Abstract

MARQUEZ, Israel  and  ARDEVOL, Elisenda. Hegemony and Counterhegemony in the Youtuber Phenomenon. Desacatos [online]. 2018, n.56, pp.34-49. ISSN 2448-5144.

In a short period, youtubers-young Internet users who have reached a certain level of fame by publishing videos on YouTube-have become new models for children and young people, the public who watch, follow and comment their videos. Over the last few years, the youtuber phenomenon-and YouTube as a whole-has been reached by a process of capitalist “colonization” or “appropriation” driven by large media corporations, which seems to be reproducing a situation of control and cultural hegemony not very different from the mass communication era. However, hegemony is continually challenged and resisted, and the youtubers we studied rebel against this hegemonic power or openly criticize the new cultural forms in which they are immersed using counterhegemonic resources such as humor and irony.

Keywords : YouTube; youtubers; audience; hegemony; counterhegemony; youth; censorship.