“That clothes can make me this happy, that’s totally crazy” : A critical discourse analysis of consumption on the YouTube-channel of Bianca Ingrosso.

The aim of this study is to investigate how consumption is constructed in the YouTube-videos of Bianca Ingrosso. To do so the critical discourse analysis described by Norman Fairclough was used both as a theoretical perspective and method. The critical discourse analysis was supplemented with theories of Zygmunt Bauman about consumerism and the consumption society. Aswell as Christian Fuchs and José van Dijck critical perspectives on social media and Helen Powells theories about promotional culture. The critical discourse analysis was supplemented with tools that suits the aim of the study. I have used metaphors, modality, intertextuality and interpellations to execute the analysis. Through these analytic tools I have been able to analyze how Ingrosso produces meaning about consumption, how she address her audience and how she urges them to use the platform functions, which are the issues of the study. The analysis resulted in three themes which are (1) Consumption that generates strong feelings, (2) Consumption as an all-purpose solution and (3) the audience as consuming friends. These showed that Ingrosso gives consumption positive associations. Through words and tonalties she illustrates that products can generate strong feelings as happiness and satisfaction. She also gives products the function of solving all kind of problem and of incorporating desired conditions. The audience is positioned as consumers but also as friends which makes the subject position ambiguous and partially hides that some messages is commercial advertising. The analysis also showed that Ingrosso urges the audience to use the functions of YouTube, which favor herself and the economy of the platform. The analysis shows that the investigated material has the possibility to encourage consumption since it reinforces consumerism. It also indicates that the videos of Ingrosso contributes to capitalist structures on social media and in society