The "Trends" section of YouTube in Spain during the first weeks of the Covid-19 pandemic: visibility of cultural industries against youtubers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5209/esmp.72386
Keywords: YouTube, Coronavirus Covid-19, Algorithms, User generated content, Cultural industries

Abstract

This papers analyzes the "Trends" section on the VoD platform YouTube in Spain in the two weeks after the declaration of the state of alarm by the Spanish government. The objectives are to identify modifications in the contents of "Trends" to adapt to the state of alarm and to recognize the visibility of content generated by cultural industries or users. We apply a descriptive and quantitative analysis to a sample of 84 videos (a sample limited and conditioned by the access to the information). The results identify an adaptation of the “Trends” algorithm to the exceptional situation. The informative videos created by users about the coronavirus or similar topics are progressively hidden to give priority to the videos produced by the media. YouTube is primarily committed to give higher visibility to the entertainment contents produced by the cultural industries. YouTube intervenes in the visibility of content from its social responsibility.

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Author Biographies

José Patricio Pérez Rufí, Unviersidad de Málaga

José Patricio Pérez-Rufí is Associate Professor of the Department of Audiovisual Communication and Advertising in the Department of Communication Sciences of the University of Málaga (Spain). He holds a PhD in Audiovisual Communication from the University of Seville (Spain), a degree in Audiovisual Communication (1999) and a degree in Journalism (1997) from the University of Seville. He teaches at the University of Malaga the subjects of Audiovisual Market Structure and Graphic Design. He has published several monographs in editorials such as Síntesis, T&B, Quiasmo or Eumed. He has published in specialized research journals in Communication. He is a member of the COMMUNICAV Research Team (Audiovisual and multimedia creation, production and post-production processes, SEJ585).

Antonio Castro-Higueras, Universidad de Málaga

Antonio Castro-Higueras holds a PhD in Communication, expert in cultural and creative industries. Associate professor of the Faculty of Communication Sciences of the University of Malaga. He has taught undergraduate and postgraduate training at the International University of La Rioja (UNIR), Isabel I International University and has been tutor of the Degree in Digital Design and Creation of the Open University of Catalonia (UOC). In the professional field, he has been National Technical Deputy Director of the Localia TV Network, Technical Director of the Grupo Prisa production company, Plural Entertainment, and producer of informative programs for TVE2, among other activities related to television.

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Published
2021-06-28
How to Cite
Pérez Rufí J. P. y Castro-Higueras A. (2021). The "Trends" section of YouTube in Spain during the first weeks of the Covid-19 pandemic: visibility of cultural industries against youtubers. Estudios sobre el Mensaje Periodístico, 27(3), 933-945. https://doi.org/10.5209/esmp.72386
Issue
Vol. 27 No. 3 (2021)
Section
Research and Documents

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