Girl YouTubers in Peru as economic agents negotiating gender and class identities

Abstract

The study examines the role of children as producers, distributors, and consumers in the digital realm. Additionally, it also explores class and gender identities they create and perform in this modality. We focus on young female YouTubers (8–11 years old) from Peru, a country that has experienced significant economic expansion in the first decades of the 21st century. The study analyzes 40 videos created by five girl YouTubers. The discussion addresses the economic role children perform in the digital economy as they produce value through content creation, distribute goods, and engage in globalized consumption. The paper also discusses the ways girls display gender and class identities in their products and their consumption patterns. Throughout the analysis, we use the key concept of children’s agency; the discussion reveals both the concept’s reach and limitations in the context of consumer culture, gender regimes, and neoliberal policies.