Vlog Commentary YouTube Influencers as Effective Advisors in College and Career Readiness for Minorities in Computing: An Exploratory Study

Poor computing identity contributes to a deficit in performance of minority computing student compared to their other ethnic counterparts. As the demand for computing careers continues to increase, it is imperative to discover novel ways to improve the deficit of minority college and career performance in computing. Minority social media influencers that produce video log (vlog) commentary content were investigated on the YouTube platform to determine the influence they have on improving computing identity of minority students through computing and academic advisement. This exploratory study consists of two parts: (1) a synthesis of vlog commentary college and career advisement videos, coding for the quality of advisement, usability, and user experience, and (2) an advisor effectiveness and user experience survey using a selected minority social media influencer who provides computing college and career advisement. Findings suggest YouTube influencers are effective (over a series of measures), particularly for beginners in the computing field. As minorities heavily participate in and enjoy the use of YouTube and social media, computing advisement influencers on social media allow for supplemental advisement at a wide scale. Future studies intend to further experiment minority computing advisement through social media over a longer term and at varying levels of interaction. Findings help validate existing academic advisement influencers and prompts new approaches for organizations and industries to engage with prospective minority students and members for preparation and training purposes.