Twelfth Bit of Media—Fifty Shades of Gay (Let's Get People's Attention and then Make Them Identify With Us!)

Disclaimer: The title refers to the fact that the word "gay" has many different connotations and meanings. It is also a pun on a popular book series. But aside from the pun, this post will have no connection the the vile series in question.

Now that that's out of the way, allow me to show a video I recently encountered:

This video is about the word "gay." In it, Mandy explains her early exposure to the word as a stand-in for "stupid" and expresses distaste for her general ignorance and offensiveness at the time. But what made this video stick with me was not the message—that message is fortunately a common one in my community, and so not so unexpected. What really gripped me was Mandy's use of the plain folks and gestalt techniques in creating and selling her online persona.

Like most video-bloggers, she uses the plain folks technique to enrapture her audience. She does this in part by the supposed "low quality" of the video—the slow editing, poor lighting, and the obvious fact that it was filmed in her house, instead of an office or studio.

The slow editing and overall pace of this video as compared to that of YouTube giants makes the video seem more conversational than cinematic, making the audience feel as if her message and her channel are grounded in their reality.

The lighting only serves to accentuate the reality of the situation. It says: "I am making this video to connect with you, not to act as a stand-in for TV." It shows that she is a real person who, like most viewers, does not have the fancy camera or microphone or lights necessary to pull off a "high-quality" production.

And this is exemplified by the fact that Mandy is not filming in a studio or some other beautiful place, but in her own home. This furthers the notion that she is an ordinary person, since it shows lives in a home like the viewer, giving the viewer a subtle empathy for her. In the "low quality" of her video, Mandy consciously or unconsciously uses the plain folks technique by showing herself to be like the average viewer.

But far more powerful than plain folks is her use of gestalt. In her use of "gangsta" slang, crazy hand gestures, and odd tone, she subtly and sometimes not-so-subtly causes the viewer to feel on-edge and disconcerted.

Throughout the video, Mandy uses "gangsta" slang, a mostly American invention which could hardly be a major part of her natural speech pattern. Yet she uses it naturally, and the contrast it provides with the word choices normal to her accent creates a sharp cognitive dissonance, particularly in the brain of an American who is not used to the coincidence of the two accents.

Along with the normal gestures she makes to express herself, Mandy also makes some very odd ones. These often grand, jerky hand movements serve to emphasize the accent she puts on, adding another level of discomfort in the viewer's mind.

And as she speaks and moves oddly, Mandy's tone becomes either whiny or sarcastic, depending on the mood of what she is saying. Since she normally speaks plainly, even less in this whiny tone than most Americans I know, her quick transitions from normal to whiny present an odd juxtaposition. This increases the feeling of the bizarre that pervades the video thanks to the gestalt Many employs with her use of slang, motion, and tone.

Even as I was riveted by Mandy's exploration of her experiences of the word "gay", I found her conscious and unconscious attempts to sell her channel fascinating. As with many of the YouTubers that I watch, she must advertise herself for money. In her channel description, she says that she, "would like to work in production or ideally as a Presenter, my dream job. O GOD PLEASE HIRE ME."

While this is an exaggeration for humor, it shows how she uses her channel as a continual audition for any job in her area of expertise. By drawing viewers, likes, favorites, and subscriptions, she increases the probability that those who might hire her will know she exists.

In looking at this woman's attempts to advertise herself, we see the epitome of small YouTubers: a young person trying through plain folks and gestalt techniques to gain a wider audience and the ability to follow their creative dreams. We must hope that the rest end up where Mandy is now, confident with a solid group of friends rather than a solid number of views. (Although admittedly also working for Google—so is this good after all?)