Youtubers

Abstract Companies today are striving to manage sustainable business models in their production and promotional environments, including initiatives such as waste reduction and the decreasing number of single-use products. An example of this type of management is the initiatives based on the circular economy, which have gained increasing attention from the business and political environments. This type of business is understood as a system in which products are transformed and given a new use after they fulfill their primary purpose, evidencing the possible and necessary synergy between the economy and the environment. The environmental impact of the textile industry is part of the current debate, deriving a series of questions about the sustainability of the business model on which the fashion industry is based and the promotion of its products, especially in the face of the profile of a consumer committed to ethics and environmental responsibility, with preference given to brands that are committed to these principles. Considering the aforementioned, this chapter aims to analyze the role played by some women’s fashion YouTubers in Spain, in the promotion of sustainable brands with initiatives and Happiness Management, based on the circular economy as is the case of H&M, Zara and MANGO.

Structured Abstract:

Purpose
The present work aims at investigating the relationship between the follower’s engagement with YouTubers and his/her intention of using a brand they advertise or use. Self-connection, brand love and trust are mediating variables concerning the YouTuber-Follower relationship and involvement is the antecedent variable of the engagement.

Design/methodology/approach
A survey was carried out and 272 YouTubers’ followers responded. The structural model was tested by CB-SEM using the software R, v3.6.0.

Findings
The present study reveals that the follower’s engagement with YouTubers presents itself within cognitive, affective and behavioural aspects, it rises from the involvement the followers have with their favourite YouTuber. Engagement, enhanced by self-connection, love and trust in the YouTuber, impact the intention of use of a brand he/she indicates or uses.

Pratical implications
YouTuber is a relevant channel for advertising and promoting a brand. Hence, the company should bear in mind the fact that the YouTuber appointed to represent its image must be connected to the feelings and interests of their followers as well as to the brands to be publicized.

Originality/value
The present research proposes a novel conceptual connection to engagement, established no longer by the brand of a product or service, but by YouTubers. It aims at rendering contribution to this subject as it investigates the correlation of use intention of a brand, subject to the engagement with a human brand, herein represented by YouTubers.

In this Research Topic we are interested in the impact of online video-sharing on the public communication of science and the environment, but also on intra-scientific communication and practice. The online video format has great potential for science and environmental communication, but there are also potential problems and pitfalls that need to be reflected. We are interested in the role of online video-sharing platforms, such as YouTube, Vimeo and others, for the public communication of science and research.

Production
We are looking for various perspectives on the production of online videos, i.e. who creates and uploads videos with scientific and environmental contents and what are the intentions and purposes of these videos? What are the differences and similarities between professional, amateur, institutional and other actors who produce online videos? How do the different creators of videos about science and the environment legitimize themselves and what audiences do they want to reach and for what reasons? What are the differences in practices and intentions of journalists, YouTubers, scientists, scientific institutions and others when it comes to online video-sharing?

Content
Which scientific and environmental topics and what kinds of research and knowledge are represented in publicly available online videos and which are not? Are there certain scientific disciplines that use online videos for public and/ or intra-scientific communication more often than others? What kind of video formats, genres, videographic styles etc. are most successful, widespread and adequate for science and environmental communication? How can the quality of scientific online videos be assessed? What role do misinformation, disinformation and conspiracy theories play in online videos about scientific and environmental topics and what could be done to successfully counteract erroneous and problematic video content? Can differences concerning topics, frames or aesthetic aspects be found and analyzed, and if so how? What are the differences between the online videos of professional, amateur, institutional and other user/ producer cultures? Are there differences in the online videos from diverse geographical locations, languages and disciplinary communities?

Audiences, reception and communities
How are online videos on science and the environment perceived by various audiences? Do scientists and researchers also make use of the online-video format, and if so, how and why? How do different audiences make sense of the online videos they are watching and how do they affect perceptions, knowledge and attitudes? How do different users seek and find online videos about science and the environment and how do they assess the credibility of the videos? What communities emerge around specific video channels featuring science and environmental online videos and how do various audiences/ communities and video creators interact? What is the role of specific online video-sharing platforms for the dissemination, recommendation and practices of environmental and science communication via online video?

Methodological innovations
What quantitative, qualitative, computational and other methods could be used to study scientific and environmental online-videos and practices of online video-sharing?

Practical perspectives
We are also interested in perspectives of online video practitioners or researchers and others who experimented with online videos for science and environmental communication. We also welcome case studies and the experiences of science YouTubers and experience reports of exchanges with scientists, scientific institutions, journalists, filmmakers and others who use online videos for environmental and science communication.

Keywords: Science Communication, Environmental Communication, Online Video, Video Platforms, YouTube, Vimeo, Public Understanding of Science, Science of Science Communication, Social Sciences, Media, Communications, Interdisciplinarity

Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

Resumen. Youtube, espacio mediático postelevisivo por excelencia, permite reconfigurar los códigos de representación y comunicación entre jóvenes sobre temas como la identidad y la orientación sexual. Así, la plataforma de vídeo se ha convertido en el arma definitiva del activismo LGTBQ (Polo, 2016) donde gays, lesbianas, bisexuales y queers se abren paso en la red. Esto ocurre mientras el posfeminismo se consolida en los medios mainstream como lo que parece la única vía de representación femenina: ostentado en numerosas ocasiones por iconos de la cultura popular, el posfeminismo se caracteriza por un efecto " rebote " contra el feminismo histórico, reivindicando una mujer liberada, asertiva y auténtica, obviando así las injusticias del patriarcado que siguen existiendo (Tasker y Negra, 2005; Gill, 2007). Los patrones de estas representaciones posfeministas están vinculadas por una parte con la autenticidad, el éxito, la libertad de elección y el empoderamiento femenino y, por otra parte, con la agencia sexual de las mujeres y el uso que éstas hacen de su cuerpo para conseguir privilegios. Este estudio indaga en cómo las representaciones de youtubers lesbianas, por una parte, reproducen y, por otra parte, se resisten a este posfeminismo mainstream. Con este objetivo hemos seleccionado una muestra de cinco youtubers lesbianas españolas con un gran número de suscriptores (YellowMellow, Dulceida, Xuri Fenton, Gominuke, Koala Rabioso). Los resultados muestran, por un lado, la gestión del propio cuerpo principalmente situada fuera de la mirada masculina y generadora de nuevos imaginarios —en este caso, lésbicos—. Esto otorga a las youtubers lesbianas una agencia sexual que no está enmarcada en el posfeminismo, sino que desarrolla su propio lenguaje. Por otro lado, estas youtubers ostentan una autenticidad más reflexiva (Giddens, 1994) y más comprometida que la de las representaciones posfeministas, generalmente vacías de contenido político. Aunque cada una de ellas crea una marca personal exitosa —más o menos vinculada a grandes marcas o al cosmetismo—, reclaman la autenticidad como valor principal y consiguen mantener una credibilidad a través de la gestión de sus fracasos en clave humorística.

La presente investigación tiene como objetivo analizar el rol que desempeñan algunas influencers de moda de ropa femenina en España en la promoción de marcas sostenibles con iniciativas basadas en la economía circular. Para ello, se realiza un análisis de contenido de corte cuali-cuantitativo a 15 vídeos de la categoría Haul de las tres principales YouTubers españolas de la categoría de moda, teniendo como criterio de análisis la promoción o colaboración con marcas de moda sostenibles o que promueven un discurso a favor del medio ambiente. Entre los principales resultados se destaca que no existe una correlación directamente proporcional entre la presencia de prendas ambientalmente sostenibles en los vídeos y su índice de interacción (reproducciones, me gusta y comentarios). Tampoco se evidenció en los vídeos analizados que las YouTubers indicaran expresamente cuáles marcas tenían prácticas ambientalmente responsables. Se concluye que las marcas deben incluir en sus acuerdos comerciales con influencers la obligación de señalar que las prendas son fabricadas con prácticas ambientalmente responsables, no solo para mejorar su exposición pública, sino también para presionar a otras empresas del sector a seguir el camino de la producción sostenible.

Los nuevos modelos y plataformas de comunicación captan niveles de audiencia de forma masiva, la dinamización con la que se presenta sus contenidos atrae espectadores que disfrutan de un material interactivo y a la carta. Es en este aspecto donde plataformas como YouTube, destacan por la difusión de contenidos audiovisuales y por ser el espacio donde cualquier persona está en capacidad de producir y realizar un contenido audiovisual, incluso, con la cámara de su celular, puede difundir sus creaciones y expandirlas a nivel global. Surgen así los conocidos YouTubers, generalmente millenials que crean sus propios contenidos basados en temáticas de interés general y con un estilo propio que plasman en sus creaciones como signo de identidad. La presente investigación tiene por objetivo analizar la influencia de los cinco YouTubers más representativos de Ecuador y Colombia en la plataforma YouTube, como influencers 2.0, a través de una metodología cuantitativa y cualitativa basada en la herramienta de monitoreo Social Blade y entrevistas a expertos en el tema de estudio.

La creciente actividad audiovisual en redes sociales como YouTube ha generado un amplio interés de las comunidades de fans por productos culturales expandidos a través de la música. A partir de este contexto de participación colectiva, la presente investigación tiene como objetivo analizar la función que desempeña la ficción como herramienta de autopromoción musical en canales norteamericanos. Para ello y, mediante una metodología cualitativa, se ha llevado a cabo un análisis de contenidos a partir de una muestra de youtubers profesionales y no profesionales dedicados a la expansión del universo ficcional ficcional a través de fan vids musicales incrementado su reconocimiento internacional.

Com base numa pesquisa exploratória, estudamos canais de youtubers mirins com enorme popularidade no Brasil – Isabel Cerer (8 anos), Juliana Baltar (9 anos), Manoela Antelo (10 anos) e Júlia Silva (11 anos) –, com o objetivo de analisar as suas práticas de produção e divulgação de conteúdos, num contexto marcado por estratégias de celebrização
(Jerslev e Mortensen, 2016) e por uma forte cultura do consumo (Featherstone, 2007). Como aporte teórico, discutimos as culturas digitais na infância com enfoque de gênero. Observamos, como resultado, um processo de bricolagem no qual as youtubers mobilizam três linhas estratégicas – capital lúdico, (micro)celebrização e feminilidade emergente – num jogo de forças em que a participação, criatividade e espontaneidade se justapõem a uma lógica de empreendedorismo pós-feminista (Genz, 2015) gerido de forma cada vez mais profissional e subordinado à lógica do consumo.