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Scholarly Horizons: University of Minnesota, Morris Undergraduate Journal

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Abstract

In 2023, YouTube was one of the most used social media platforms in the United States alone. While existing scholarship (Finlayson 2022) has observed linkages between right-wing social media and distrust in institutions of government, family, and others, I seek to understand how conservatives use YouTube as a means to teach their audience racialized, gendered, and nationalistic ideas about the Western hegemonic order. To examine this issue, I conducted an in-depth qualitative content analysis of three key conservative content creators: Ben Shapiro, Matt Walsh, and Michael Knowles. Two videos were chosen within each creator's profile using keyword searches such as “Anti White” and “DEI”. Preference was given to videos published within the last 6 months and for videos more than 5 minutes and less than 60 minutes. Total watch time amounted to 139 minutes. I found that these creators most commonly suggest that whiteness, masculinity, and Western society as we know it are under attack. The culprit of these attacks in their point of view are efforts that promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace, schools, and other institutions. By utilizing a “draw your own conclusions” framework, conservative creators can both distance themselves from their ideological teaching and create a community with which followers of this content can connect with. Ben Shapiro, Matt Walsh, and Michael Knowles have gained, maintained, and grown their following on the basis of this shared sense of community that promotes extremely violent, racialized, gendered, and nationalistic ideas.

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