Abstract
On the world’s most utilised video-sharing social n
etworking site, YouTube, Charlie
McDonnell (
Charlieissocoollike
), Dan Howell (
Danisnotonfire
), and Jack and Finn Harries
(
JacksGap
) are Britain’s most popular video-bloggers (vlogge
rs). With more than two million
regular subscribers to each of their channels, alon
g with millions of casual viewers, they
represent a new form of authentic online celebrity.
These young men, whose YouTube
careers began as teenagers, do not espouse a tradit
ional form of masculinity; they are not
sporty, macho, or even expressly concerned with bei
ng perceived as heterosexual. Instead,
they present a softer masculinity, eschewing the ho
mophobia, misogyny, and aggression
attributed to boys of previous generations. These b
ehaviours are theorised using Anderson’s
Inclusive Masculinity Theory. Drawing on analysis o
f 115 video-blogs (vlogs), along with an
in-depth interview with Charlie McDonnell, this art
icle examines how these young men
developed and exhibit their inclusive masculinities
and attitudes, which we postulate are a
reflection of dominant youth culture.
Keywords: authenticity, celebrity, inclusive mascul
inity, popularity, vlogging, YouTube
Original language | English |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 1200-1217 |
Journal | Sociology |
Volume | 49 |
Issue number | 6 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 6 Feb 2015 |
Keywords
- Authenticity
- YouTube
- Vlogging
- Popularity
- Inclusive masculinity
- Celebrity