Online Engagement Among Child Consumers Of Children-Produced Youtube Content

This PhD study explores contemporary online engagement, focusing on Generation Alpha's interactions on YouTube (specifically ages 7 to 10). It highlights the rising popularity of Child YouTubers and their influence on young content creators. While much research on children's online engagement prioritises adult perspectives and is often influenced by "technophobia" and "technopanic," this study takes a neutral stance. It aims to objectively explore children's digital engagement, free from common societal anxieties and preconceptions about technology's role in their lives. This study contributes to the literature on children's online engagement with Child YouTubers, emphasising the importance of recognising children's agency in securely expressing their views. It connects their digital behaviour and identity construction to the process of socialisation—a lifelong journey where individuals learn societal norms, significantly influenced by media. Media socialisation specifically examines how media shapes individuals' interactions with the world, with critical stages occurring during childhood and adolescence, though continuing throughout life. Key stages of socialisation primarily occur in childhood and adolescence, although this is an ongoing process. By adapting a well-known multimethodological, child-centred approach known as the Mosaic Approach, the study integrates various methods to actively involve children in the research. Techniques such as drawings, video elicitation, picture elicitation, group conversations and interviews with children and their parents are tailored to capture a comprehensive understanding of children’s peer interactions online. This methodological combination aims to answer the research question: Why do young children engage with their peers via YouTube? This study introduces the 'Envelopment of Engagement Framework,' mapping the stages of digital interaction and emphasising the interwoven nature of children's engagements with Child YouTubers. Highlighting the dynamic shaping of their digital experiences, this framework reveals the multifaceted nature of children's digital interactions. It shows that Child YouTuber videos serve as a media socialisation tool within a participatory culture, allowing children to not only consume but also create content. This active involvement in media facilitates the shaping of social norms and behaviours, underscoring the role of digital platforms in modern socialisation. Beyond its conceptual innovation, this research introduces video animation as a new methodological approach, employing it as a participant recruitment tool. Tailored for a child audience, this animation enhances clarity and transparency for prospective participants, serving as a powerful promotional instrument for engaging gatekeepers, parents and caregivers, contributing to recruitment methodologies within child-centric research as well as other contexts. Thus, this study offers a new perspective on children's digital engagement, enriching our understanding of their experiences within the digital era, recognising children as active agents of socialisation and aligning with the three Ps of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child: Provision, Protection and Participation.

Grantor dc:publisher

Oxford Brookes University

Author dc:creator

• Oliveira de Almeida, Junior

Contributors dc:contributor

• Quinton, Sarah
• Lugosi, Peter

Statement dc:rights

• All rights reserved

Language dc:language

en

DOI dc:identifier

https://doi.org/10.24384/23tz-k434

OAI identifier oai:identifier

tle:af8465aa-e2a2-402a-aca1-3e390eacbfd4:d6bd9758-527a-46cd-bfe2-c433766e8fca:1