Lonelygirl15-Youtube, Reality TV, and Authenticiy

• In Event: In-Depth Analyses of Individual Media Offerings

Abstract

This paper will examine and critique the claims that YouTube is an “authentic” medium. The first will look at how bloggers like lonelygirl15 have adopted the reality show format, the second will explore how technology in the form of surveillance has been argued to facilitate access to the real, and the third is that web sharing sites offer a two way conversation that challenges corporate structures, allowing for more “authentic” participation in the democratic process.

Author

• Nadia Kathryn Dawisha, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill