How Beauty and Mob Mentality for Teen Girls on Social Media Are Found on YouTube Videos

How Beauty and Mob Mentality for Teen Girls on 

Social Media Are Found on YouTube Videos

I don’t know where we’re going, but from the look of this crowd, it’s got to be good.

My concern for teen girls and advocacy against social media angst and exploitation has focused on psychologists’ reports in general terms; the more recent, the better. However, when you start digging deeper into this landscape, you discover an atmosphere of reality shows filled with competitiveness, big personalities, and passionate followers where the narrative and attention is based on the melodramatic or highly emotional to get more clicks, views, brand deals and profits. 

The use of the term "mob mentality" raised immediate red flags. Why are young people participating to what end even as a serious mindset into a democratic world view versus autocratic control?

The beauty community thrives on YouTube as a sisterhood where socially connected brands matter as much as beauty products where teen girls can spend about $400 per year, with skin care being the most popular...imagine the hype to care for young, fresh skin.

YouTube videos provide a sweet spot to learn about makeup applications in real time. Teen girls become fiercely loyal to their favorite top influencers and their preferred brands as they talk to them face to face on the camera, up close and personal, telling them how to be beautiful with cosmetics.

Such direct communication is now called having “parasocial relationships.”

"This tendency to become emotionally attached to influencers occurs from frequent viewing and the brain's natural instincts to interpret virtual as social, such as making eye contact, smiling, and personal disclosure — as it would in person. This is not a pathology, but a normal response."  Pamela Rutledge, media psychologist.

YouTubers need to be aggressively competitive to be profitable and creditable. One wrong word or slur from any other person can result in a “cancel culture” for the group where the media guru can lose hundreds of thousands of subscribers in one week. More social media history becomes exposed and a Dramageddon can result.  

However, any opposition is met with fierce allegiance by the group members; thereby, the possibility of mob mentality runs a muck.  It can be compared to herd behavior if there is a public attack - "it's like when drone bees attack to protect the queen.”

Why is this such a dangerous reaction? These behaviors where people can be influenced by peers are based largely on emotion without any rational logic. In one sense, it can be called gang mentality on a lesser scale.  When problems arise, what matters most is social inclusion, right or wrong, with lack of trust in oneself or indifference … a sad state of affairs on the world view.

One of the most important courses I taught to middle school students was how to manage a conflict situation fairly. Most were shocked to think that both sides could own right reasons. Their lesson was to list different viewpoints each with negative and positive consequences. At the end of discussions, decisions were made with compromise to be as positive and helpful to both sides.   

“Whether the question is what to do with an empty popcorn box in a movie theater, how fast to drive on a certain stretch of highway, or how to eat the chicken at a dinner party, the actions of those around us will be important in defining the answer.” Robert Cialdini:  The Psychology of Persuasion.

Some of the top beauty and fashion influencers can make hundreds of millions of dollars a year. So, I decided to check out what kind of person can become a top respectful representative on social media. 

More red flags started to wave frantically to read about the kind of influence that YouTuber Shane Dawson provides to his 23 million subscribers  and 6.5 billion views. (Wikipedia). Born in 1988, Shane Dawson has become one of the most famous YouTuber internet personalities. He first started in 2008 by making sketch comedy videos that made fun of popular culture. By 2015, he began his most viewed video conspiracy shows  discussing a variety of conspiracy theories and criticized for misinformation like the flat Earth, moon landing hoax, and 9/11 hoax. In 2018 he released two New York Times best-selling books, I Hate Myselfie and It Gets Worse.  

Personally, my distress is palpable to imagine how this kind of questionable social media power can affect the important social psychology of groups, especially teenagers. Humans, at best, as social animals need to apply common principles with their actions and feelings; such as, matters of self-concept, interpersonal skills, attitudes, stereotypes, without aggression, prejudice and discrimination.

We already know that one of the factors in this transition from teenager to adult involves intense peer pressure to conform to group standards and beliefs; or be ostracized and bullied.  All of a sudden, vitamins called Sugar Bear Hair are worth fighting for on a massive scale as dictated by a fashionable guru because he says so and everybody else can be cancelled.

Am I worrying too much this group think has now become normal behavior in our larger culture? Not to question, not to analyze or educate, not to trust democratic debate, not to challenge hype or fake news, but to believe in mob mentality, in minor tweets versus dialogue, without criteria and discipline.

Questions, comments and debate are very welcome. I don't think teenagers can relate to such disadvantages, but I hope parents and adults can.  
Note: I welcome the opportunity for podcast interviews. See previous blogs.

Sincerely,
Annemarie
amarie10@gmail.com
833 471 4661 (please note best time to talk)  
https://helpfulmindstreamforchanges.com

Check out earlier blog: Essential Metaphor of Culture as a Tree for Teenagers 

Read article: Why the beauty community on YouTubeis one of the most turbulent and drama-filled places on the internet