A Multi-Method Examination of Race, Class, Gender, Sexual Orientation, and Motivations for Participation in the Youtube-Based “It Gets Better Project”
A Multi-method Examination of Race, Class, Gender, Sexual Orientation, and Motivations for Participation in the YouTube-based “It Gets Better Project” Laurie Marie Phillips A dissertation submitted to the faculty of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Chapel Hill 2013 Approved by: Daniel Riffe Daren Brabham Barbara Friedman George Noblit Terri Phoenix © 2013 Laurie Marie Phillips ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ii ABSTRACT LAURIE MARIE PHILLIPS: A Multi-method Examination of Race, Class, Gender, Sexual Orientation, and Motivations for Participation in the YouTube-based “It Gets Better Project” (Under the direction of Dr. Daniel Riffe) On September 15, 2010, Dan Savage and Terry Miller created a YouTube channel that turned into a global phenomenon: the “It Gets Better Project” (IGBP). This multi-method study employs: 1) Multimodal Critical Discourse Analysis (MCDA) to examine race, class, gender, and sexual orientation within IGBP videos; and 2) video chat-based in-depth interviews for determining participants’ motivations for IGBP participation and production of crowdsourced, social media-based strategic communication. Using sociologist Patricia Hill Collins’ “matrix of domination” as a theoretical framework for understanding structural, disciplinary, hegemonic, and interpersonal oppressions that led to the IGBP’s creation, video production, and video content, this empirical study draws from a sample of 21 videos and 20 interviews. MCDA findings reveal that participants presented a pared-back version of their own racial, class, gender, and sexual identities; projected their identities onto viewers; and created and perpetuated myths through their video narratives.
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