The Alix Earle Effect

When I saw that we were assigned to analyze a content creator, I knew right away that I wanted to look into Alix Earle. Considering we’ve been analyzing the media and our relationship to it, I thought it would be interesting to talk about the “it girl” of TikTok. I wanted to look into the effect that Alix Earle seems to have on her massive audience, specifically the phenomenon of ads that she posts resulting in sold out and backordered products. I wasn’t sure which ad of hers to specifically look into, so I ended up scrolling on TikTok for a while, looking through her most popular ads, when I remembered the ring light ad that she posted several years ago. I think this specific ad of hers stuck out because despite how long ago it was posted, content creators still push this light in ads by nicknaming it “the Alix Earle ring light”. I had some issues when I had to analyze techniques that she uses to grab people’s attention, because I felt, and still feel like, she gets the attention without even trying. I think her overall vibe on social media revolves around how “real” and likable Alix comes across. People are attracted to her based on how relatable she is, and also because of how she is conventionally attractive. I do not think Alix needs to try to grab and keep attention, so coming to that conclusion while writing my script was a little difficult. Another issue I had was finding the photos to put in my video. I settled on screenshots from Tiktoks posted about Alix and her ability to sell out products and clothes just by mentioning that she enjoys them. I think that this is effective because it captures a glimpse of what exactly the “Alix Earle Effect” is, and how it is widely acknowledged online. I also struggled with the technological aspects of this project, like recording the screencast and then uploading it to YouTube afterwards. I was having issues with the file type, and ended up having to use a different source to convert the file to one compatible with uploading to YouTube. Eventually, I figured it out (with help!) and managed to upload the video to YouTube. I felt like this project was rewarding in how it got me out of my comfort zone with the type of things I typically use my computer for. Typically I am just watching Youtube videos, so creating and recording a video of my own was exciting and a change of pace for me. Overall, I found some aspects of the LEAP 1 project to be challenging and I definitely had some issues, but I thought finishing this project felt rewarding and like a pivotal step in my media literacy journey.