The focus of this project is online personalities and political debate, using the YouTube collective GUTTA as the central case.
Through interview studies and content analyses, we seek to examine what characterizes profile‑driven political debate, what motivates such initiatives, and how audiences respond to and interpret the content.
Although the project is centered on a specific initiative, it reflects broader trends tied to the rise of political profiles and changes in young people’s news consumption, where social media – and profiles – constitute an increasingly important part of the media landscape.
While profiles and influencers were long associated primarily with commercial or entertainment‑oriented roles, it is now clear that these individuals play an important part in news dissemination, opinion formation, and political discourse.
At the same time, concerns have been raised about how young people are informed and what shapes their political engagement. Understanding the extent to which, and the ways in which, profiles inform and engage young audiences is therefore of significant societal value.
The project is connected to the research group Media industries, platforms and politics (MIPP).
