This article analyses the practices of kid influencers on YouTube and the presence of brands in the videos they generate. Methods: This is an exploratory study based on content analysis performed on a sample of videos collected from the five most-viewed and most-subscribed YouTube channels starring Spanish children in January 2018. To be precise, we selected the five most-viewed videos from each of the selected channels (a total of 25 videos and 400´). The analysis of the engagement strategies is based on the models developed by McRoberts et al. while the analysis of brand presence is based on the model of Smith et al. Results: There is a common typology in the contents, a semi-professional management style and the simultaneous omnipresence of brands. Conclusions: Recommendations are made for the regulation and management of the communication practices of kid influencers on YouTube to ensure they are developed in a secure, positive, fun and responsible environment.

Instagram is the fastest growing social network and has an audience that shares lifestyles related to their interest in beauty and fashion. However, the exposure of adolescents to images that promote the slender beauty ideal can lead to body dissatisfaction, as they place a lot of importance on the likes and comments they receive regarding the comparison of their appearance with that of other users. The popularity of influencers and their opinion leadership has resulted in the convergence of a given body image with the promotion of products and brands. Through the use of neuromarketing techniques -attention through eye tracking, and emotion using galvanic skin response-, the objective of this research is to determine the cognitive perception that Spanish adolescents and young people have of the stimuli transmitted by influencers on Instagram, surpassing classic content analysis of social networks and offering the innovative technique of registering unconscious reactions of the audience, both toward the body image as well as toward the brands promoted by influencers who are akin to the audience. The results suggest that adolescents place greater attention and emotional intensity on the nude body appeal of influencers compared to young adults, and show only scarce interest in brands.

El objetivo es identificar los hallazgos investigadores disponibles sobre las prácticas de los menores influyentes en YouTube. Desde la perspectiva de la cultura participativa, se realiza una revisión sistemática de 65 documentos académicos publicados desde 2008. Se compendian los hallazgos existentes sobre las prácticas de los menores creadores influyentes con canales en YouTube, motivaciones de uso, tipo de contenidos, intermediación parental y los aspectos legales, regulatorios y educativos pendientes. También se abordan las estrategias de marketing que despliegan las marcas y sus efectos. Se constatan las implicaciones del fenómeno y las líneas necesarias de investigación futura.

Digital content consumption provides a new scenario for children’s relationships with brands. The objective of this research is to study the process by which children interact with social media networks and the effect on brand preference and loyalty generated by this interaction. Specifically, the objectives of this research are focused on empirically verifying the process of consumption, contribution, and creation of children in social networks, and confirm the effect they can have on the relationship between children and brands. A great amount of research has focused on adult consumers and has projected the methodology onto children. This paper will take into account the particularities of children who are one of the most important groups in the purchase decision process of many categories (travel, food, toys, technology, fashion, etc.). For this reason, a theoretical model was built and validated with a sample of boys and girls between the ages of 8 and 14. The results show that the interaction of children with digital media (social networks) has a very important effect on increasing and generating brand preferences and loyalty. Although the effect is general and is not dependent on the age of the child, a more intense effect was observed in children between the ages of 12 and 14.

Erika-Patricia Álvarez-Flores es doctora en tecnologías multimedia y profesora titular en la Universidad Estatal de Sonora en México. Miembro del cuerpo académico Innovación y Desarrollo Educativo e integrante de la red Literacidad Digital en la Universidad reconocida por Conacyt (México). Ha sido coordinadora de proyectos para el desarrollo y aplicación de estrategias de mejora de competencias digitales de estudiantes universitarios, así como participante en proyectos de investigación orientados a la innovación de ambientes de aprendizaje.

El desarrollo evolutivo de la Red hacia una Red Universal Digital conlleva una modificación de las conductas, usos y competencias de los internautas. Han surgido nuevas formas de acceso, gestión y diseño de la información, las cuales están generando conductas distintas a la hora de gestionar dicha información y en el seno de las relaciones sociales. Son los llamados “nativos digitales” los que hacen una mayor utilización de este tipo de recursos y servicios nuevos. El objeto de la investigación presente es la evaluación y análisis de las conductas y competencias sociocomunicativas que los “nativos digitales” y jóvenes desarrollan en la Red. Esta fase del proyecto es meramente cualitativa por lo que siempre se habla de tendencias. Los resultados muestran una clara diferencia entre dos grupos: los “nativos digitales” (jóvenes de 14 a 17 años), y los “inmigrantes digitales” (jóvenes de 18 a 35 años) respecto a su comportamiento en la red.

This article analyses the practices of kid influencers on YouTube and the presence of brands in the videos they generate. Methods: This is an exploratory study based on content analysis performed on a sample of videos collected from the five most-viewed and most-subscribed YouTube channels starring Spanish children in January 2018. To be precise, we selected the five most-viewed videos from each of the selected channels (a total of 25 videos and 400´). The analysis of the engagement strategies is based on the models developed by McRoberts et al. while the analysis of brand presence is based on the model of Smith et al. Results: There is a common typology in the contents, a semi-professional management style and the simultaneous omnipresence of brands. Conclusions: Recommendations are made for the regulation and management of the communication practices of kid influencers on YouTube to ensure they are developed in a secure, positive, fun and responsible environment.

This paper is the result of a research carried out under the umbrella of the “UNESCO UniTWIN Network on Media, Gender, and ICTs” Project, and it tries to determine the presence of subjects with a specific focus on gender in the current Communication Degrees offered at Spanish universities. The inclusion of subjects about gender equality in relation to media follows the suggestions of the IV World Conference on Women in Beijing (1995). The main objective of this research will be to investigate the presence of these subjects in Communication Degrees, identifying the elements that define them at a thematic, methodological and relevant levels within the curriculum. A mixed methodological design is proposed based on ex-post-facto research, with a descriptive orientation and the search for improvement, a qualitative analysis of study plans using ATLAS.ti and a panel of experts. The results reveal a scarce presence of this type of subjects, with a higher percentage in public universities than in private ones, and also a minimal relevance as compulsory subjects. This research study reveals the current formal training in gender studies of future generations of media professionals and serves as an endorsement for forthcoming changes of curricula in the European Higher Education Area context. El presente trabajo es fruto de una investigación desarrollada en el marco del proyecto «UNESCO UniTWIN Network on Media, Gender, and ICTs» para determinar la presencia de asignaturas con un contenido específico en estudios de género en los actuales planes de estudio de los Grados españoles en el área de comunicación. La inclusión de asignaturas que aborden la igualdad de género en relación a los medios y procesos de comunicación obedece a lo establecido en la IV Conferencia Mundial sobre la Mujer de Beijing (1995). El objetivo principal de este trabajo será la indagación del nivel de presencia de estas asignaturas en los Grados en comunicación identificando los elementos que las definen a nivel temático, metodológico y relevancia dentro del plan de estudios. Se plantea un diseño metodológico mixto partiendo de una investigación ex-post-facto, con orientación descriptiva y de búsqueda de la mejora, un análisis cualitativo de planes de estudio mediante ATLAS.ti y un panel de expertos. Los resultados inciden en una escasa presencia de este tipo de asignaturas, con mayor porcentaje en la universidad pública respecto a la privada y una mínima relevancia como materia obligatoria. Un trabajo que vislumbra la actual formación reglada en cuestiones de género de las futuras generaciones de profesionales de los media y que sirve de apoyo para futuros cambios de planes de estudios en el Espacio Europeo de Educación Superior.