YouTube Culture

YouTube Culture

Hi everybody, Mary here.

So, as I am taking a break from reviewing everyday (as I said, I am quite busy at the moment), I just wanted to say my opinion about the current situation on YouTube. As we've heard many content creator voices, I just wanted to add my voice as a viewer. Sorry if you're not into that stuff, but I've wanted to make this post for quite a while now and I can express myself on these topics, then I will !

So, there was a debate that started a couple of weeks ago, and many "big" (more or less) YouTubers joined in the bandwagon to express their own opinions. Although they wre great at explaining what was wrong from their point of view, mine is... well, quite different (I think so ? Please tell me if this point of view has already been used !). I'll use my story to explain this.

I started watching YouTube back in 2012, I was 16 years old, and really malleable and influenceable back then. I was obsessed with YouTube content creators as they were something new to me. They seemed to be an escape from the "mainstream media" and the "unreacheable celebrities". Look, I totally respect them, but YouTubers seemed more... real. They were a bunch of awkward kids in front of a camera, in their bedrooms, telling their stories. They gave me the idea that if I wanted to do the same, share my stories and get heard in this world, I could. Their involvement in social media gave me the impression that I could talk to them anytime and have a nice chat with them online. That the conversation was both ways. That I was their friend as I knew a lot about them (or so I thought).

Oh God, was I wrong.

I realised something in February of this year. I was, at the time, obsessed with a couple of YouTubers (that won't be named here for the sake of not being harassed by their defensors). And then, all of a sudden, I found myself not watching their videos anymore. And even worse : I couldn't stand it anymore. I was usually bored after only thirty seconds of footage.

So I asked myself what had happened to me so make me stop watching YouTube videos. Why I had started to filter YouTubers and only keeping a couple of them. And then I realised. The book deals, the TV/Radio shows, the tours, the movies, etc. The YouTubers that I enjoyed as a bunch of awkward kids in front of a camera in their bedroom where going, well... mainstream. EXACTLY what I wanted to avoid when I had started watching them. (I will talk about these new opportunities given to YouTubers in a post tomorrow.)

I'm not against the fact that they are going mainstream. I mean, some of them are really talented (they do short movies, they can sing, act, dance, and much more), and they would make it, even without YouTube. But the fact that now, YouTube is held by Google, that the platform itself is failing, and that YouTubers bring out books to have a little money to save their status, is really worrying.

I don't really believe that this is the YouTubers' fault. When they do something that they really like and enjoy, that is great. But have they really asked themselves why they got all these awesome opportunities ? Because they are cool, or talented ? Even when they are, this is not the reason. It's just because they are famous, popular, adored by millions of teenagers, who like me when I was 16 (I HAVE TO reckon that I was in the same position and now I feel kinda stupid), are malleable. They are young, they are impressed because their faves are #relatable. I was like that too. And it's okay, because we all grow up and make mistakes. We are all obsessed with things (have you seen how highly I talked about Charlotte Rampling recently ???), and I am not saying that you should unsubscribe and unfollow these YouTubers, just because they aren't as genuine as they were before.

I am just saying that these YouTubers are now brands. They play on an act, they play a character, to please their always-needy audience (sorry if that's offensive, but I am like that too sometimes), and they have managements to organise their tours, meet-ups, and such, to meet their fans. That's a job for them, it brings them money, and they can't interact personally with millions and millions of subscribers/followers. That's physically impossible.

But what is wrong, is when YouTube only display them on the frontpage, knowing that they will get money out of the audience watching these YouTube celebrities. When companies give them deals knowing that they will sell on a young and vulnerable audience. When they give them radio/TV shows knowing they they will have maximum audience from the same audience. When they give them book deals knowing that they can make quick money on these famous YouTubers, and sell books to that audience. I could also talk about all the queer-baiting, transphobic, homophobic, racist, sexist comments, and all the scandals about sex offenses on F*CKING MINORS. When you have a power on this community, I believe that it is a duty for these YouTube celebrities (and any mainstream celebrities, really), to be transparent about what they're doing. You want to play an act and have a funny, relatable character ? ANNOUNCE IT. Tell the truth as much as you can. Be honest, no matter what you do on the platform. Time will judge your capacity to be meaningful in the future. The fame, attention-whore people won't stay famous for long. Those who had a message to convey will stay in YouTube's archives for much, much longer.

Also, I think that the fact that these celebrities can't even talk about their opinions on stuff or give important messages because they fear the consequences and the following hate shows that the viewership is, sometimes, immature. (And I was in that situation too ! As I said, everybody keeps growing up and maturing everyday, and it's a part of life, really !) And as the YouTube viewership is growing up, I think that we'll see in the near future who will survive and who will fall. I also believe that YouTube celebrities should use their power to be a good role model to their audience, show them that it's okay to be who they are and who they want to be. After all, they pratically have teenagers under their care. They better use this power for the better, and not for the worse.

Also, I subscribed to YouTubers because they were people, not personas. That part is quite personal, but I wish that sometimes, there were more... I don't know... chatty vlogs ? Behind the scenes ? Opinionated stuff ? Now, in 2015, I'm 19, and I know now why I stopped watching some YouTubers. Because I was interested in them as people and not as Internet personas. I loved hearing their voices on several topics, or them just being funny and goofying for a while. Now, with the pressure to stay mainstream, to keep an audience, the management, and all the opportunities that lead to more exposure, I know this will be really hard. But I think that it's possible.

Okay, that was a long post ! I hoped you enjoyed it and I will see you very soon with another one !

And as usual, our last word : KIDNEYS !