The YouTube Indian: Portrayals of Native Americans on a viral video site

Abstract

Mainstream media messages contain limited, distorted and negative images of Native Americans, thus promoting continued ethnic marginalization. Community-oriented online venues like the viral video sites have opened up new platforms for depiction. This study employed a quantitative content analysis to examine a sample of YouTube videos relating to Native Americans. The findings reveal a number of promising patterns, suggesting that messages broadcast by viral video sites may depart from the rigid stereotypical depictions of Native Americans in traditional media.