Vlogging the Anthropocene

Abstract

This chapter addresses the circulation of anthropocenic imaginings on YouTube. Travelling to a multitude of tourist sites, many travel influencers became aware of the unpredictability of the weather and the increasing destabilisation of annual cycles of drought and flooding. The sustainable tourist site Kolarbyn epitomises how travel influencers shaped meanings attached to the Anthropocene and sustainable tourism through their video production. The eco-lodge is a further example of a place-assemblage that is entangled with other assemblages, such as commodity chains and digital platforms. By portraying the eco-lodge in YouTube videos, travel influencers connect the alternative tourism destination to platform audiences. The case of Kolarbyn shows that climate agency can be attributed to YouTubers whose popular videos can reinforce the dissemination of anthropocenic imaginaries and campaigns for climate justice.

Citation

Ritter, C.S. (2024), "Vlogging the Anthropocene", Locating the Influencer: Place and Platform in Global Tourism, Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 95-107. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-80262-597-420241007