Technological Gender Socialization: Examining Gender Representation and Reinforcement through the YouTube Kids Recommendation System

Abstract

The focus of this thesis lies in the intersection between childhood gender socialization, media effects, and digital technology. The research question is twofold: first, how is gender represented in content on the YouTube Kids platform? And second, to what extent does the recommendation system reinforce these gendered representations? To address these questions, I begin with a review of literature in the key fields that intersect on this topic. I start with gender theory and childhood socialization theory, then media effects and digital media, and lastly the platform through which they convene: YouTube Kids. Grounded in this cumulative knowledge, I conduct a mixed-method analysis, comprised of qualitative case studies and quantitative content analysis, to examine representations of gender and their potential exacerbation throughout various types of content. I find that gendered representations on YouTube Kids reflect normative constructions of gender, and that there is potential for the platform’s recommendation system to suggest increasingly gendered content to users.