ERIC Number: EJ1432664
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024-Jul
Pages: 29
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0034-0553
EISSN: EISSN-1936-2722
Available Date: N/A
Making an Influence: Sponsorship and Creolization on Social Media
Cheryl A. McLean
Reading Research Quarterly, v59 n3 p228-256 2024
The growing presence and impact of predominantly female online influencers suggests the proliferation of a cultural phenomenon that characterizes the social aspects of our digital lives. Working with the notion of gender and maker literacies, this paper shines light on newer forms of making practices by looking at influencer cultures of five popular online social media platforms. Situating the research in a Caribbean context, this paper examines the "influencer culture" by looking at the platformized literacy practices of four Caribbean female influencers and using the concepts of literacy sponsorship and creolization as lenses through which to view the interrelationships and accompanying practices between the influencers and their local and global followers. The paper argues that social media platforms are strategically curated digital-maker spaces that influencers use to shift and change literacy practices and perspectives related to gender, language, and culture. Findings from this qualitative study suggest that these influencers' sponsorship of creolized literacies is reflected in their power to enact social change and transformation through advocacy, consciousness, and community-building. The paper concludes by considering the potential for such social actors and their digital-making practices to influence our contemporary global sociocultural and educational landscapes.
Descriptors: Social Media, Gender Issues, Influences, Foreign Countries, Females, Mass Media Effects, Language Usage, Cultural Influences, Creoles
Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2191/en-us
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Caribbean
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A