Yayu Feng, assistant professor and media literacy expert in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of St. Thomas, spoke with Minnesota Public Radio about how a viral YouTube video by content creator Nick Shirley propelled allegations of child care fraud in Minnesota into the national political spotlight.
From the conversation:
The Trump administration has frozen millions of dollars allocated to help low-income families pay for child care in Minnesota and nationwide. It stems from a recent viral YouTube video, produced by right-wing content creator Nick Shirley. ...
Media literacy expert and University of St. Thomas assistant professor Yayu Feng said this is in part due to how internet personalities are perceived to be more authentic than traditional media and journalists.
She said this virality is tied to how these influencers build relationships with their audience and information through social media.
“But journalists – they have practiced within a certain framework with the training and standards they have,” Feng said. “Audiences might feel more distance with the journalists as compared to a youth influencer.”
She added that stories, like the one Shirley highlighted in particular, come with a lot of emotion. She said this allows an influencer to take advantage of the outrage and promote engagement.
