This study examines the populist performance of three Spanish-speaking YouTube news influencers. Through thematic analysis, observations reveal a commodified international audience, platform-dependent populist messaging style, and the leverage of a far-right “underdog” identity. As audiences turn more toward social media influencers and platform-native news sources to complement (or replace) their news media diets, it is imperative to examine the production techniques and collective sensemaking present in these networks. By focusing on Spanish-language content creators, this study contributes empirical evidence from non-Western contexts and from communities who share unique sociocultural histories that shape the production of these political narratives. YouTube in particular has become a prominent source for news and information, especially among Spanish-speaking audiences, and this study details the convergence of technical and discursive performances that include streaming, repackaging content, interactivity, entertainment, and unique appeals to internet subcultures. All of the cases included in this analysis have also been linked to the spread of mis- and disinformation, thus it is important to consider their production practices and network building strategies as a whole in order to better inform our approaches to understanding newsfluencers in the platformized world.
Hannah Artman (Thu,) studied this question.