In 2014, Variety magazine conducted a survey that compared YouTube stars with other common celebrities. The results? A sample of 1,500 teenagers (13-17) years old answered that YouTube stars were considered to be more popular, ahead of celebrities like Bruno Mars and Taylor Swift.
I was always a huge YouTube fan. I was there back in the day when the Annoying Orange and Bon Qui Qui and other viral videos were blowing up. I followed Shane Dawson to Joey Graceffa to Tyler Oakley to the now huge slew of teenagers my age who are making millions and moving to Los Angeles, all because of YouTube.
And yes, I’ve been made fun of for liking YouTube, even though most of my friends tolerate my buying into “fan-girl culture.” I understand that the videos aren’t always quality content, and maybe it’s embarrassing that I endorse something that is catered for kids a bit younger than me. But there’s something about YouTube that’s truly got me hooked. It’s that intimacy, that feeling that you actually know the person on the screen and what they’re all about.
To clarify, I am also an endorser of mainstream entertainment. I watch shows on Netflix and listen to music. But I’m always interested in the person behind the art; who is it that’s making the music, why did they choose this path, and what is their experience like?
The reality is that our society is apathetic and selfish. And yes that comes across in a bad way, but it’s important to recognize that we are drawn to things that are relatable. We thrive when we see representations of ourselves.
YouTube is an outlet where you don’t have to have an agent, or be beautiful, or have money to be seen. Coming from Los Angeles, I know how the entertainment agency goes. I know that television is white-washed and scripted to get across a message or idea. YouTube is an outlet through which anyone with a camera and an idea could speak their mind.
One of the greatest things that I love about YouTube is that your background does not matter. You can come from a low-income household, a lack of college education, etc., and still thrive. It’s a place where people can share their stories. People like Joey Graceffa, an incredibly successful queer man. He is now economically successful, fulfilling his dreams of directing and acting in television, and wrote a memoir about how he didn’t believe he could achieve his dreams because he had a learning handicap and a mother with a severe alcohol problem. Basically, YouTube changes lives.
Yes, a lot of YouTube is cat videos and beauty gurus and bad music videos and memes. And you can look at that and say, “that’s not quality content.” But there are also activists, LGBTQ+ advocates, people of color, people with anxiety and other mental illnesses. Even apart from that, why hate on the beauty gurus? Instead, why not appreciate that we have a venue that allows people to share ideas, opinions, and culture with each other?
Furthermore, YouTube has empowered thousands of young teenagers and children who resonate with these personalities online. There is something more there than just Miley Cyrus or Selena Gomez or any other sitcom actress. These people are real, and have bad days, have anxiety and depression and eating disorders and body image issues, and they care about our generation and the generations after us. They take the time to meet us, to get to know who is watching their videos. Whether it’s genuine or not, that’s up to you to decide. But I see that there is something there, that relationship between viewer and YouTuber, that truly is making change.
A couple of weekends ago I went and saw Troye Sivan in concert. I have been watching Troye Sivan’s videos on YouTube for years, from when he had thousands of subscribers to now that he has millions. To be able to watch someone go from a small role in a movie to having a main role in movies to getting an EP to now doing an international tour is incredible. And I saw it through YouTube videos, through silly challenges and meet and greets and collaborations.
So if you feel as though you’re not valued, don’t rest on the institutions of common entertainment. If you feel as though you have a story to tell or a talent to share or a voice that deserves a microphone, go for it. YouTube proves that there is no stopping you. You can achieve your dreams, and thankfully I’ve seen proof through this outlet, in watching how common people like me have transcended and achieved their dreams.