I felt like I was really talking to you! intimacy and trust among teen vloggers and followers in Portugal and Brazil

Lidia Marôpo, Ana Jorge, Renata Tomaz

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

45 Citations (Scopus)
158 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

This paper analyzes how female teen YouTubers manage intimacy and trust in the narration of their personal lives and the ways in which this is perceived by followers. The analysis of two case studies of popular teen YouTubers from Portugal and Brazil–SofiaBBeauty and Manoela Antelo, respectively–revealed that their presentation is anchored in discourses about whom they are with and where they are, what they are doing, and their personal tastes and styles. Through their comments on the videos, followers express trust connections with the vloggers, based on a sense of proximity, a desire for exclusivity in their relationship, relatability with banal aspects, and recognition as cultural intermediaries. These case studies have demonstrated strong similarities in the vloggers’ practices of constructing intimacy and consequent trust with peer audiences, bearing great resemblance with older YouTubers from central cultures. Although Sofia and Manoela put forward different class performances, the trust they inspire in their followers is a fundamental form of capital for both.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)22-37
Number of pages17
JournalJournal of Children and Media
Volume14
Issue number1
Early online dateDec 2019
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2 Jan 2020

Keywords

  • girlhood
  • influencer
  • intimacy
  • Micro-celebrity
  • teenagers
  • trust
  • vlogger
  • youth
  • YouTube
  • YouTuber

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'I felt like I was really talking to you! intimacy and trust among teen vloggers and followers in Portugal and Brazil'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this