Participatory culture on YouTube: relationship between fan-idols on brazilian channels

Author(s)

Caroline Mazzer de Souza

• Document type: Master's Dissertation
• Press: Artes. 2020-12-23.
• Institution: Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp). Faculdade de Arquitetura. Artes. Comunicação e Design. Bauru
• Defense date: 2020-11-26
• Advisor: Maria Cristina Gobbi

Abstract

Communication and Participation do not appear with the internet, however, as there is a popularization and appropriation of new technological resources, and, above all, of the interactive tools that emerged from the second generation of the web (web 2.0), a new channel was made possible of communication and participation, now online. In the network, the participatory culture is favored, since it is easier and faster for people to access each other, share information, and produce and disseminate content. In this way, online media (and social networks) has been gaining space in the lives of many people, being part of everyday life, and becoming one of the main social mediations with which they relate. In this context, the present study seeks to reflect on how the culture of participation manifests itself on the YouTube platform, based on authors such as Burgues and Green (2009); Jenkins (2006, 2009 and 2014), Martín-Barbero (1994,1997 and 2009); Sibilia (2003, 2008); Thompson (2008); Van Dijck (2016). The aim is to systematize the reconfigurations of social relations between content producers and audiences, since it allows an almost instantaneous feedback, through direct communication channels, for example, through the tools of liking and commenting, generating feelings of closeness and intimacy between fans and their idols. To this end, the research was divided into two stages: starting with a bibliographic and documentary research, and, subsequently, with an exploratory study for the selection of the sample channels, followed by a selection and qualitative analysis of the data, supported by ethnography and in content analysis. The results point to the formation of fan communities generated around the affinity with the image of oneself exposed by influencers, which can generate affective exchanges and a sense of belonging among its members. It was also found that these communities can have a certain autonomy, resulting in exchanges between the fans themselves. Finally, it was also possible to note the potential of these influencers to raise issues, fostering debates and discussions. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 18/18113-0 - Participatory Culture on YouTube: relation between the idol-fan in Brazilian channels
• Grantee: Caroline Mazzer de Souza
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master