Libertarianism in the age of platforms.
How do two libertarian YouTubers — Grand Angle (francophone) and Dave Smith (anglophone) — build their visibility and credibility on the platform, through their formats, platform devices, discourse and self-presentation? Supervised by Sandrine Roginsky.
When an ideology becomes a media offering.
The thesis treats YouTube not as a mere broadcast channel but as a milieu where ideologies must be reworked, staged and recognised according to the platform’s norms. Studying libertarianism there is a way to observe a broader phenomenon: the transformation of ideological currents into competitive media offerings.
Grand Angle
An economics explainer channel — “a vulgarisation video every week to understand the economy”. Radical-liberal ideas reframed in a pedagogical, economic and pragmatic register (US debt, the dollar, Javier Milei, a moral defence of capitalism).
Dave Smith
A comedian-turned-political-commentator in the podcast register. Libertarian critique carried by denunciation, humour and the display of affect — presenting himself as a “true”, un-bureaucratised voice against polished mainstream commentary.
Four axes of analysis.
A qualitative, comparative and multimodal approach crossing what is said, how it is said, how it is embodied, and the conditions under which the content circulates on YouTube.
What is said
The libertarian framing: critique of the State, valorisation of individual autonomy, the market as a legitimate order of coordination.
How it is said
Video formats and discursive design: problem → explanation → solution, crisis narrative, pedagogical demonstration, podcast conversation.
How it is embodied
Self-presentation and production: face-to-camera, studio, tone, humour, gestures, graphics — the staging of a credible speaking self.
How it circulates
Platform devices: titles, thumbnails, API / SocialBlade metrics, monetisation and self-promotion across an ecosystem of channels.
Two vectors, one communicational logic.
Embodied speech vs pedagogical authority
Dave Smith earns credibility through embodied speech — the “true”, affective, un-bureaucratised commentator. Grand Angle earns it through pedagogical authority — the accessible expert who makes crises intelligible. Same ideology, two credibility regimes.
Ideology as communicational appropriation
An ideological repertoire only acquires meaning and value on YouTube through devices of visibility and credibility. The thesis shifts the study of libertarianism from a strictly doctrinal perspective toward its communicational appropriation on platforms.