Exploring the influence of youtubers on adolescents identity construction: An interpretative phenomenological analysis

The present study investigated the influence of YouTubers on adolescents' identity construction as well as aiming at exploring what kind of interactions occur between YouTubers and adolescents. In this context, this study intended to understand the YouTubers' role in adolescents' lives in terms of mindset and daily practices. In this qualitative research, the data gathered from 10 adolescents, most of whom are living in Istanbul. The data was collected through interviews in order to get in-depth information about the identity experiences of adolescents. The results of the interviews were analyzed through the interpretative phenomenological analysis method. The results of the study revealed that YouTubers helped adolescents to become integrated into society by noticing the similar aspects of their identities such as feelings, thoughts, and beliefs. On the other hand, YouTubers have been found to assist adolescents to discover their individuality through their videos and comments of other viewers on these videos. Also, it has been observed that the exploration option and range of social interaction extended thanks to YouTubers. However, it has been revealed that adolescents sometimes overly identified themselves with YouTubers, imitate them and implement YouTubers' recommendation without questioning. Considering this fact, it has been observed that the awareness level of adolescents about how much they are affected by YouTubers is insufficient, so it is essential to empower adolescents' new media literacy. As a result, the practical implications for parents, counselors, and authorities are discussed.