Social media celebrity

The Daily Show: Black Lives Matter, ideology, and online content

Article

Joël Grassère

19/03/2021

20 minutes to read

The Daily Show combines broadcast and internet formats in its media ideology, and uses this to normalize antiracism.

Fictional Barbie's real YouTube career

Paper

Juliette Berndsen

02/09/2020

13 minutes to read

Barbie, the blond doll, now uploads vlogs to YouTube to educate and inspire children. By combining non-fiction elements with fiction along the lines of animation, character, and message, Mattel is making sure that their doll stays relevant.

Performativity by Philosophy Tube

Article

Merel Groot

12/10/2020

19 minutes to read

Philosophy Tube is a YouTube channel about philosophy which uses a theatrical style. In some videos, the author talks about his own life. This article analyses two videos to see how he combines theater with elements of real-life experiences.

Autobiographical vlogs: Telling one's life story online

Article

Jelske van Es

28/09/2020

13 minutes to read

New technologies allow people to disclose private information in vlogs online. Since these vlogs tell someone's story, in what way can they be considered autobiographical? As a case study, we examine Queen of Jet Lags' social media presence.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's populism and relatability

Article

Nikoletta Georgiou

17/02/2020

12 minutes to read

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is the youngest congresswoman ever to be elected and a rising political star. This article analyses her "relatable" media presence with regard to how it boosts her continuously growing influence.

Leonardo DiCaprio and online activism

Article

Iris Dumoulin

26/02/2020

13 minutes to read

Leonardo DiCaprio has been stealing hearts since the '90s. But next to his acting, he has also been an environmental activist. To this day, his online posts encourage others to change the world. Can such a famous actor honestly be an activist?

@Queenofjetlags constructing authenticity on Instagram

Article

Anna-Lisa de Boer

11/05/2020

14 minutes to read

This article takes a deeper look into how Instagram influencers construct authenticity. As a new era of advertising is dawning on social media, we analyse @Queenofjetlags' Instagram to see how she remains "authentic" while promoting brands.

How ContraPoints commands the YouTube Stage

Article

Inge van de Ven

28/10/2019

11 minutes to read

Inge van de Ven examines YouTube vlogger ContraPoints as a public intellectual in the context of strategies of self-representation in the attention economy.