Uses, Re-signification and Circulation of Archival Images in the Convergent Digital Media Ecosystem. Argentine YouTube Productions“ La basura semanal” (2020—2023) and “Historias Innecesarias” (2018—)

Abstract

Technological innovations developed since the first decade of the new millennium have democratized access to the means of production and transformed modes of distribution and consumption of content within the audiovisual field. Large-scale digitization processes, media convergence, and participatory culture are three pillars underpinning the contemporary media ecosystem. In this context, the digital platform YouTube quickly positioned itself as a new hub for entertainment and communication, disseminating both original and third-party materials with massive reach. In recent years, in line with a sociocultural drive toward the retro (Reynolds, 2012) and with the archival turn (Sánchez-Macedo, 2020) that has taken place within the social sciences, hybrid products that integrate images from various (audio)visual media have stood out. Thus, the aim of this article is to analyze the use and functions of archival footage in two commercially successful Argentine audiovisual productions that gained visibility during the isolation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic: “La basura seminal” by Matías Bottero and “Historias Innecesarias” by Damián Kuc. The study focuses on the enunciative strategies and the aesthetic-narrative procedures employed by the aforementioned content creators to organize, reconfigure, and to give meaning to archival materials in their videos. Additionally, it reflects on the circulation of these images in the digital arena, enabled by the popularity of these youtubers and by the dynamic participation of the prosumer.