It may not have done Labour much good, but Ed Miliband’s biggest achievement of the whole election in my mind came when he managed to secure an endorsement from Russell Brand. Not that I’m saying having Russell Brand back you is that great, but it’s an achievement. Why? Because he is a figure that many young people look up to and pay attention to and – regardless of whether we think that’s a good idea or not – we have to respect that.
The BBC news website reported the other day that vloggers (Video Bloggers) had been given advertising guidelines. This increase is due to the fact that “YouTube celebrities” are now effectively plain old “celebrities”, with figures such as the writer and one half of the vlogging duo “Vlogbrothers” John Green celebrating the release of the film “Paper Towns”, one of his own novels. As the article states “Nearly a quarter of 11 to 19-year-old girls (24%) view well-known fashion and beauty vlogger Zoella as a role model”, hardly a small audience.
This is a realm of influence as yet mostly untapped by the other parties. I remember a few years ago the vlogger/comedian Humza Arshad made a video endorsing Ken Livingston for the Mayoral election, again I hear you say it may not have changed much but the influence is there. Humza now works with police to counter extremism in young people further demonstrating the influence these YouTube have with younger audiences.
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Wednesday reading
Leave campaigners fined for breaking European referendum financial controls
Lib Dems launch child refugee lobbying campaign
Post Truth and Justice
Four cheers for the BBC
Car trouble, Somerset style
Council Budgets set next month
Aughton – A traffic cone per year?
Peter Watson 22nd Jan - 10:50pm
Ian Shaw 22nd Jan - 10:04pm
John Peters 22nd Jan - 9:50pm
David Raw 22nd Jan - 9:09pm
Alex B 22nd Jan - 8:49pm
Hywel 22nd Jan - 8:34pm