Social media brand influencers are on the rise, especially those who promote lifestyle brands. While many social media users are capitalizing on the “brand influencer” trend, people who identify as the LGBTQ, still struggle to connect with heterosexual audience as brand influencers. YouTube is a visual medium which allows brand influencers to communicate their expertise and enhance credibility.
Using the source of credibility theory which posits that persuasiveness of the message in based on the perceived credibility of the source, this study investigates how the LGBTQ and heterosexual influencers were perceived by the users on the YouTube platform. Research questions: RQ1: How do the users respond to content posted by beauty vloggers? RQ2: Does sexual orientation of the influencer impact engagement with their content?
Top videos were analyzed: the LGBTQ influencers were Ingrid Nilsen, Bretman Rock, and Nikita Dragun, and the heterosexual influencers were Nash Grier, Camila Coelho, and Marcus Butler. The comments were extracted with YouTube comment Scrapper, which allows you to extract information such as comment text, replies, username and date. I imported the data to the DiscoverText platform to extract the duplicates and filter comments made in other languages. The final sample was coded for the tone of the comment – positive, negative or neutral.
The LGBTQ influencers received negative or neutral comments. Comments focused on appearance and sexual orientation rather than beauty routines. The main keywords on the LGBTQ were: amazing, proud, support, and love. While heterosexual influencers received positive or neutral comments, motivational and compliments comments towards the influencers. The main keywords found on the heterosexual influencers were: looks, love, content, and change. Overall, the YouTube commenters focused on the quality and content of the videos when it came to engaging with the LGBTQ influencers. However, the users engaging with with content proposed by heterosexual influencers tend to focus on the influencers’ appearance rather than the content.
A follow-up study could explore user engagement with brand influencers on Instagram to see if there are any differences in the level of engagement based on the influencer’s sexuality. It would also be interesting to interview some of the brand influencers to understand how they respond to comments left on their accounts.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Methodology
3. Procedure
4. Sample
5. Results
5.1 LGBTQ Influencers
5.1.1 Ingrid Nielsen
5.1.2 Bretman Rock
5.1.3 Nikita Dragun
5.2 Heterosexual influencers
5.2.1 Nash Grier
5.2.2 Camila Coelho
5.2.3 Marcus Butler
6. Discussion
Research Objectives and Core Themes
This project aims to investigate how audiences perceive and interact with LGBTQ influencers compared to their heterosexual counterparts on YouTube. By analyzing comment sections and engagement patterns, the study explores whether sexual orientation influences source credibility or user sentiment toward content creators.
- Comparative analysis of LGBTQ vs. heterosexual influencer content
- Application of netnography in social media research
- Evaluation of user engagement and sentiment through text analytics
- Assessment of the source of credibility theory in digital spaces
- Visualization of network connections and recurring keyword prominence
Excerpt from the Book
Methodology
This study was conducted using netnography, this type of research is important to understand cultures and its presence on the Internet. Kovinetz (2015) defined netnography as specific set of related data collection, analysis, ethical and representational research practices where participant-observational approach manifest the data shared on the Internet. Netnography is really important to analyze social media because it allow us to understand different communities and their behavior towards specific topics. The field site for the data collection was the YouTube platform. Since YouTube is a constructed website, I proceed to set the boundaries on how I contextualized my data and what I consider data for this specific project. According to Kovinets (2015), data are considered to be information and they must contain evidence that they are real. On this study, I have archival data from the YouTube platform, comments of brand influencers on specific videos during the time frame from December through February of 2018-2019.
Summary of Chapters
Introduction: Outlines the rise of social media influencers and establishes the need to analyze perceptions of LGBTQ individuals within the influencer marketing landscape.
Methodology: Describes the use of netnography to observe online communities and defines the scope of data collection on YouTube.
Procedure: Explains the technical steps taken, including comment extraction, data filtering, binary coding of sentiments, and the use of visualization tools like Gephi.
Sample: Details the selection of specific YouTube influencers representing diverse communities and the choice of videos for the comparative study.
Results: Presents the findings regarding sentiment analysis, word clouds, and network graphs for both LGBTQ and heterosexual influencer channels.
Discussion: Interprets the findings by highlighting that sexual orientation does not necessarily impact content engagement, though audiences may judge different influencers based on varied criteria.
Keywords
YouTube, LGBTQ, influencers, netnography, sentiment analysis, social media, credibility, digital marketing, user engagement, network visualization, binary coding, diversity, content creation, community perception, beauty vloggers
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research?
The research examines the perception and engagement patterns of users toward LGBTQ influencers on YouTube compared to heterosexual influencers.
What are the primary thematic areas covered?
Key themes include digital influencer credibility, sentiment analysis in comment sections, the role of community-based content, and the application of netnography.
What is the overarching research goal?
The goal is to determine if an influencer's sexual orientation significantly impacts user engagement, perceived credibility, or the nature of comments posted on their content.
Which methodology does the author employ?
The study uses netnography, a qualitative research method adapted for the social web, involving data collection from YouTube and subsequent text analytics and network analysis.
What does the main body of the work address?
It provides a detailed breakdown of the data collection procedure, the selection of influencers, the sentiment analysis of their comment sections, and the visual representation of these interactions via word clouds and graphs.
Which keywords best describe this study?
Important keywords include YouTube, LGBTQ, influencers, netnography, sentiment analysis, and social media engagement.
How were the comments classified?
Comments were classified using binary coding into positive, negative, and neutral categories based on feedback about products, the influencer, and the quality of the video.
What was the main finding regarding sexual orientation?
The study concludes that sexual orientation is not a primary determinant of engagement; rather, content quality and the influencer's appearance play more significant roles in how users interact.
Why was the YouTube platform chosen for this analysis?
YouTube was selected because it is a major hub for influencer content and provides accessible archival data in the form of comments, making it ideal for a netnographic study.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Stephanie Sabala (Autor:in), 2019, The perception of LGBTQ influencers on Social Media. YouTube Analysis, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/494224
