Abstract
This study examined YouTube as a cultural phenomenon amongst young women aged 13 to 17. According to recent research, YouTube has quickly become one of the most prominent entertainment sources for young people, surpassing television with the most hours of content watched per week by young people. Young girls have become a key audience for YouTube content creators and digital production companies, with many producing videos directly aimed at this group. Using a content analysis approach, this study looked to see what it is about these videos that drives young women to watch YouTube as such high rates. Specifically, this study aimed to answer the question: why is YouTube a popular media platform and cultural object for young women aged 13 to 17? Through an analysis of 39 videos, this study concluded that young women may watch YouTube videos for three main reasons: their narrative power, their resonance in the lives of young women, and their ability to help young women solve problems they may face in their everyday lives.
Type of Work
Thesis - Limited Access
Department or Program
Sociology
Institution
Hamilton College
Degree
Bachelor of Arts
Date of Graduation
5-2018
Faculty Advisor
Stephen Ellingson
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Citation Information
Espinosa, Natasha '18, "“Hey Guys, Welcome Back”: YouTube as a Cultural Phenomenon Amongst Young Women" (2018). Hamilton Digital Commons.
https://digitalcommons.hamilton.edu/soc_theses/4
Notes
Access to this thesis is limited to Hamilton College, Clinton, NY.