The use of the Internet, search engines, social media and video platforms is part of everyday life for the majority of young people in Germany, as shown by the annual JIM study (Feierabend et al., 2022). Not only in Germany, but worldwide, YouTube is one of the most popular Internet offerings, not just for teenagers. In December 2022, YouTube ranked second among the world's most popular websites (Similarweb, 2022). Teenagers not only watch videos for their entertainment but also view content that provides information about leisure interests, school and education (Feierabend et al., 2022; Wolf, 2015).

The popular content on the video platform is strongly organized along stereotypical notions of gender (Döring, 2019; Wegener et al., 2020): Significantly fewer people who are perceived as female than as male can be seen on YouTube. Women discuss fewer topics, often talk about beauty, hobbies, family or relationships in an apparently private setting. In contrast, YouTubers seen as male talk about their profession and choose public spaces for their videos.

These findings are not only valid for the German but also for the international context. Döring and Mohseni (2018) describe in a comparative study of popular YouTube channels from nine countries that there are significantly more male than female YouTubers on the platform. Pattier (2021) looks at Spanish YouTube channels and discusses a gender gap among “EduYouTubers”. The analysis of Arias-Rodriquez and Sánchez-Bello (2022) shows that influencers, who are watched for the purpose of informal learning, convey sexist roles and gender stereotypes, do not use inclusive language, and do not address issues of gender equality.

The central question of my PhD project is therefore: To what extent do gender-specific subjectification processes take place in the reception of educationally relevant YouTube videos by young people?

In this study, the Internet content used by adolescents to learn about their school and leisure interests is considered educationally relevant. This approach places the reception behaviour of adolescents and their perspectives on educationally relevant content at the centre of the research. In this way, videos do not have to meet the defined didactic, formal, and design criteria of explanatory videos, tutorials, or instructional videos (Wolf, 2015).

Butler's concept of gender and the concept of the subject provide the theoretical basis for the work. The social gender, the biological sex as well as the idea of heterosexuality as a norm (desire) are discursively produced (Butler, 1991). The constructed character of gender is made invisible, gender seems to be given as natural. In the (self-) performance of YouTubers, young people receive performative processes of doing gender. Here, gender as an intersectional category (Degele, 2019), is staged and produced in constant social interaction (Butler, 1991). Thus, gender can be read and enacted based on external characteristics (e.g., clothing, language, interest); here, heteronormativity (Wagenknecht, 2007) acts as a powerful norm. The subject is formed in these repetitive processes of doing gender (West & Zimmermann, 1991). In the process of becoming a subject, the subject submits itself to these powerful norms and discourses. Subjectivation with Butler (2001) means subordination and becoming of the subject at the same time.

To answer the research question, semi-structured, guided interviews (Helfferich, 2019) will be conducted with adolescents and young adults aged 16 and older. The interviews will be conducted on two survey dates. A first data collection already took place in 2021, the second survey is planned for summer 2023. The interview partners for the first survey in 2021 were initially acquired by snowball sampling. Due to the Corona pandemic, the interviews were all conducted online via videoconference and lasted between 30 and 120 minutes. The interviews were transcribed using F4 software and analyzed using the MaxQDA program. The data was analyzed using the method of structuring content analysis (Kuckartz, 2018). The development of a category system, whose categories are developed both theory-guided (deductive) and directly derived from the material (inductive), has been the central focus of the analysis. With an open view on the data and the constant expansion of the sample along theoretical saturation or the further development of research questions, elements of the grounded theory are also included (Glaser & Strauss, 2010). The interviews focused on the use of YouTube videos as a learning resource in general. The questions were structured into different thematic blocks. One thematic block dealt with the criteria young people use to select videos. It could be shown that the video protagonist and the potential to identify with him*her is a reason for choosing specific videos. In the follow-up survey, the potential to identify with the person seen in a YouTube Video will be the focus of the investigation. The interview questions will be designed accordingly and will be analyzed based on Butler's concepts of the subject and gender. The results will be presented for discussion at the ECER conference. In doing so, I would like to reflect on the interview procedure and discuss with the plenum how gender can be discussed without asking suggestive questions or obtaining falsified results according to social desirability.

Central findings from guided interviews with young people who use videos on YouTube as a learning resource for individual and school interests will be presented. The focus lies on gender-specific subjectification processes that are related to the reception of the videos on YouTube. It is also important to emphasize the potential connected with YouTube to break gender stereotypes. Döring (2019) emphasizes that YouTube leaves room for different perspectives, for example for feminist content. Furthermore, Wolf (2015) describes a higher diversity in authorship (of explanatory content) on YouTube. As the video platform offers easy participation opportunities compared to professional media productions or the formal education system. The dissertation aims to raise awareness for gender-specific subjectification processes in the informal digital learning and educational space YouTube and thus to contribute to the scientific and social discourse. The thesis follows the “Allgemeines Gleichbehandlungsgesetz”, the central regulatory framework for the implementation of European anti-discrimination directives in Germany. Its goal is to prevent and eliminate disadvantages, for example in the field of education, also on the basis of gender (AGG, 2006). This educational mandate is also anchored in the Bremen School Law. The aim is to counteract inequality of educational opportunities and reduce social disadvantages as well as to create conditions for promoting gender equality (Bremisches Schulgesetz und Bremisches Schulverwaltungsgesetz, 2005). -Students encounter images, stereotypes, but also ruptures and irritations of gender and related role concepts not only in school, but also in informal digital learning and educational spaces. For media pedagogy in and outside of school and for a discourse on education and educational science, it is therefore necessary to also consider and reflect on the digital space.

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