Displaying emotion in video-based social media
The
talk deals with how social media influencers display emotion in short
videos produced for their followers. Based on a dataset of response
videos from YouTube, the presentation describes how the influencers use
this relatively non-creative genre to produce a staged performance of
affect as a way connecting with their audiences. The largely inauthentic
display of emotion is interpreted as an attempt at enhancing the social
influencers’ own relatability and, ultimately, commercial success.