INTRODUCTION

In today's media-rich culture, the Internet and social media are essential to youth culture. According to danah boyd in Hanging Out, Messing Around “teens value social media because they help them build, maintain, and develop friendships with peers” (Ito, et al, 2010, 113). But what constitutes these different "friendships with peers"? With the Internet, could someone you never met in person be a friend? 

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This is how, in my opinion, vloggers, bloggers and other social media creators have become celebrities in their own right. Teens (and adults) create friendships with these "friends", even if they live across the country or across the world. They also listen to their recommendations on makeup, skin care, fashion, technology and more. But what happens when those recommendations have been "sponsored?" What are the rules surrounding sponsored posts or advertisements across platforms? This research will look at previous research, the different rules about sponsorship, social media celebrities and examples of their sponsored posts.