"What College Promises to Be": Tensions in Student Portraits of College Life on YouTube (Poster 48)

• In Event: AERA Poster Session Friday 9:50 a.m.
  In Poster Session: Students Learning and Navigating Through New Media Landscapes

Abstract

Social media platforms such as YouTube present rich opportunities to examine youth perceptions of school and student life through youth-created content. Through a thematic analysis of 100 YouTube videos and 1000 comments, this study investigates how creators and viewers contribute to college YouTube, a space within the platform dedicated to portraits of college student life. Findings indicate three key tensions within college YouTube: tensions between 1) amplifying self-promotion and social causes, 2) perfection and vulnerability, and 3) quintessential and niche college experiences. Creators and viewers exhibited these tensions through discussion of personal, educational, and professional topics, with gendered discussions emerging as salient. This qualitative content analysis illuminates the educational possibilities laden in college YouTube for youth, educators, and educational institutions.

Authors

• Sonia Kim, Teachers College, Columbia University

• Ioana Literat, Teachers College, Columbia University