Informal Learning with a Gender Perspective Transmitted by Influencers through Content on YouTube and Instagram in Spain
Open accessAbstract
The struggle for gender equality is based on identifying, understanding, and eradicating the causes of inequality. Digital media are and have always been governed by men and, as a consequence, have become another instrument of patriarchy. This article analyses the content created on YouTube and Instagram by four of the most popular influencers in Spain in order to examine the presence of stereotypes and gender roles, the use of sexist or inclusive language, and the influencers’ level of social engagement on issues related to gender equality. A content analysis approach using ATLAS.ti 8 software was chosen, as this method provides information about the sender of the message as the well the message itself and its impact. The findings of the analysis show that influencers transmit sexist roles and stereotypes, use non-inclusive language, and exhibit no social engagement on questions of gender inequality. The study concludes by highlighting the importance of cyberfeminism as a way of promoting gender equality online.
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Encouraging regular breaks from social media, digital detoxes, and a robust offline life can lessen constant exposure to idealized images and consequent feelings of inadequacy.
“Encouraging individuals to take regular breaks from social media, engage in digital detoxes, and maintain a robust offline life can help lessen the constant exposure to idealized images and the consequent feelings of inadequacy.”
From Body Perceptions and Psychological Well-Being: A Review of the Impact of Social Media and Physical Measurements on Self-Esteem and Mental Health with a Focus on Body Image Satisfaction and Its Relationship with Cultural and Gender Factors (2024) · cites this paper as [58]
The Conclusions (page unavailable) say that social-media images can be unrealistic and that beauty standards portrayed by influencers lack diversity. They call for greater online and offline education, but do not recommend social-media breaks, digital detoxes, or a robust offline life, or establish that those steps reduce feelings of inadequacy. (LLM, conf=0.85)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredCurating social media feeds to include a broader range of body types, lifestyles, and perspectives reduces the homogeneity in content that reinforces narrow standards of beauty and success.
“This balance also involves curating one’s social media feeds to include a broader range of body types, lifestyles, and perspectives, thereby reducing the homogeneity in content that reinforces narrow standards of beauty and success [58].”
From Body Perceptions and Psychological Well-Being: A Review of the Impact of Social Media and Physical Measurements on Self-Esteem and Mental Health with a Focus on Body Image Satisfaction and Its Relationship with Cultural and Gender Factors (2024) · cites this paper as [58]
The Conclusions (page unavailable in our copy) say influencer content promotes beauty standards that lack diversity and inclusivity, supporting the concern about narrow beauty ideals. They do not say that individuals should curate their feeds, or show that including varied body types, lifestyles, and perspectives reduces homogeneous content. (LLM, conf=0.82)
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- Authors
- Arias-Rodriguez, A., & Sánchez-Bello, A.
- Affiliations
- Faculty of Education Sciences, Campus de Elviña, University of Coruña, 15071 Coruña, Spain
- Venue
- Social Sciences
- Publisher
- MDPI AG
- Published
- 2022-08-02
- Volume
- 11
- Issue
- 8
- Pages
- 341
- ISSN
- 2076-0760 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W4289524801
- Cited by
- 9
- References
- 46
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 2
- FWCI
- 2.77
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Social Sciences (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- RUC (Universidade Da Coruña) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Gender Studies › Gender, Feminism, and Media
- Social Sciences › Gender Studies › Media, Gender, and Advertising
- Social Sciences › Gender Studies › Gender and Feminist Studies
- Keywords
- gender equality, gender stereotypes, gender roles, influencers, YouTube, Instagram, sexism, inclusive language, patriarchy, cyberfeminism, social engagement, informal learning, Spain
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