Anglo-Caribbean Youtuber Vlogs: An Exploratory Study

Abstract

The present paper examines Anglophone Caribbean content on YouTube with specific attention to identity and other cultural claims and expressions. The research examined a sample of 520 videos from 52 popular Anglophone Caribbean YouTube content creators and user comments posted in response to those videos. The study also involved analysis of open-ended interviews with 14 of these Anglophone Caribbean YouTube content creators addressing their motivations for posting and their experiences with their audiences. These investigations revealed dominant categories of content such as cooking and family gatherings with varying levels of identity and cultural claims but found that measures of identity and cultural claims did not differ significantly between creators who live in the region and those living abroad. The findings also suggest a diverse set of motivations among producers that include the promotion of national and regional identities, but which often demonstrate more pragmatic and practical considerations with overwhelmingly supportive and positive comments from viewers.