A Study of Naga YouTubers and Digital Fandom in Nagaland Through Sentiment Analysis of YouTube Comments

YouTube has emerged as a critical platform for cultural dialogue and community building among the Naga community, providing opportunities for creators to bridge tribal and regional divides through relatable, humorous, and culturally representative content. This paper explores the dynamics of YouTube fandom among Naga content creators and their audiences, focusing on sentiment analysis of user comments to examine patterns of engagement and cultural expression. By utilising a transformer-based pre-trained model for sentiment analysis, we explore sentiment distribution across various content types, such as songs, vlogs, tutorials, mukbangs, skits and controversial videos/viral videos of top Naga Youtubers. The findings reveal that positive sentiments largely dominate the comment sections, especially for songs, vlogs, and tutorials, indicating a generally favourable reception of Naga YouTubers\\\' content. However, negative sentiments, particularly prominent in controversial videos, highlight the ongoing struggles with linguistic hierarchies, trolling and cultural gatekeeping within digital interactions. Additionally, the analysis highlights how fans leverage YouTube comment sections to convey admiration, offer critique and showcase cultural pride, all of which contribute to identity negotiation and community building. By examining the sentiment trends in YouTube comments, this paper offers valuable insights into the complexities of digital fandom, participatory culture and the cultural significance of Naga content creators. The study contributes to broader discussions on the socio-cultural impacts of digital platforms and the evolving nature of online communities in Northeast India.