Active learning ideas
Vloggers and Influencer Culture explores the newest frontier of media: the 'personality-led' brand. Students study how influencers on platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram build 'parasocial relationships', a one-sided sense of intimacy, with their followers. They analyze the tension between the 'authentic' persona the influencer projects and the highly commercial nature of their content.
Activity 01
Groups watch a 'Day in the Life' vlog. They must list all the 'codes of authenticity' (e.g., messy hair, direct address, handheld camera) and then find all the 'hidden' commercial elements (e.g., branded products in the background).
How do social media influencers generate income?
Activity 02
One student plays an influencer and the other a brand manager. They must negotiate a 'sponsored post', balancing the brand's need for clear advertising with the influencer's need to keep their content feeling 'natural' for their audience.
What is a parasocial relationship?
Activity 03
Students identify an influencer they 'trust'. They pair up to discuss why they feel a connection to that person and whether that trust would make them more likely to buy a product they recommended.
How do vloggers maintain an illusion of authenticity while producing sponsored content?
A few notes on teaching this unit
Watch Out for These Misconceptions
Vlogging is just 'easy' and unscripted.
Successful vlogs are often meticulously planned and edited to look effortless. By looking at 'behind the scenes' content or 'edit breakdowns', students see the high level of technical and narrative skill involved.
Influencers are just 'friends' with their followers.
While it feels like a friendship, it is a 'parasocial relationship', a commercialized form of intimacy. Discussing the 'power dynamic' between an influencer and their 'fandom' helps students see the strategic nature of this connection.
Methods used in this brief
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