Reading Reflection #4

Check out my reading reflection on the article Vlogging on YouTube: The Online, Political Engagement of Young Canadians Advocating for Social Change by Rebecca Raby, Caroline Caron, Sophie Théwissen-LeBlanc, Jessica Prioletta & Claudia Mitchell.

Explain, entirely in your own words, the main argument of the reading. This should be a high-level synthesis, not a point-by-point summary; try to keep it to four or five sentences.

The reading argues that young teenagers participate in political conversations through the creation of social-change oriented videos and vlogs on YouTube. These young creators are said to be highly engaged with a diversity of social justice issues, largely addressing identity issues related to gender and sexuality. The reading states that these important and valuable contributions facilitated by YouTube should not be ignored in the hand-wringing about apathetic and at risk young people online today. In fact, rather than experiencing isolation online, these young people are finding a rich, interactive community. These vlogs affirm that there are young people who are not disengaged, but active and concerned about civic issues, and aware of themselves as young video-makers seeking social change. Rather than defining teenagers through discourses of risk, irrationality, and apathy, the reading argues that these videos highlight their participation, involvement and social investment in social change.

What is the goal of this reading? What are the authors trying to understand better, and how do they go about trying to understand it?

In this article, the authors aim to report on and analyze patterns in Canadian teenagers’ productions of social-change oriented vlogs on YouTube. They seek to show how Youtube has become an important venue for the production and dissemination of youth perspectives. They are influenced by a post-structural orientation to agency where a a powerful counter-discourse argues that many teenagers are engaged and are valuable participants across a range of social contexts, both off- and online. The article outlines the theoretical location as grounded within advocacy for young people’s participation. Afterwards, they explain the data collection and present the patterns and themes that emerged from the analysis of eighteen Canadian teenagers’ vlogs posted on YouTube. The authors review the issues addressed by these vloggers and the breadth of strategies they deploy to persuade their audience. Then, they discuss how these video creators present and understand themselves as part of a supportive online community. Overall, this paper highlights how YouTube has become an important venue for the production and dissemination of Canadian youth’s social-change oriented perspectives.

What do you feel like you now understand better, having read it?

After reading this article, I was reminded of the impact of digital platforms like Youtube and how that digital space has enabled young people to advocate and partake in political conversations. The article brought up the Sam Pepper sexual assault controversy and it brought me back to the first time I learned about it. I remembered watching a video about a young girl (who was the same age at me at the time) ranting about how inappropriate and disrespectful it was. That was the first time I learned about sexual assault and mental health. Having watched videos about social activism has opened the doors for social justice topics to come forward and provide young creators a safe space to talk about; as well as a space for young people, like me at the time, to learn about these topics that are often not discussed in schools or even in their own homes. As an audience, it gave us a safe space to connect and relate to others who might have similar experiences. It also lets audiences participate in civic engagement, build community, and in general, feel less alone. I also got the chance to learn the term "clicktivism" as well as what it means to see things through a post-structuralism lens.

What are some questions or interests you have that were not answered or adequately addressed by the reading?

The reading was fairly straightforward and does a good job at arguing the civic participation of young creators; although, there were some questions and points of clarification that my group and I felt came up with:

• How does the observation of mostly white young YouTubers in the research affect the range or the diversity of their data?

• Having seen different definitions and concepts from different kinds of YouTubers, what really is a vlog and what specific aspects of a video make it a vlog?

• How did the researcher's YouTube algorithm and echo chambers affect their research of young Canadian vloggers?

• What was their specific search criteria?

• How has the rise of several new platforms (Tik Tok, Twitter, Instagram, etc.) impacted youth culture's direction towards social change?

Going forward, how can you use this reading as a theoretical tool to better understand the publishing medium it discusses? Be specific: this is the hardest question, and the most important one, so spend some time thinking about this.

This paper highlights how YouTube has been a prominent platform for youth expression and participation, including addressing broad political issues. Many young people have used vlogs to document their gender transition or share stories about mental health. This storytelling aspect of vlogs enable youth to mobilize themselves and connect online. While YouTube was not necessarily designed as a space for activism, the creators have transformed the platform into a formation of a participatory culture among the members of its community. With features such as low barriers to entry, support for content creating and sharing, informal mentorship from other YouTubers, encouragement for subscriptions, and feedback features, YouTube provides valuable opportunities for youth to circulate and share ideas. Overall, this reading helps readers understand how Youtube helps youth express their political opinions and partake in civic discussions around their lives. It's brings a new perspective into youth activism and the capacity of mediums.