Daniel Almanza's Preliminary Examination

This research study explores the complex intersection of storytelling, governance, and influencer marketing on social media platforms, by focusing on YouTube technology influencers who unbox and review technology products. As social media has become a primary source of information, influencers have emerged as opinion leaders, by sharing life experiences through storytelling. The stories that influencers share with their followers are strategic in nature, as influencers often promote products and services for monetization purposes. This interaction between influencers and their followers is shaped by the digital environments created by social media platforms. The infrastructures, policies, and regulations that guide and position social media platforms, including global, platform, and self-governance such as data collection, privacy policies, and algorithms, can inform our understanding of how these systems shape user and influencer engagement, interaction, and communication. By analyzing the interplay between storytelling techniques and social media governance, this study offers insight into the relationships among consumers, content creators, and platforms, highlighting the need for research to understand how social media continues to transform communication and commerce.

Questions? Contact Kate McDowell.