One of the many purposes social media can serve includes broadcasting oneself into the public eye, whether this is voluntary or not. More specifically, Youtube and the emergence of “vlogging” (“video-blogging” where a Youtuber records many elements of their daily lives and selectively uploads these edited clips) onto Youtube has allowed for increased agency when it comes to average people being able to choose how they present themselves in a public light. Even though vlogging on Youtube is often edited in order to fit a perceived image that someone wishes others to see themselves as, this is why with Youtube vloggers showing real events from their lives can help their audience feel more of a connection to these vloggers. Youtube serves as a specifically video-based social media platform and therefore vloggers are exposing parts of their lives that are more “in the flesh” compared to traditional methods of self-representation such as illustrations, poetry, photos, etc.  But more importantly, in an era that is dominated by technology, Youtube in particular has the potential to be a more powerful method of self-representation due to its modernity and “relatability” factor through the use of videos.

A Youtuber whose videos I find to be well-made in terms of visual and audio aesthetic, is Sophia Chang. Sophia Chang is a Youtuber that uploads beauty and fashion tutorials or other similar content, as well as vlogs of her seemingly adventurous life; I use the word seemingly because Sophia gives off an image of herself that would seem “cool” and “trendy”, based on her videos. Looking at the general comments between her videos that are more tutorial-like compared her vlogs, it is noticeable that the comments are more personal on her vlogs. This pattern shows that she portrays herself different depending on the context – but this also means that only through her vlogs is the audience able to see snippets of what truly happens in her life. Shown below are examples of comments on one of her tutorials versus her most recent vlog.

Here, the comments focus mainly on the content of the video itself.

In this screenshot, many comments are directed towards her as a person. These comments show a connection that has been established between the audience and Sophia, who is selectively representing herself in all of her videos, but her vlogs convey a stronger sense of her personality.

As scholar Kennedy Umit states in her article, “Exploring Youtube as a Transformative Tool in “The Power of Makeup!” Movement”, she explains how Youtube is a platform that can effectively and accurately allow someone to adjust how their image in the public sphere is viewed. This bridge between the life of Youtubers such as Sophia Chang and their audience is what allows Youtube to be a platform in which regular people are able to present themselves in a certain way, depending on how portray themselves. The significance of Youtubers being able to determine how to express themselves in a public light to a following is that Youtube is shown to have the potential to be a credible form of self-representation that accommodates the technological takeover of the modern day.

Because of both the realistic and relatability factor of Youtube vlogs, Youtube is an example of the potential that modern social media platforms have when it comes to self-representation. Youtube brings a perspective that not many traditional forms of self-representation have provided, which makes it an effective way in which Youtubers can have agency when it comes to representing themselves. Like Youtube, other social media platforms such as Snapchat, Instagram, and Twitter are also used for self-representation. However, each platform appears to serve a different purpose, which might give Youtube more an edge in terms of being a platform for self-representation because of how full-length videos can be uploaded to provide the most realistic account of ones life, connecting the audience with the vlogger behind the camera.

Works Cited

Umit, Kennedy. “Exploring YouTube as a Transformative Tool in the “The Power of MAKEUP!” Movement .” M/C Journal August 2016: 1.