The Analysis of Teenagers’ Vlogging Preferences in Educational Research

Abstract

Theories on media consumption show that online content influences users’ attitudes and behavior. We employed open-source instruments of data visualization in order to build a network of vloggers based on teenagers’ preferences. The constructed network displays communities of users based on the YouTube content they follow. Used together with traditional research techniques, the method constitutes an effective tool in identifying the profile of students found at risk of engaging in deviant behavior or of school dropout. Grounded in network science, the method also proposes ways of reducing the diffusion of problematic content inside networks and eventually of ameliorating the engagement in deviant behavior and of reducing school dropout.