Rating the YouTube Indian: <em>Viewer Ratings of Native American Portrayals on a Viral Video Site</em>

Abstract

Rating the YouTube Indian:Viewer Ratings of Native American Portrayals on a Viral Video Site Maria A. Kopacz (bio) and Bessie Lee Lawton (bio) The camera shows two young people seated against a wall. The man, short-haired, sporting a T-shirt and a knit cap and holding a notepad, is interviewing the woman, who is dressed in a graphic tee and a short-sleeved cardigan. She is wearing light makeup and has long, curly hair. Both identify themselves as Native Americans. The interview is about the woman's tribal background, culture, the issues faced by her tribe, and the reality of growing up as a Native American. This amateur footage was posted on YouTube and looks as if it was shot for a college course project. Its candid discussion of Native issues is in stark contrast to the typical portrayals of Native people that we have grown accustomed to seeing in movies or on TV. Traditional media's marginalizing discourse about Native Americans is widely documented.1 The occasional appearances of Native Americans in movies, television, and newspapers portray these peoples through a narrow range of stereotypes, outside of the mainstream society. 2 Whereas other racial minorities have started receiving more respectful depictions, the Native image seems frozen in time.3 Serving as key sources of information about Native Americans for most people, media messages perpetuate distorted beliefs about this group and contribute to real-world discrimination.4 Online outlets for user-generated content (UGC) like YouTube have created environments for alternative depictions of marginalized groups, as UGC can be contributed by anyone with basic technology access.5 Preliminary findings on UGC relating to Native Americans confirm some favorable departures from the distortions prevalent in the old media.6 How are these counterstereotypical depictions received by the [End Page 241] audience? The interactive nature of UGC environments allows for addressing this question by examining audience ratings of online user-generated videos (UGV) as a function of Native American portrayals presented in the videos. This study provides us with a couple of knowledge gains. First, by exploring the relationships between racial portrayals and audience ratings, it expands the literature on audience interaction with race-related media content. Whereas much research addresses the effects of racial media stereotypes on real-world intergroup behavior, little is known about the extent to which audiences enjoy exposure to various racial portrayals. 7 The present data may help us understand whether stereotypical depictions of Native Americans improve or decrease audience ratings and what alternative, respectful portrayals may be conducive to viewers' enjoyment of the content. Second, this research moves the study of audience reactions to racial cues into a new mediated context and expands the literature on novel mass communication dynamics.8 The publicly displayed video ratings not only are expressions of audience reactions but also have the potential to shape the opinion climate about Native Americans and their cultures. Theoretical Rationale The theoretical motivation for this study is derived from the parasocial contact hypothesis.9 Drawing on Gordon Allport's original intergroup contact hypothesis, Alexis Tan, Yuki Fujioka, and Nancy Lucht argue that media can help reduce racial prejudice and ethnic stereotyping by providing majority members with opportunities for contact with racial minorities. 10 Even though this contact is mediated and lacks the dynamics of interpersonal communication, if substantial and evaluated positively, it may be sufficient to humanize members of an ethnic outgroup, consequently improving viewers' perceptions relating to that group. Edward Schiappa, Peter B. Gregg, and Dean E. Hewes found support for the hypothesis in their three-study design, demonstrating that extended, enjoyable exposure to television shows about gays, lesbians, and transvestites that depict these groups in diversified, counterstereotypical terms helps reduce stereotyping and improves attitudes toward these groups.11 Similar findings were obtained by Michelle Ortiz and Jake Harwood.12 [End Page 242] UGC outlets may be excellent contexts for such positive parasocial contact with ethnic and racial outgroups. First, most user-generated videos are documentary in nature, thus enhancing the realism of the parasocial interaction. Second, the contact can be enhanced by multiple outlets for interacting with the video authors and the video personages directly, like comments, e-mails, or video...