Produced as part of the second edition of the “Research in residence“, intended to support young graduates working on audiovisual and regulatory issues, the analysis is based on the observation of ten creators of active content in the Wallonia-Brussels Federation.
Their audience varies from 50,000 to more than five million subscribers, for a total corpus of 400 videos examined.
First observation: the body occupies a central place in this content. It is both an object of demonstration, proof of legitimacy and a communication tool. The videos emphasize physical results more than the training processes themselves, which are often downplayed. The analysis also points to a frequent confusion between scientific knowledge and personal experience.
Individual physical transformations are regularly presented as proof of effectiveness, notably through “formats”.before/after“, suggesting that these methods could be generalized to everyone.
“The majority of content creators present themselves as coaches to their subscribers, provide nutritional advice, collaborate with brands and market their own training program, but less than half of them have undertaken training in the field of sport“, however, qualify the authors.
Body diversity also appears limited. “All profiles correspond to the dominant standards of fitness and bodybuilding, which are highly gendered. These elements contribute to disseminating stereotypical body ideals that are difficult to access.“, punctuates the study.
