Exploring YouTuber Popularity: A Quantitative Analysis of Communication Styles among Black Beauty YouTubers with Varying Follower Counts

Abstract

This research aims to investigate whether there are differences in the communication styles among black beauty vloggers with different popularity. Specifically, the study intends to examine the possible differences using the first five elements of Dell Hymes's SPEAKING model, including setting and scene, participants, ends, act sequence and key. The findings suggest that there are no notable distinctions between black beauty vloggers in terms of the setting and scene, the number of participants in the vlogs, and their sequence of intro- discussion-outro. But unfortunately, the differences in the usage frequency of black-related terms, the presence of black-related purposes, and the overall tone are still inconclusive as the results from the Advanced and Beginner groups are contradictory. As no conclusive results were found to support the existence of differences in these three aspects among black beauty vloggers with varying follower counts, the study argues that vloggers with varying audience sizes have mostly the same communication styles.