Resistance from within : the experiences and performances of female Malawian YouTubers
(2023) MKVM13 20231Media and Communication Studies
Department of Communication and Media
- Abstract
- This thesis explored the experiences and performances of female Malawian YouTubers. It is grounded in the understanding of the digital realm as a liberal space in which common people can showcase their own realities without the mediation of the structures of censorship common in traditional media. At the core of the research which informed this thesis were two questions: firstly, in what ways is everyday life for a Malawian woman presented digitally on YouTube; secondly, how can power dynamics within digital content production be understood?
To answer the above questions, a qualitative research was conducted. Interviews with seven YouTubers were conducted with semi-structured questions tailored around the nature of the content that they... (More) - This thesis explored the experiences and performances of female Malawian YouTubers. It is grounded in the understanding of the digital realm as a liberal space in which common people can showcase their own realities without the mediation of the structures of censorship common in traditional media. At the core of the research which informed this thesis were two questions: firstly, in what ways is everyday life for a Malawian woman presented digitally on YouTube; secondly, how can power dynamics within digital content production be understood?
To answer the above questions, a qualitative research was conducted. Interviews with seven YouTubers were conducted with semi-structured questions tailored around the nature of the content that they produce as well as their experiences with YouTube content production. The interviews were complemented with a review of some of their videos to understand the nature of their productions. The collected data was analysed using a reflexive thematic analysis as well as a discourse analysis.
The findings from the data indicate that YouTube production in Malawi is a form of affective labour, that is, with little financial gains. However, the producers are encouraged to continue because they regard YouTube as a form of therapy. It is also regarded as a way of building communities. An analysis of the everyday that is presented in the vlogs shows that the female YouTubers perform transgressive activities within the identities that they have in Malawi. For instance, in showing the everyday as the wife, the YouTubers showcase that they are not just wives; rather, they are women with careers and other interests whose existence is not just within the domestic functions as traditionally women have been regarded in Malawi. The transgression equally plays within the global power structures in which they push against narratives of African countries as spaces of chaos. Similarly, in exercising agency within the technologies of YouTube, they employ various tactics that include the use of click baiting titles to attract viewers to their videos. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9114445
- author
- Malikwa, Mercy LU
- supervisor
-
- Annette Hill LU
- organization
- course
- MKVM13 20231
- year
- 2023
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- keywords
- Female Malawian YouTubers, YouTube vlogging, Vlogs, Affective labour, Transgression, Agency, Identities, Patriarchy, Colonialism, Performance, Everyday Life
- language
- English
- id
- 9114445
- date added to LUP
- 2023-06-16 12:17:37
- date last changed
- 2023-06-16 12:17:37
@misc{9114445,
abstract = {{This thesis explored the experiences and performances of female Malawian YouTubers. It is grounded in the understanding of the digital realm as a liberal space in which common people can showcase their own realities without the mediation of the structures of censorship common in traditional media. At the core of the research which informed this thesis were two questions: firstly, in what ways is everyday life for a Malawian woman presented digitally on YouTube; secondly, how can power dynamics within digital content production be understood?
To answer the above questions, a qualitative research was conducted. Interviews with seven YouTubers were conducted with semi-structured questions tailored around the nature of the content that they produce as well as their experiences with YouTube content production. The interviews were complemented with a review of some of their videos to understand the nature of their productions. The collected data was analysed using a reflexive thematic analysis as well as a discourse analysis.
The findings from the data indicate that YouTube production in Malawi is a form of affective labour, that is, with little financial gains. However, the producers are encouraged to continue because they regard YouTube as a form of therapy. It is also regarded as a way of building communities. An analysis of the everyday that is presented in the vlogs shows that the female YouTubers perform transgressive activities within the identities that they have in Malawi. For instance, in showing the everyday as the wife, the YouTubers showcase that they are not just wives; rather, they are women with careers and other interests whose existence is not just within the domestic functions as traditionally women have been regarded in Malawi. The transgression equally plays within the global power structures in which they push against narratives of African countries as spaces of chaos. Similarly, in exercising agency within the technologies of YouTube, they employ various tactics that include the use of click baiting titles to attract viewers to their videos.}},
author = {{Malikwa, Mercy}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{Resistance from within : the experiences and performances of female Malawian YouTubers}},
year = {{2023}},
}