Transparency management of content creators on social media: motivation, tenure, and status

ABSTRACT

Social media influencers have come under increasing pressure to engage in transparent communication. However, for content that is not explicitly an advertisement, their communication practice can vary widely, reflecting the creator’s interests and attitudes towards transparency. This study examines this phenomenon focusing on beauty YouTubers, a distinct community connected by shared styles, routines, and language. We collected 652 beauty YouTube channels and examined the use of creators’ disclosure-related keywords under the framework of “transparency management”. An automated text analysis revealed that over 60% of channels mentioned at least one transparency related keyword. We also found that professionally motivated YouTubers tended to engage in transparency management more than those who lacked such motivation. Moreover, YouTubers with a large number of subscribers were more likely to engage in transparency management than those with a small number of subscribers. This article contributes to a better understanding of content creators’ communication patterns that manifest transparency, even when the content is not sponsored.

KEYWORDS:

• YouTube community
• transparency
• user-generated content
• beauty contents
• influencers
• automated text analysis

Disclosure statement

We have no known conflict of interest to disclose.

Ethical committee

This study of aggregate secondary data did not require internal review board approval.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Susanna S. Lee

Susanna S. Lee (Ph.D., University of Florida) is an assistant professor in the Department of Advertising & Public Relations at Temple University. Her research goals are directed to understand how consumers process strategic communication on social media and how emerging technology in advertising affect consumers' moods, attitudes, and behavioral intentions.

Jieun Shin

Jieun Shin (Ph.D., University of Southern California) is an assistant professor in the Department of Media Production, Management, and Technology at the University of Florida. Her research explores information diffusion on social media focusing on misinformation and news use.

Jungyun Won

Jungyun Won (Ph.D., University of Florida) is an assistant professor in the Department of Communication at William Paterson University of New Jersey. She conducts research in public relations and strategic communication. Her areas of expertise include digital social media communication, crisis communication, and health communication in public relations.