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266 Patricia G. Lange and Mizuko ItoFigure 6.3Lola and Ashley discuss Big Brother. Screen capture by Patricia G. Lange, 2008.that is gaining popularity on YouTube. Between the time of their interviewin May 2007 and August 2008, they gained more than 1,900 subscribers andmore than 140,000 views of their YouTube channel page (which is YouTube’sequivalent of the MySpace profile page). One of their fans has even donecompilations of their reviews and commentary. For Lola, the purpose of theirYouTube presence is to help her daughter build a portfolio that will help herpursue her career goals and enhance her already impressive scholastic record.They hope Ashley will obtain a scholarship to a prestigious college that theycould otherwise not afford. Notably, Lola sees their joint video making notonly as a means to an end but also as a way to stay close to her daughter andbe involved in her life. Setting very few limits on her computer time, Lolastays regularly involved in Ashley’s online activities. Ashley is comfortablesharing the account with her mother. As she put it, “I would never put anythingup that my mom doesn’t approve of and I have nothing to hideanyway.” Lola emphasizes her interest in having a close relationship with herdaughter through video making. Lola said:I wanted to be involved with my kids but I think it’s more important that the kidswant the parents to be involved. [Because] I’ve seen other parents . . . my mom doesn’tunderstand the type of relationship I have with my kids and she’s like, “I’m gonna getyou some software so that you can spy on your kids when they’re on the Internet.” AndI’m like, “I don’t have to do that. I know exactly where they are because I’m with them.”