Quality and Sensationalism in Popular Videos about the Coronavirus Pandemic on the YouTube Platform

Section: New Media

The article is devoted to the manipulation techniques in the most popular videos about coronavirus posted on the YouTube platform. The aim of the study is to examine the use of manipulation techniques in videos produced by professional journalists and bloggers. The research methodology is based on content analysis. The sample includes videos with over 1 million views. The time period covers January 2020 (the spread of COVID-19) – February 2022 (the spread of the Omicron variant in Russia). The obvious interest of the audience in the topic of coronavirus is traced in March – May 2020, when the first cases of the disease were recorded in Russia, and then a lockdown was announced. The most popular topics are: the virus itself (what COVID-19 is, how the infection occurs, how it acts when it enters the body), vaccination (the danger of vaccination, possible consequences), the spread of COVID-19. Some authors resort to clickbait headlines and titles. Most of the videos (55%) are informative in nature. In 22% of the materials, the information source is not mentioned. The author of the article makes a conclusion about a fairly high frequency of manipulation techniques (such techniques are found in 44% of the videos). The most common manipulation techniques are an appeal to emotions, false linkage and alarming music.

DOI: 10.30547/vestnik.journ.1.2023.123141

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To cite this article: Razumova D.V. (2023) Kachestvennost' i sensatsionnost' v populyarnykh video o pandemii koronavirusa na platforme YouTube [Quality and Sensationalism in Popular Videos about the Coronavirus Pandemic on the YouTube Platform]. Vestnik Moskovskogo Universiteta. Seriya 10. Zhurnalistika 1: 123–141. DOI: 10.30547/vestnik.journ.1.2023.123141