BookTubers as Multimodal Reading Influencers: An Analysis of Subscriber Interactions

Rosabel Roig-Vila,Héctor Romero-Guerra,José Rovira-Collado

doi:10.3390/mti5070039

Rosabel Roig-Vila, Héctor Romero-Guerra + Show 1 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/mti5070039

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Abstract

The objective of the study was to learn about the relationships between BookTubers and their subscribers by focusing on the comments left by viewers of the audio-visual literary reviews. We also examined whether viewer-BookTuber relationships resulted in the promotion of reading. A mixed qualitative-quantitative methodology was followed, including a descriptive analysis of contents and a case study. The main tools used were MAXQDA to process the qualitative data and Excel to obtain the quantitative data. The sample was a non-random selection of four BookTubers channels, taking into account both their impact and gender equality (two female and two male BookTubers). The categorization was conducted based on Cultural Studies and Reception Aesthetics. A total of eight videos (four reviews and four Book Hauls) were selected and 100 comments on each were analyzed, giving rise to four categories. The results indicated that in terms of content decoding, close relationships were established among community members, between both consumers and producers. In addition, message acceptance took place and a certain relationship was found between the BookTuber’s work and the promotion of reading. BookTubers were therefore identified as multimodal influencers.

Highlights

It is undoubtable that current social networks play a key role in new forms of communication, especially among young people [1]
New pedagogies relating to collective network participation [40], such as digital, multimodal, critical, and informal Transmedia Literacy [46], translates into an increase in producers/consumers potentially able to generate and share different types of content and levels of complexity [9]
We agree with Cabero [47] and Martín et al [48] that using social networks as a communication channel permits energizing information flows –sometimes on issues of great social relevance [49]— and provides visibility to each individual user, which in this case are the Booktubers’ followers

Summary

Introduction

It is undoubtable that current social networks play a key role in new forms of communication, especially among young people [1]. Young people have irrupted in the world of book reading as voices of authority They sometimes even engage in tasks that once belonged to adults (literary critics) and are adding “new” canons to the literary horizon [3]. The study was centered on YouTube, a social network that facilitates various types of multimedia exchanges and on a specific type of YouTuber: the BookTubers. These clusters of new “literary critics” are attracting large numbers of visits on the Web so it is interesting to observe the exchanges taking place in the contents they are creating and publishing [5]

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