Abstract
In recent years, so-called YouTubers have become new media celebrities who have managed to attract the attention of the public, especially young audiences. Drawing on an empirical study based on interviews with teenagers and young people and an online observation of the YouTube channels they followed (September 2016–May 2017), this paper focuses on a particularly significant issue in the case of some Spanish YouTubers that attract these young audiences: the regular use of swear words and bad language. We will argue that for these YouTubers, this bad language constitutes their distinctiveness and a hallmark of “authenticity” that helps them connect with their young audiences. As we will show in our analysis, they express tension when required to change their speech by the media corporations that host or sponsor them, feeling that this is an attack against their persona, so the bad language becomes a form of resistance.
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