In the UK, there have been purchase waves across the country, <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat-64145389">with stores constantly selling out of restocks.</a> The popularity and shortage of Prime led to <a href="https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/lifestyle/prime-hydration-drink-officially-sale-29302037">buying restrictions</a> set by supermarkets, with some people <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat-64145389">reselling the drink</a> – originally priced at £24.99 for 12 bottles – <a href="https://www.ladbible.com/news/ksi-responds-woman-pays-more-1000-for-prime-289086-20230111">for over £1,000</a>.</p>
<p>So why has Prime become so popular? Certainly, it could be explained in part by the popularity of its founders, <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-11707511/Prime-drinks-earth-fuss-about.html">two of the most famous</a> YouTube personalities in the world. Between them, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCG8rbF3g2AMX70yOd8vqIZg">Paul</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@jjolatunji">KSI</a> have over 39 million subscribers on their main YouTube channels.</p>
<p>As a researcher in social media with a specific focus on YouTubers, I would argue that the drink’s popularity is down to the pair’s audience engagement. But their savvy use of YouTube’s algorithmic networks, in which videos with similar content are linked together by YouTube’s recommendation algorithm, has also been key.</p>
<h2>Prime’s audience engagement</h2>
<p>“Audience engagement” describes the combination of <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563216306513?casa_token=f6dX0B291N0AAAAA:hZonlJepxKiSQSWPWBkszSYY3tpn0xOplOuYSmF9QD1KP7JYl5O-bonWr3abPymoCOL86cLD">consumption</a> (such as watching videos) and participation (such as commenting on, liking and sharing videos) by YouTube viewers. </p>
<p>Establishing audience engagement is key for YouTubers to become popular and develop popular commercial products, such as Prime. To engage their audiences, YouTubers use a variety of strategies. Two of the most significant are “interaction” and “self-disclosure”.</p>
<p>YouTubers interact with their viewers in different ways, from <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/8/10/266">asking and responding to viewers’comments</a> to <a href="https://ideas.repec.org/a/mgs/jibrme/v3y2017i1p29-35.html">cocreating activities</a>, such as seeking new video ideas. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zP35v0l498w?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Shoppers rush to purchase Prime energy drink.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Paul has made videos answering viewer <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qdjna4Nh7DM">questions and comments</a>. KSI also recently made videos <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6uH3THa5xU">reading and commenting on fans’ posts on Reddit</a>, which included some about the Prime drink.</p>
<p>Viewers who interact with YouTubers often feel a sense of community. They may go on to establish ongoing connections with the creator via YouTube – a platform that was created to promote <a href="https://www.wiley.com/en-us/YouTube:+Online+Video+and+Participatory+Culture,+2nd+Edition-p-9780745660196">participatory culture</a> – by subscribing to their channel, for example. </p>
<p>Self-disclosure involves YouTubers sharing their personal life stories with viewers. Many of Paul and KSI’s <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oZ2EwKhXbs&t=125s">videos</a> involve personal details and feature their family and friends. Sometimes, this disclosure also involves drama.</p>
<p>In 2020, KSI shared updates on a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4yzfxZDFbk&t">family drama</a> involving his brother – also a Youtuber – <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@ComedyShortsGamer">Deji</a>. Deji released <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/ksi-deji-beef-youtube-twitter-christmas-1271796">a diss track</a> (a song written as an insult) calling out KSI after his friend left negative comments on Deji’s channel. </p>
<p>The relationship between the brothers worsened after Deji publicly shared KSI’s bank account history. Self-disclosure can create a sense of <a href="https://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/view/5078">authenticity</a> among viewers.</p>
<p>Together, interaction and self-disclosure can create powerful <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0747563217306155?via%3Dihub">parasocial</a> feelings (<a href="https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-a-parasocial-relationship-5210770">one-sided relationships</a> between celebrities and fans), making fans feel as though they know the YouTubers personally. This drives <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0747563219301827?via%3Dihub">continuous engagement</a> on YouTube. </p>
<p>Therefore, when KSI and Logan Paul promote the Prime drink, some of their fans may feel like their friends are recommending products to them.</p>
<h2>Collaboration and algorithmic networks</h2>
<p>The algorithmic networks generated by content collaboration on YouTube are also key to creating an engaged fanbase. Paul and KSI have both collaborated with other famous YouTubers. </p>
<p>For example, Paul invited <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYvmvr5_smQ">MrBeast</a> to appear on his <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@Impaulsive/featured">podcast channel</a> in 2019 and 2022. KSI has collaborated with several big YouTubers such as <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xl125ZovpAA">PewDiePie</a>. Both MrBeast and PewDiePie have over 100 million subscribers on their own channels.</p>
<p>Research has found that famous YouTubers <a href="https://firstmonday.org/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/10667">dominate the platform’s recommendation algorithm network</a>. This means that their videos are more visible on YouTube and cause more similar content to be recommended to viewers. Therefore, these collaborations may reshape the video <a href="https://blog.youtube/inside-youtube/on-youtubes-recommendation-system/">recommendation algorithm</a> for both Paul and KSI’s viewers and those watching the YouTubers they collaborated with.</p>
<p>During the Prime drink launch, other YouTubers such as <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/markiplier">Markiplier</a> (34 million subscribers) were invited to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-Fi_SQLCng">taste the drink</a> in videos. Their influence may have triggered YouTube’s algorithm to further recommend Prime-related content to viewers, enhancing the online visibility of the drink, even for YouTube users who are not fans of Paul and KSI.</p>
<p>Through their audience engagement strategies and savvy use of YouTube’s algorithmic networks, Logan Paul and KSI have given Prime a great chance of commercial success. Combining this with other marketing strategies such as limiting the supply to <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat-64145389">create demand</a> has created a hugely popular brand. </p>
<p>Their win may form something of a blueprint for other content creators as YouTubers become more <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19392397.2018.1536558?casa_token=gRsTi49YK7oAAAAA%3AHW6-D4yWiZLTuPHr6KGVBuriD_gGqZNAGrbwkeG42dRlW85IZaHpOIYoamZqcNerQnENBg37Xog">professional</a> and look to harness the platform’s algorithm for their commercial success.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/201792/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Hantian Zhang does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
The Youtube stars have created something of a commercial blueprint by harnessing the platform’s algorithms to maximise Prime’s exposure.
Hantian Zhang, Senior Lecturer in Media, Sheffield Hallam University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/198576
2023-03-06T13:35:30Z
2023-03-06T13:35:30Z
What parents and educators need to know about teens’ pornography and sexting experiences at school
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/512713/original/file-20230228-2960-yiwjos.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=12%2C64%2C8634%2C5691&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Pornography presents persistent risks for adolescents.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/teenager-boy-is-using-smartphone-at-home-in-bed-royalty-free-image/1353071585?phrase=teens%20iphones%20school&adppopup=true">EMS-FORSTER-PRODUCTIONS via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Three out of four teenagers have seen online pornography – often before they even became a teenager. That’s according to a new report from Common Sense Media that examines the <a href="https://www.commonsensemedia.org/research/teens-and-pornography">role pornography plays</a> in the lives of today’s youth.</p>
<p>Some teens do more than just watch pornography. By way of “sexting,” teenagers are also <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2021.10.026">creating and sending their own images and videos</a> of themselves in the nude.</p>
<p>For the most part, it’s not the job of school staff to worry about what kids are looking at on the internet or sending over their phones. However, as an expert on human development – and as <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=TZgnU_QAAAAJ&view_op=list_works&sortby=pubdate">one who studies adolescent sexuality</a> – I believe parents and educators should be prepared to address potential issues that might arise as a result of students’ engagement with pornography and sexting. This sort of preparedness is especially pertinent today because smartphones enable kids to look at porn and to sext during school hours.</p>
<p>Here are five things that parents and educators should know as pornography use and sexting become more commonplace among students:</p>
<h2>1. Pornography is not what it used to be</h2>
<p>Fifty-two percent of teens have <a href="https://www.commonsensemedia.org/research/teens-and-pornography">seen violent pornography</a>. This includes acts such as choking, slapping, gagging, hitting and crying. This is because the internet changed the way pornography is distributed. There used to be <a href="https://www.mtsu.edu/first-amendment/article/1004/obscenity-and-pornography">more regulations</a> on violent content and age verification to adhere to pay-per-view standards in hotel rooms and DVD sales. Now, self-produced and distributed content reigns on “tube-site” platforms that function similarly to YouTube.</p>
<p>Tube sites like PornHub allow for users to freely view and upload their own content. At its inception, many users assumed it was primarily “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/23268743.2016.1184477">amateur content</a>” or homemade and consensual content. However, one <a href="https://academic.oup.com/bjc/article/61/5/1243/6208896">study</a> showed that 1 in 8 titles of videos on the website described sexual violence. <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-55333403">An investigation</a> by the BBC and New York Times was prompted by victims who learned that video footage of their sexual assaults was being freely viewed on the website. The investigation uncovered millions of videos of suspected abuse and coercion, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/dec/19/pornhub-abuse-videos-new-york-times-mastercard-visa">causing credit card companies to cut ties</a>. </p>
<p>OnlyFans, another tube-site platform composed of user-uploaded content, also facilitates camming, or live sexual interaction, with content creators for a fee. Although there does not appear to be peer-reviewed research on adolescents’ use of OnlyFans, there are <a href="https://nypost.com/2021/05/27/children-are-selling-explicit-content-on-onlyfans-report/">some reports</a> that minors are bypassing age verification and selling their own sexually explicit images on the platform.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Five teenagers sit on the floor of a high school hallway with their backs to the wall as they look at their cell phones." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/512719/original/file-20230228-18-nu9abs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/512719/original/file-20230228-18-nu9abs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=421&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/512719/original/file-20230228-18-nu9abs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=421&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/512719/original/file-20230228-18-nu9abs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=421&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/512719/original/file-20230228-18-nu9abs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=529&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/512719/original/file-20230228-18-nu9abs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=529&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/512719/original/file-20230228-18-nu9abs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=529&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Teens can access cellphones during the school day.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/students-killing-time-in-corridor-between-classes-royalty-free-image/1411412809?phrase=teens%20iphones%20school&adppopup=true">Rafa Fernandez Torres via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>2. Pornography is a source of sex education for teens</h2>
<p>Without widespread <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2020.07.036">comprehensive sex education in the U.S.</a>, young adults have identified pornography as a primary <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-020-01877-7">source of sex education</a>. However, the pornography that teens have the easiest access to – tube-site pornography – <a href="https://academic.oup.com/bjc/article/61/5/1243/6208896">tends to portray</a> more sexual aggression, degradation of women and people of color and lack of sexual consent.</p>
<p>For example, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2021.1991641">choking or strangulation during sex has been increasing in porn</a>. This is concerning to violence researchers, neurologists and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/0092623X.2021.1985025">mental health professionals</a> because recent reports indicate that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-022-02347-y">1 in 3 women were choked</a> during their last sexual experience. Although the majority of women reported feelings of euphoria, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-022-02347-y">strangulation during sex</a> carries the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1089/neu.2022.0146">same risk for brain damage due</a> to loss of oxygen as being strangled in other contexts.</p>
<p>What’s also concerning is that male adolescents exposed to violent pornography are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/10810730.2021.1887980">more likely</a> to be higher in sexual aggression and are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-019-1435-4">two to three times more likely</a> to have pressured a partner to engage in sexual activity the partner did not want to engage in than male adolescents who view less violent pornography or less pornography overall. For teen girls, their violent pornography exposure is associated with nonviolent risk behaviors, such as <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/105984051456">substance use, buying or selling sex, and sexual victimization</a>. </p>
<h2>3. Although it is not wise, sexting is not always harmful</h2>
<p>Although many adults cringe when they learn about teens sharing nudes with each other – <a href="https://cyberbullying.org/sexting-laws">many states</a> still define sexting among teens as the distribution of child sexual abuse material – consensual sexting can be a normal and healthy part of adolescent sexuality. Some teens are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s12119-022-09952-y">motivated to use sexting</a> to explore their sexuality by expressing their feelings and desires while practicing trust and vulnerability with intimate images. However, if sexting is coercive, or the sexts are shared outside of the couple without permission, it can be considered by law enforcement and violence researchers a form of sexual harassment or <a href="https://doi.org/10.4324/9781351135153">image-based sexual abuse</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A girl with glasses is underneath a bedcover as the green glare of an iPhone illuminates her surprised and bespectacled face." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/512716/original/file-20230228-691-q9katl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/512716/original/file-20230228-691-q9katl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/512716/original/file-20230228-691-q9katl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/512716/original/file-20230228-691-q9katl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/512716/original/file-20230228-691-q9katl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/512716/original/file-20230228-691-q9katl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/512716/original/file-20230228-691-q9katl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Three out of four teens have viewed online pornography.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/cute-girl-watching-video-on-phone-with-shocked-royalty-free-image/1390528082?phrase=teens%20iphones&adppopup=true">Alihan Usullu via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>It’s important to note that, as with many issues related to teenage development, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71882-8_4">potential harms or benefits of sexting</a> are dependent on factors such as maturity, the nature of the relationship between the individuals involved and gender. For example, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s13178-022-00775-y">one study</a> found that boys were more likely than girls to disseminate sexts to peers without the consent of those in the picture. </p>
<h2>4. Sending other people’s sexual content is often harmful and illegal</h2>
<p>Once an image or video is shared, it can be difficult to control how it is used or distributed, which can lead to feelings of shame, guilt and embarrassment for the original sender. The sending of others’ sexual content can take many forms, such as sharing a nude image via small groups or posting an image more publicly to a website. Such images and videos can be shared widely or even secretly among private social media accounts and group email lists known as “<a href="https://theconversation.com/jocks-and-frat-boys-more-likely-than-other-men-in-college-to-visit-slut-pages-and-post-nude-images-without-consent-156365">slut pages</a>.” </p>
<p>Slut pages have the ability to <a href="https://www.wbur.org/npr/467959873/teen-girls-and-social-media-a-story-of-secret-lives-and-misogyny">shape a school’s culture on sexual violence</a>, as they are intended to make nonconsensual pornography seem amusing. This can encourage peers and even adults to minimize the emotional trauma a person may experience when they learn that their images are posted on a slut page.</p>
<h2>5. Schools can be liable for online sexual misconduct under Title IX</h2>
<p><a href="https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/docs/title-ix-rights-201104.html">Title IX</a>, a federal law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in education programs and activities that receive federal funding, can potentially be used to address nonconsensual pornography in high schools. When school administrators know or reasonably should know about nonconsensual pornography, Title IX requires them to take prompt and effective steps to end the harassment, prevent its recurrence and address its effects. This can include conducting investigations, taking disciplinary action against the individuals involved and providing support and resources for affected students.</p>
<p>However, a <a href="https://www.knowyourix.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Know-Your-IX-2021-Report-Final-Copy.pdf">study</a> conducted by Advocates for Youth showed that school staff tended to minimize sexual harassment as a typical right of passage. Without staff training that targets this bias, the victims of nonconsensual pornography can feel uncomfortable going to staff <a href="https://www.knowyourix.org/">because victim blaming can be so prevalent</a>. For example, in <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15546128.2022.2076757">our experiences training</a> school staff, a common response to the distribution of a student’s nude images is often, “Why did she send him that picture in the first place?” which is understandable. Educators could also consider asking, “Why did he share that picture with the whole school?”</p>
<h2>Is there anything that can be done?</h2>
<p>In our study, we found that public school administrators, staff and educators <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/15546128.2022.2076757">overwhelmingly agree</a> that education for school staff, parents and students needs to happen to improve the social lives of today’s digital natives. We found that when school staff received education that included facts about how teens engage with pornography and sexting and some examples of how to respond when problems occur, they were more confident and less embarrassed discussing these topics if they were to arise at school. </p>
<p>We also think if schools’ sexual misconduct policies address digital behavior, that could also play a major role in determining how schools both prevent and respond to nonconsensual sexting and pornography among students. We are currently researching which schools do this well to provide an example that other schools can follow.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/198576/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Megan K. Maas does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
An expert on adolescent sexuality weighs in on how technology has changed the amount and type of pornography that teens can consume – and what that means when it happens at school.
Megan K. Maas, Assistant Professor of Human Development and Family Studies, Michigan State University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/199689
2023-02-21T18:11:47Z
2023-02-21T18:11:47Z
Five emerging trends that could change our lives online
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/509720/original/file-20230213-22-56qt5a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=22%2C11%2C7271%2C4803&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">VR headsets are key to realising the Metaverse</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/concept-technologygamingentertainment-people-african-man-enjoying-562748395">Shutterstock / SFIO CRACHO</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The way we live our lives online is rapidly changing. Artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality and innovations such as blockchain – a kind of digital record for transactions — are set to transform the online world, affecting everything from social media to how people and businesses make money from their creativity.</p>
<p>If you’re feeling confused by the pace of change, here’s what you need to know about five trends on the cusp of making a major impact.</p>
<h2>1. Generative AI</h2>
<p>AI and the more specific field of machine learning (where software improves at a task with experience) are already used to <a href="https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/headlines/society/20200827STO85804/what-is-artificial-intelligence-and-how-is-it-used">personalise the recommendations</a> we get when we shop online, in digital assistants like Alexa and for automated translation of text. The uses for this technology are <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinesscouncil/2022/05/05/the-future-of-ai-5-things-to-expect-in-the-next-10-years/">only likely to grow</a>. There are some innovative uses of AI by businesses that may point to how people will be using the technology in future.</p>
<p>The AI-powered chatbot ChatGPT is a high-profile example. <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/a6d71785-b994-48d8-8af2-a07d24f661c5">Microsoft recently invested US$10 billion (£8.2 billion) investment in the chatbot’s parent company</a> showing how seriously these online tools are being taken.</p>
<p>It was seen by some journalists as the start of an <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/google-microsoft-ai-search-war-will-add-to-carbon-emissions-2023-2">“AI war”</a> between Microsoft and Google. The latter company has been <a href="https://www.technologyreview.com/2022/09/22/1059922/deepminds-new-chatbot-uses-google-searches-plus-humans-to-give-better-answers/">incorporating AI into its search engine</a> to improve the answers people get. <a href="https://www.jasper.ai/demo">Jasper.ai</a> is another forward-thinking use of AI. This online service generates written content for blogs, social media posts and letters. </p>
<p>Meanwhile, Meta, the company that owns Facebook, is working on AI-powered software that can generate video from a text prompt, such as <a href="https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2022/09/write-%20text-get-video-meta-announces-ai-video-generator/">“teddy bear painting a portrait”</a>. This is regarded as the next step on from online tools that generate images from text, such as <a href="https://openai.com/dall-e-2/">DALL-E</a> and <a href="https://stability.ai/blog/stable-diffusion-public-release">Stable Diffusion</a>.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-chatgpt-chatbot-is-blowing-people-away-with-its-writing-skills-an-expert-explains-why-its-so-impressive-195908">The ChatGPT chatbot is blowing people away with its writing skills. An expert explains why it's so impressive</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>2. The metaverse</h2>
<p>The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metaverse">“metaverse”</a> is intended to make the online world more like the real one, through the use of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_reality">virtual reality</a> (VR) headsets. Instead of interacting with a two-dimensional profile on social media, you would don your VR headset to be represented by an <a href="https://uk.pcmag.com/vr-1/142134/enter-the-metaverse-how-to-create-a-virtual-avatar">avatar in a 3D virtual world</a>. Your avatar would be able to communicate with other ones in a space modelled on the real world. Online shops could take the form of 3D virtual spaces so customers could browse in much the same way they would in their everyday lives. </p>
<p>A new wave of advanced VR headsets could help facilitate the metaverse. These could include advanced features such as eye tracking — which can make interactions with 3D worlds more instant and realistic — and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBLwshNHBRo">facial expression detection</a>, which would ensure 3D avatars replicate their users’ demeanours. <a href="https://www.tomsguide.com/news/apple-vr-and-mixed-reality-headset-release-date-price-specs-and-leaks">Apple</a> and Qualcomm are developing new VR headsets that could launch in 2023, but details of their features are being kept under wraps.</p>
<p><a href="https://vr.youtube.com">YouTube</a> and <a href="https://creator.oculus.com/manage/mediastudio/?locale=en_GB">Meta</a> are both building libraries of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQOglqUJQZI">360-degree video</a> and images, as well as computer-generated objects and <a href="https://theconversation.com/real-estate-in-the-metaverse-is-booming-is-it-really-such-a-crazy-idea-174021">backgrounds</a> that can be used to build the 3D environments that your avatar would explore in these virtual worlds.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/what-is-the-metaverse-and-what-can-we-do-there-179200">What is the metaverse, and what can we do there?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
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<h2>3. Digital certificates</h2>
<p>The owners of 360-degree video and computer-generated landscapes designed for use in the metaverse will want to sell their digital creations. To prevent unauthorised use, a kind of token called an NFT can provide these items of digital content with certificates of authenticity and ownership. </p>
<p>These <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/non-fungible-token">non-fungible tokens</a> allow the content to be bought and sold with confidence, something that’s increasingly happening with the use of cryptocurrency. In 2022, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter all introduced NFTs to their user and advertiser bases. <a href="https://usa.visa.com/partner-with-us/info-for-partners/visa-creator-program.html">Visa</a> and <a href="https://www.mastercard.com/news/perspectives/2022/simple-nft-purchasing-on-nft-marketplaces/">Mastercard</a> have also made buying NFTs possible with their credit and debit cards. </p>
<p>Despite a recent <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2022/11/14/23458863/nike-nfts-happen-dot-swoosh-sneakers-crypto">drop in the NFT market</a>, <a href="https://usa.visa.com/visa-everywhere/blog/bdp/2021/08/18/nfts-mark-a-1629328216374.html">forecasts by the US stock exchange Nasdaq</a> suggest the tokens could perform well in 2023. </p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/nfts-in-the-art-world-a-revolution-or-ripoff-191299">NFTs in the art world: A revolution or ripoff?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>4. Blockchain</h2>
<p>A kind of digital record, or ledger, called a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blockchain">blockchain</a> could help underpin private networks of people online, providing a safe space for them free from trolls, stalkers and fraud. Permission to view information can be restricted to a small number of people and the record of activity provided by blockchain can’t be changed. This means any unauthorised activity on the network is instantly traceable.</p>
<p>And because information is stored across a network of computers rather than a single server, it is more difficult to hack. An example of an emerging type of online community that could make use of blockchain is a <a href="https://www.investopedia.com/tech/what-dao/">DAO (decentralised autonomous organisation)</a>. These networks have discarded the top-down management used elsewhere in favour of a more democratic form of governance with no central authority.</p>
<p>A social platform called Mastodon shares many aspects with DAOs. It was recently in the news when <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2023/jan/08/elon-musk-drove-more-than-a-million-people-to-mastodon-but-many-arent-sticking-around">more than a million users</a> fled Twitter to the platform in the wake of Elon Musk’s takeover.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/cryptocurrency-funded-groups-called-daos-are-becoming-charities-here-are-some-issues-to-watch-174763">Cryptocurrency-funded groups called DAOs are becoming charities – here are some issues to watch</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>5. ‘Workfluencers’</h2>
<p>Businesses have taken note of the rise of social media influencers and are adopting their approach to reach target audiences. They are making use of <a href="https://theconversation.com/linkedin-at-20-how-a-new-breed-of-influencer-is-transforming-the-business-networking-giant-196413">what’s called an employee advocate, or “workfluencer”</a>. Companies have realised that employees’ social media profiles and posts may better convey the brand than corporate accounts.</p>
<p>When crafted thoughtfully, social media posts by employees can seem significantly more authentic to other users than corporate PR. People have grown more honest about day-to-day work life, rather than only producing stories on professional milestones and achievements.</p>
<p>Organisations are likely to build procedures to encourage teams and employees to communicate and distribute material on the company’s behalf.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/linkedin-at-20-how-a-new-breed-of-influencer-is-transforming-the-business-networking-giant-196413">LinkedIn at 20: how a new breed of influencer is transforming the business networking giant</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/199689/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Theo Tzanidis does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Here are the trends on the cusp of transforming the online world.
Theo Tzanidis, Senior Lecturer in Digital Marketing, University of the West of Scotland
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/199223
2023-02-15T12:21:39Z
2023-02-15T12:21:39Z
De-influencing: how online beauty gurus get followers to trust them by posting negative reviews
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/509158/original/file-20230209-14-cs2ff5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=98%2C62%2C5829%2C3898&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/vlogger-female-applies-lipstick-on-lips-1701394966">Artie Medvedev / Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>In a departure from their usual content, TikTok beauty influencers are “de-influencing”, telling viewers <a href="https://fortune.com/2023/01/31/what-is-de-influencing-tiktok-trend/">what not to buy</a>. Offering uncharacteristically critical product reviews, many are directing their criticism at products that they believe have been overhyped by other influencers on the platform.</p>
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<iframe id="noa-web-audio-player" style="border: none" src="https://embed-player.newsoveraudio.com/v4?key=x84olp&id=https://theconversation.com/de-influencing-how-online-beauty-gurus-get-followers-to-trust-them-by-posting-negative-reviews-199223&bgColor=F5F5F5&color=D8352A&playColor=D8352A" width="100%" height="110px"></iframe>
<p><em>You can listen to more articles from The Conversation, narrated by Noa, <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/topics/audio-narrated-99682">here</a>.</em></p>
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<p>The recent interest in de-influencing began with a controversy over a product recommendation. <a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/natashajokic1/mikayla-nogueira-tiktok-mascara">Viewers accused</a> TikTok beauty influencer Mikayla Nogueira of secretly applying false lashes to exaggerate the effect of a mascara that she had been paid to promote. The video and its backlash sparked wider debates surrounding influencers’ authenticity, prompting a deluge of “de-influencing” posts. </p>
<p>While the term “de-influencing” is a new addition to influencers’ vocabularies, the strategy itself has been around for years. In a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/jcr/ucad003">recent study</a>, we explored why people lose trust in the influencers they have so revered, and what influencers do to regain that trust. </p>
<iframe src="https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/7193452721901554987?lang=en-US" style="border:0;width:100%;min-height:825px;" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>We studied influencers who rose to prominence on YouTube as “beauty gurus”. Our participants (followers of these gurus) explained that in the early days of YouTube, vloggers offered unbiased product reviews, often being “brutally honest” about products they didn’t like. These critical reviews were key to many vloggers’ initial popularity. As one participant said, the content “saved us a lot of money”. </p>
<p>As vloggers grew in popularity, the world of influencer marketing was born. Brands capitalised on the trusted guru role by paying or incentivising them to promote products to their loyal followers. </p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="Quarter life, a series by The Conversation" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<p><em><strong><a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/topics/quarter-life-117947?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=UK+YP2022&utm_content=InArticleTop">This article is part of Quarter Life</a></strong>, a series about issues affecting those of us in our twenties and thirties. From the challenges of beginning a career and taking care of our mental health, to the excitement of starting a family, adopting a pet or just making friends as an adult. The articles in this series explore the questions and bring answers as we navigate this turbulent period of life.</em></p>
<p><em>You may be interested in:</em></p>
<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/influencer-is-now-a-popular-career-choice-for-young-people-heres-what-you-should-know-about-the-creator-economys-dark-side-185806?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=UK+YP2022&utm_content=InArticleTop">‘Influencer’ is now a popular career choice for young people – here’s what you should know about the creator economy’s dark side</a></em></p>
<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/binge-eating-disorder-is-more-common-than-many-realise-yet-its-rarely-discussed-heres-what-you-need-to-know-190587?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=UK+YP2022&utm_content=InArticleTop">Binge-eating disorder is more common than many realise, yet it’s rarely discussed – here’s what you need to know</a></em></p>
<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/the-sharing-economy-can-expose-you-to-liability-risks-heres-how-to-protect-yourself-191560?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=UK+YP2022&utm_content=InArticleTop">The sharing economy can expose you to liability risks – here’s how to protect yourself</a></em></p>
<hr>
<p>This new influencer role led to an example of what we as researchers call “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/jcr/ucad003">role conflict</a>”. Followers expected honest, unbiased recommendations from their favourite gurus, while brands expected influencers to portray their products positively. These expectations clashed, creating distrust among followers. Our participants said they doubted the honesty and trustworthiness of beauty vloggers once they were paid to promote products to their followers.</p>
<p>This distrust was well founded. Our analysis of leading vloggers’ YouTube channels revealed that, after adopting an influencer role, they avoided talking critically about brands, perhaps because they did not jeopardise existing or potential brand collaborations. Influencers focused primarily on brands they loved, rather than those they didn’t. Critical reviews telling their followers what products not to buy became few and far between. </p>
<p>Many of our participants reported unfollowing or avoiding content from influencers they no longer trusted to be honest. Such a reaction can put influencers’ success at risk, as follower engagement is central to their careers. </p>
<h2>Rebuilding trust</h2>
<p>We found that YouTube beauty vloggers quickly recognised the need to respond to this growing sense of distrust. We observed them using what we call “role prioritisation” strategy as a way to prove their authenticity. This meant prioritising their “guru” role over the “influencer” role and demonstrating this to their followers. </p>
<p>They did this by providing more honest and critical product reviews. Vloggers created videos titled “Disappointing Products” and “Worst Purchases”, or simply integrated negative reviews into their wider content. Many released negative reviews of products “gifted” to them by brands’ PR teams, or of brands they had previously collaborated with. </p>
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<p>With these critical reviews, influencers showed followers that they valued their relationships with viewers over those with brands. And it worked. The followers we spoke to said that this behaviour encouraged them to place more trust in future product recommendations. This trust is key to retaining the trusted guru role that makes vloggers attractive to brands in the first place.</p>
<h2>The end of influencer culture?</h2>
<p>It’s not surprising that the conversation about influencers and trust is kicking off on TikTok. The platform’s algorithm, which serves up an endless stream of short video content personalised to users on the “For You Page”, combined with <a href="https://www.vogue.co.uk/beauty/article/best-tiktok-beauty-products-2022">the platform’s trend-driven nature</a>, means TikTokkers are particularly guilty of hyping up the latest “must have” beauty products. The endless deluge of product recommendations may be overwhelming to users, and leave those influenced with dwindling bank balances. </p>
<p>Influencers on competing platforms like YouTube learned long ago that they must engage in role prioritisation to retain viewer trust. The popularity of the de-influencing trend shows that TikTok influencers are learning this lesson now.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.eternalgoddess.co.uk/posts/the-death-of-the-influencer-de-influencing-amp-the-importance-of-personal-stylenbsp">Some commentators</a> have hailed de-influencing as the death of influencing and thus of the influencer. But our research suggests the opposite. De-influencing is a form of influencing, one that many consumers are more receptive to, particularly in the current economic climate. </p>
<p>Rather than representing the demise of influencers, de-influencing is an opportunity for them to reassert their original “guru” role and gain trust through transparency and authenticity. It is a strategy used to protect their influencer role – and future income.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/199223/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
This strategy has been around since the birth of influencer marketing.
Rebecca Mardon, Senior Lecturer in Marketing, Cardiff University
Hayley Cocker, Senior Lecturer in Marketing, Lancaster University
Kate Daunt, Professor of Marketing, Cardiff University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/196463
2023-01-18T13:37:11Z
2023-01-18T13:37:11Z
Why aren’t there any legal protections for the children of influencers?
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/503463/original/file-20230106-12037-jq01er.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C562%2C6862%2C4754&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Children cannot consent to being the star of their parent's show.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/joyful-young-asian-mother-taking-selfie-with-cute-royalty-free-image/1151941387?phrase=mom taking selfie with kid&adppopup=true">d3sign/Moment via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>When it comes to sharing content of children on social media – particularly via sponsored posts and brand deals – what’s legal isn’t always what’s ethical.</p>
<p>Influencer Brittany Dawn, who initially gained a following for her fitness workouts <a href="https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/kelseyweekman/brittany-dawn-davis-influencer-lawsuit-fitness">before pivoting to religious content</a>, recently came under fire for <a href="https://www.insider.com/christian-influencer-brittany-dawn-criticism-foster-parent-journey-2022-12">monetizing her foster child on social media</a>. </p>
<p>While Dawn has blurred out her child’s image in photos shared – a stipulation decreed by the <a href="https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubPDFs/smtips_parent.pdf">U.S. Children’s Bureau</a> for foster parents in their social media rules – she has found a different way to capitalize on being an influencer with a foster child. She includes affiliate links on her posts to promote products like baby monitors. If viewers follow the link and purchase the product, Dawn gets a commission.</p>
<p>Similarly, YouTube family vlogger <a href="https://www.thecut.com/2020/08/youtube-myka-james-stauffer-huxley-adoption.html">Myka Stauffer</a> has shared a number of details about her children, and has also relayed her experience of adopting a baby boy from China – who frequently appeared in her videos. (The Conversation reached out to Dawn and Stauffer about these criticisms, but did not receive a response.)</p>
<p>None of this is currently illegal. But this practice exists at the intersection of two social media trends: sponsored content and “<a href="https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/instagram-facebook-and-the-perils-of-sharenting">sharenting</a>” – when parents post sensitive information about their children online.</p>
<p>There are very few safeguards in place to protect the interests of children – both personal and financial – from their influencer parents. But the questionable practice of leveraging children for followers, fans and sponsorships is currently experiencing a groundswell of attention. <a href="https://www.insider.com/maia-knight-parent-oversharing-child-abuse-tiktok-youtube-family-vlogging-2023-1">Critiques</a> of famous creators like Dawn and Stauffer are becoming <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@mom.uncharted/video/7187113683401657606?_t=8Ywq2HEEMri&_r=1">more pointed</a> and <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@casjerome/video/7183384087263005995?_t=8Ywq7giv2NS&_r=1">persistent</a>, while some of the now-adult children of influencers are pushing back.</p>
<h2>When kids become a prop</h2>
<p><a href="https://cis.ua.edu/cis-theme-staff/dr-jessica-maddox/">As a scholar of social media</a>, I’ve spent nearly a decade studying <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2022.2109980">influencers</a> and <a href="https://firstmonday.org/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/10804">content creators</a> and how they blur the lines between entertainment, business and freelance work. Influencers constantly search for a niche, or something to make them stand out amid the immense amount of content online. My own research has examined <a href="https://www.rutgersuniversitypress.org/the-internet-is-for-cats/9781978827912/">pet influencers</a>, <a href="https://firstmonday.org/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/10804">ASMR (autonomous sensory meridian response) influencers</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2022.2109980">veterinarians who are influencers</a>.</p>
<p>Showcasing your children is also a niche. And as internet scholar Sophie Bishop has shown, influencers who feature their children sometimes <a href="https://www.papermag.com/top-beauty-influencers-2639784604.html?rebelltitem=9#rebelltitem9">use their kids to pivot the focus of their social media niche</a>. They can move from being a fashion or travel influencer in their 20s to becoming a wedding influencer once they’re engaged and to a parenting influencer merely by hitting some of life’s big milestones, taking their built-in audience on the journey with them.</p>
<p>Children, however, cannot consent to being the star of their parents’ show. </p>
<p>While a child could feasibly find it “fun to be in mommy’s video,” it is unlikely they understand the long-term ramifications of being broadcast to thousands – even millions – of followers. The oversharing of images of children is even a <a href="https://www.moms.com/how-parental-oversharing-on-social-media-harms-kids/">concern for many parents</a>, not just influencers.</p>
<p>But the business aspect of sponsored content adds another layer to this complicated issue. Who is protecting children’s financial interests for the money their influencer parents earn off this content? How much money do children earn for their parents by appearing in their content?</p>
<p>In addition to the financial ethics, the personal, emotional and mental toll cannot be overlooked. TikTok user <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@softscorpio/video/7181607593302052142?_r=1&_t=8YhPTt39R3y&is_from_webapp=v1&item_id=7181607593302052142">@softscorpio</a> has talked about her lingering trauma from being a child featured in a parent’s account. Sarah Adams, who goes by <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@mom.uncharted/video/7180102716969028869?_t=8YhPYYOfBbH&_r=1">@Mom.UnCharted</a>, also tackles the issues of child social media exploitation and oversharing, talking about the ethical issues surrounding parent influencers and family YouTube channels. </p>
<p>Videos making fun of parent influencers also frequently circulate on TikTok, whether it’s through <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@britthardt/video/7083538878166011142?_t=8YhPUMqnAvz&_r=1">mocking the aesthetics of these influencers</a> or <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@thatmomshai/video/6992248902929992965?_t=8YhPWW8q7uV&_r=1">humorously critiquing the ways in which parents force their children to work</a> to build their brand and appease their following. </p>
<h2>Updating the Coogan Act for the digital age</h2>
<p>In 1939, California passed the <a href="https://www.sagaftra.org/membership-benefits/young-performers/coogan-law">Coogan Act</a>. The law, also known as the <a href="https://via.library.depaul.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://www.google.com/&httpsredir=1&article=1284&context=jatip">California Child Actor’s Bill</a>, was named for former child actor Jackie Coogan, whom many <a href="https://www.thevintagenews.com/2016/10/29/coogan-act-stopped-parents-of-famous-child-actors-seizing-all-the-childs-money/?chrome=1">hail as America’s first child actor</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="Black and white portrait of a boy wearing a knit hat and overalls." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/504083/original/file-20230111-14-1n9urx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/504083/original/file-20230111-14-1n9urx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=787&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/504083/original/file-20230111-14-1n9urx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=787&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/504083/original/file-20230111-14-1n9urx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=787&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/504083/original/file-20230111-14-1n9urx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=989&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/504083/original/file-20230111-14-1n9urx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=989&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/504083/original/file-20230111-14-1n9urx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=989&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The parents of child actor Jackie Coogan squandered most of the fortune he earned.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/american-child-actor-jackie-coogan-wearing-a-ragged-cap-news-photo/3241464?phrase=jackie%20coogan&adppopup=true">Hulton Archive/Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>He became famous after appearing as Charlie Chaplin’s adopted son in the 1921 film “<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0012349/">The Kid</a>.” But when Coogan reached adulthood, he learned that his mother and stepfather <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/child-influencers-exploitation-legal-protection/">had squandered</a> the US$4 million he had earned – what would amount to tens of millions of dollars today. </p>
<p>After Coogan sued his parents and was able to reclaim only a fraction of what was left of his earnings, the California Legislature passed the Coogan Act. <a href="https://www.sagaftra.org/membership-benefits/young-performers/coogan-law/coogan-law-full-text">The law</a> protects children who have been hired as “an actor, actress, dancer, musician, comedian, singer, or other performer or entertainer” and stipulates that their earnings must be safeguarded for them until they reach adulthood. Nine other states <a href="https://www.morganstanley.com/articles/trust-account-for-child-performer#:%7E:text=Who%20Needs%20a%20Coogan%20Account,Carolina%2C%20Pennsylvania%2C%20and%20Tennessee.">have since enacted similar legislation</a>. </p>
<p>While some <a href="https://www.culawreview.org/journal/is-kidfluencing-child-labor-how-the-youngest-influencers-remain-legally-unprotected">lobbyists and activists</a> have called for the Coogan Act to be applied to the children of parent influencers at the federal level, regulations have not yet been adopted. </p>
<p>The Coogan Act was written to protect children in “<a href="https://onlabor.org/new-child-labor-laws-needed-to-protect-child-influencers/">traditional” entertainment</a>. However, the lines between “traditional” entertainment and social media entertainment <a href="https://www.diggitmagazine.com/articles/product-placement-hollywood-social-media">continue to blur</a>, making this distinction less and less sound.</p>
<p>Additionally, the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, which protects children from “excessive labor,” <a href="https://www.today.com/parents/celebrity/child-reality-tv-social-media-stars-legal-protection-rcna54602">has not been updated to apply to child influencers</a>, or the children who regularly appear in the feeds of their parents. There’s a notable distinction between child influencers, <a href="https://www.newswise.com/articles/a-force-of-influence-children-as-youtube-stars">who may run their own feeds and businesses</a>, and children who are featured by their parents. But the Fair Labor Standards Act protects neither, and even children who run their own social media careers may still have their finances regulated by their parents.</p>
<p>Some parent influencers could easily set aside money earned either by or off their kids in trusts or college funds. But there’s nothing in place that specifically requires this.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.loc.gov/item/global-legal-monitor/2020-10-30/france-parliament-adopts-law-to-protect-child-influencers-on-social-media/">France</a> has already passed legislation protecting the commercial use of children under 16 on social media.</p>
<p>It’s hard not to see at least some precedent in the Coogan Act, particularly the part that refers to “other performers and entertainers.” With debates about the ethics and exploitation of children by parent influencers gaining steam in the U.S., it will be interesting to see whether there will be legislative updates to the definition of child labor in the digital age.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/196463/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jessica Maddox does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Some of the now-adult children of influencers are pushing back.
Jessica Maddox, Assistant Professor of Journalism and Creative Media, University of Alabama
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/192803
2022-11-28T13:32:28Z
2022-11-28T13:32:28Z
How can you tell if something is true? Here are 3 questions to ask yourself about what you see, hear and read
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/494543/original/file-20221109-24-smerzw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C8%2C5751%2C3819&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Emotions can get in the way of knowing what’s true.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/girl-lying-on-bed-at-night-and-using-a-mobile-phone-royalty-free-image/1213627011">Elva Etienne/Moment via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/281719/original/file-20190628-76743-26slbc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/281719/original/file-20190628-76743-26slbc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=293&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/281719/original/file-20190628-76743-26slbc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=293&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/281719/original/file-20190628-76743-26slbc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=293&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/281719/original/file-20190628-76743-26slbc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=368&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/281719/original/file-20190628-76743-26slbc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=368&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/281719/original/file-20190628-76743-26slbc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=368&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/us/topics/curious-kids-us-74795">Curious Kids</a> is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to <a href="mailto:curiouskidsus@theconversation.com">curiouskidsus@theconversation.com</a>.</em></p>
<hr>
<blockquote>
<p><strong>How can I tell if what I am hearing is true? – Adam, age 10, Maui, Hawaii</strong></p>
</blockquote>
<hr>
<p>Have you ever heard a story so exciting you wanted to share it right away? Something like a shark swimming up a flooded highway?</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1575245113387024384"}"></div></p>
<p>An image that seems to show just that was shared by many people after Hurricane Ian struck Florida in 2022. It was also <a href="https://twitter.com/dalysshanson/status/901949237306515457?s=20&t=l_bsAXkKKIVmp_XwGWGkyw">widely shared after Hurricane Harvey</a> hit Houston, Texas, in 2017. It’s a fake – a flooded highway image combined with one of a great white shark. The fact-checking website <a href="https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/shark-street-hurricane/">Snopes found it circulating as far back as 2011</a> after Hurricane Irene slammed Puerto Rico.</p>
<p>Truth can be tricky to determine. Every message you read, see or hear comes from somewhere and was created by someone and for someone. </p>
<p><a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=XV5-t-YAAAAJ">I teach media literacy</a>, which is a way to think about <a href="https://mediaeducationlab.com/what-media-literacy-0">information you get in the messages you receive via media</a>. You might think media means the news, but it also includes TikTok posts, television, books, advertisements and more. </p>
<p>When deciding whether to trust a piece of information, it’s good to start with three main questions – who said it, what evidence did they give and how much do you want to believe it? The last one might seem a little strange, but you’ll see why it’s important by the end.</p>
<h2>Who said it?</h2>
<p>Let’s say you’re really excited about a game that’s coming out later this year. You want to be the first to learn about the new creatures, characters and game modes. So when a YouTube video pops up saying, “GAME COMING TWO WEEKS EARLY,” you can’t wait to watch. But when you click, it’s just a guy making predictions. Do you trust him?</p>
<p>A source is where information comes from. You get information from sources every day – from teachers, parents and friends to people you’ve never met on news sites, fan channels and social media. You probably have sources you trust and ones you don’t. But why? </p>
<p>Would you trust your history teacher to tell you something about history? Probably, because they have a college degree that says they know their stuff. But what if your history teacher told you a fact about science your science teacher said was untrue? You’d probably be better off going with the science teacher for your science facts. Just because a source is trustworthy in one subject doesn’t mean they’re trustworthy in every subject. </p>
<p>Let’s go back to the YouTuber. If you’ve watched him for a while and he’s reliably correct, that’s a good start. At the same time, make sure you don’t confuse his having an opinion with <a href="https://games.abc.net.au/education/interactive-lessons/fact-opinion-analysis/">actually having knowledge</a>. Just because you like a source doesn’t make it trustworthy.</p>
<p>This is true for websites, too. When a site grabs your attention, take a second to check the source at the top. Some fake sites use names that sound trustworthy – like “Boston Tribune” instead of “Boston Globe” or “www.cbs.com.co” instead of “www.cbs.com.” You can click the “About” page to see where they’re really coming from, use <a href="https://www.snopes.com/news/2016/01/14/fake-news-sites/">lists of known fake sites</a> and <a href="https://www.iste.org/explore/Digital-and-media-literacy/Top-10-sites-to-help-students-check-their-facts">other fact-checking resources</a> to avoid getting played.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/490701/original/file-20221019-13-hjntlz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C5991%2C3988&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Boy in baseball cap looking at his phone outside on street corner." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/490701/original/file-20221019-13-hjntlz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C5991%2C3988&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/490701/original/file-20221019-13-hjntlz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/490701/original/file-20221019-13-hjntlz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/490701/original/file-20221019-13-hjntlz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/490701/original/file-20221019-13-hjntlz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/490701/original/file-20221019-13-hjntlz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/490701/original/file-20221019-13-hjntlz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Don’t believe everything you see.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/asian-teenage-boy-playing-with-cellphone-outdoors-royalty-free-image/1345235981">imtmphoto/iStock/Getty Images Plus</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>What’s the evidence?</h2>
<p>Evidence is what you show when someone says “prove it!” It’s the details that support what a source is saying. </p>
<p>Primary sources – people or groups who are directly involved with the information – are best. If you want to learn about the release of a new game, the company’s official accounts or channels would be primary sources. </p>
<p>Secondary sources are one step removed – for example, news stories based on primary sources. They aren’t as strong as primary sources but are still useful. For example, most news on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FLlHr38_bI">gaming site IGN</a> is based on information from game company sources, so it’s a good secondary source. </p>
<p>Can a blogger or YouTuber be a secondary source? If their claims start by referencing primary sources like “Electronic Arts says,” that’s good. But if they start with “I think” or “There’s a lot of buzz,” be careful.</p>
<h2>Do you want to believe it?</h2>
<p>Emotions can get in the way of knowing what’s true. Messages that make you feel strong emotions – especially ones that are funny or make you angry – are the most important ones to check, but <a href="https://www.middleweb.com/34145/how-media-appeals-to-our-emotions/">they’re also the hardest to ignore</a>.</p>
<p>Advertisers know this. Many ads try to be funny or make the things they’re selling look cool because they want you to focus on how you feel rather than what you think. And being older doesn’t mean you’re automatically better at spotting false information: 41% of 18-to-34-year-olds and 44% of adults 65 and older <a href="https://newslit.org/tips-tools/did-you-know-oldest-youngest-fake-news/">admitted to having fallen for a fake news story</a> in a 2018 study. Other research showed adults over 65 were seven times as likely to <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.aau4586">share articles from fake sites</a> as younger people were.</p>
<p>So if you’ve been eagerly waiting for that new game, and somebody posts a video that says it’s coming out early, your wanting it to be true can make you ignore your common sense – leaving you open to being fooled. </p>
<p>The best question you can ask yourself when you’re thinking about a message is, “Do I want to believe this?” If the answer is yes, it’s a good sign you should slow down and check the source and evidence more closely.</p>
<hr>
<p><em>Hello, curious kids! Do you have a question you’d like an expert to answer? Ask an adult to send your question to <a href="mailto:curiouskidsus@theconversation.com">CuriousKidsUS@theconversation.com</a>. Please tell us your name, age and the city where you live.</em></p>
<p><em>And since curiosity has no age limit – adults, let us know what you’re wondering, too. We won’t be able to answer every question, but we will do our best.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/192803/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Bob Britten does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
What’s true and what’s not? An expert in media literacy explains how to evaluate information.
Bob Britten, Teaching Associate Professor of Media, West Virginia University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/194257
2022-11-17T14:19:39Z
2022-11-17T14:19:39Z
Social media campaigns can be effective – if offline action is also taken. A case study from Ghana
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/494819/original/file-20221111-18-fkr2kh.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Ghana's protest culture has grown along with the spread of social media</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Dieu-Donné Gameli/Wikimedia Commons</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Ghana has about six million social media users out of a population of <a href="https://census2021.statsghana.gov.gh/">31 million</a>. WhatsApp, Facebook and YouTube are the three dominant social media platforms, while Instagram and Twitter are gradually gaining popularity. </p>
<p>Most users are young, educated and in the middle class or above. Men outnumber women online. </p>
<p>Ghanaian political parties have used social media largely to complement their traditional communication channels. This was particularly true in the 2012, 2016 and 2020 general elections. </p>
<p>But a new trend is emerging – the use of social media for online activism. This was evident in the <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2014/7/14/occupy-flagstaff-house-wake-up-call-for-ghanas-democracy">#OccupyFlagstaffHouse</a> and <a href="https://citifmonline.com/2014/07/red-friday-protest-against-govt-begins-today/">#RedFriday</a> 2014 campaigns. </p>
<p>The #OccupyFlagstaffHouse campaign was the first to be launched on Facebook and Twitter, on 28 June 2014. It was started by regular citizens engaging online. Within four days, it led to a demonstration at the Efua Sutherland Children’s Park in Ghana’s capital and picketing at Flagstaff House, Ghana’s presidential palace and seat of government. </p>
<p>Ten days after the #OccupyFlagstaffHouse demonstration, the organisers launched “The Red Campaign” (#RedFriday), aimed at compelling the government to address the issues raised in the first demonstration. The campaign encouraged Ghanaians to wear red on Fridays to indicate solidarity with the campaign, and to post photos and videos of themselves on Facebook and Twitter using the hashtags #RedFriday and #OccupyFlagstaffHouse.</p>
<p>In my <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14791420.2022.2130950">research paper</a>, I set out to highlight the synergy between social movement theory and social media critical discourse studies.</p>
<p>I conclude from my findings that the leaders of Occupy Ghana did some work in the physical world that enhanced their online campaign. I, therefore, argue that social media campaigns and digital activism can be fruitful if they are followed up by practical offline actions. The absence of action on the streets can result in people supporting a cause by performing simple measures without being truly engaged or devoted to making a change. This has been termed “slacktivism” in the literature.</p>
<h2>A digital warpath</h2>
<p>I based the study on <a href="https://sk.sagepub.com/reference/socialtheory/n278.xml#:%7E:text=Social%20movement%20theory%20attempts%20to,mobilization%2C%20and%20political%20process%20theories.">social movement theory</a>, which delineates how and why people mobilise themselves for sociopolitical action, as well as the effect of such action.</p>
<p>The data for this study comprised tweets produced by and interactions involving the OccupyGhana Official Twitter account before, during, and after the #OccupyFlagstaffHouse and #RedFriday campaigns. </p>
<p>The name of the Twitter handle is @occupyGh. The sample spanned 12 months of activity, from 28 June 2014 to 30 June 2015.</p>
<p>The analysis showed three mechanisms used in the tweets to promote the objectives of the protesters and put pressure on the government to tackle the issues responsible for the debilitating economic situation. </p>
<p>Specifically, the tweets performed a dual function of social activism in the form of promoting critical awareness and preparing the ground for an offline demonstration.</p>
<p><strong>Constructing the Ghanaian government as insensitive.</strong> The tweeters represented the Ghanaian government as an uncaring administration that showed little-to-no concern for the plight of Ghanaians. Tweets that expressed this constituted about 37% of the entire dataset:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>TWT 31. The government has been slow to respond to our #OccupyFlagstaffHouse petition. The cedi hasn’t fared better. The economy isn’t better.
TWT 36. The reason this government is not getting citizen support is that they deny what the real effects of their lack of ideas is on the masses.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>In these tweets, the protesters, via a referential strategy realised by noun phrases such as “the government”, “this government”, “our government” and “they”, explicitly identify the entity they consider to be responsible for their predicament.</p>
<p><strong>Representing Ghanaians as the suffering masses.</strong> Positioning themselves as the voice of the people, the protesters construct Ghanaians as a people suffering due to poor leadership, bad governance and mismanagement of the economy. These constituted approximately 39% of the tweets analysed.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>TWT 247. #RedFriday because we are all living under increasingly harsh conditions and with IMF, we are likely to have worsened living conditions.
TWT 248. #RedFriday because workers face rapidly declining real wages due to the depreciation of the currency and increasing inflation.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Using expressions such as “dire economic conditions”, “worsened living conditions”, “increasingly harsh conditions” and “declining wages”, the tweeters frame the people of Ghana as victims of an irresponsible government; hence the need to “remind our president that he promised us a better Ghana”.</p>
<p><strong>Exploiting stance for sociopolitical objectives.</strong> Stance is a term that refers to “the lexical and grammatical expression of attitudes, feelings, judgements or commitment concerning the propositional content of a message”. It gives an indication of how writers present themselves and communicate their opinions and commitment. Stance enables writers to position themselves in relation to others and to “<a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1461445605050365">stamp their personal authority onto their arguments or step back and disguise their involvement</a>”. </p>
<blockquote>
<p>TWT 73. #RedFriday demands @JDMahama should make prudent economic and social
policies that would make the standard of living better for Ghanaians.
TWT 74. #RedFriday demands Government should manage the exchange rate and save the #Ghana Cedi from the current free fall to prevent price hikes.
TWT 117. What do we want from all this? That we will hand to our children a Ghana better than we inherited from our fathers. #redFriday</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The use of stance in the form of “evidentiality”, “affect” and “presence”
helped the protesters project their positions and underline their advocacy and civic engagement commitments to persuade the masses to support the goals of the protest.</p>
<h2>Proof</h2>
<p>The Occupy Ghana pressure group was founded in 2014 as a result of the #OccupyFlagstaffHouse and #RedFriday campaigns. It continues to play a pivotal role in national discussions. Its leaders and members make regular media appearances, and it has built alliances and partnerships with other civil society organisations, think tanks and political pressure groups to analyse and review public policies and initiatives. </p>
<p>The movement is an example of how social media campaigns and digital activism can be fruitful if they are followed up by practical and strategic offline actions.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/194257/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Mark Nartey does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Digital activism can be fruitful if it is followed up by practical and strategic offline actions.
Mark Nartey, Lecturer, English Language and Linguistics, University of the West of England
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.