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The Conquest of YouTube: Counter-Ideological Strategies In A New Digital Left

Saarela, Noah (2020) GNVM03 20201
Department of Gender Studies
Abstract
Over the last few years, the user-generated video-sharing online platform YouTube has been recognized by the academia as well as mainstream media as an arena for predominately rightwing political content, and radicalizing far-right extremism in particular.
This thesis introduces and explores the construction of a new digital left in the left-wing phenomenon LeftTube on YouTube. Through using critical feminist discourse analysis, it examines counter-ideological strategies to alt-right beliefs on gender and sexuality in 21 videos by the four popular content creators within the community. It analyses counter-speech tactics and alternatives to far-right constructions of masculinity as well as the possibilities of left-wing politics in the... (More)
Over the last few years, the user-generated video-sharing online platform YouTube has been recognized by the academia as well as mainstream media as an arena for predominately rightwing political content, and radicalizing far-right extremism in particular.
This thesis introduces and explores the construction of a new digital left in the left-wing phenomenon LeftTube on YouTube. Through using critical feminist discourse analysis, it examines counter-ideological strategies to alt-right beliefs on gender and sexuality in 21 videos by the four popular content creators within the community. It analyses counter-speech tactics and alternatives to far-right constructions of masculinity as well as the possibilities of left-wing politics in the online community, concluding that LeftTube can be understood as a left-wing critical knowledge project adapted to an online audience to promote leftist feminist perspectives with emancipatory goals. (Less)
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author
Saarela, Noah
supervisor
organization
course
GNVM03 20201
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
LeftTube, Online activism, Right and Left (Politics), Feminism, Gender, Onlineaktivism, Höger och Vänster (Politik), Genus
language
English
id
9015408
date added to LUP
2020-06-25 08:43:14
date last changed
2020-06-25 08:43:14
@misc{9015408,
  abstract     = {{Over the last few years, the user-generated video-sharing online platform YouTube has been recognized by the academia as well as mainstream media as an arena for predominately rightwing political content, and radicalizing far-right extremism in particular.
This thesis introduces and explores the construction of a new digital left in the left-wing phenomenon LeftTube on YouTube. Through using critical feminist discourse analysis, it examines counter-ideological strategies to alt-right beliefs on gender and sexuality in 21 videos by the four popular content creators within the community. It analyses counter-speech tactics and alternatives to far-right constructions of masculinity as well as the possibilities of left-wing politics in the online community, concluding that LeftTube can be understood as a left-wing critical knowledge project adapted to an online audience to promote leftist feminist perspectives with emancipatory goals.}},
  author       = {{Saarela, Noah}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{The Conquest of YouTube: Counter-Ideological Strategies In A New Digital Left}},
  year         = {{2020}},
}