If you are at all invested in Youtube as a platform, you will know about Shane Dawson. His newest eight-part documentary series, The Mind Of Jake Paul, dedicated to the study of sociopathy on Youtube, specifically utilizes Jake Paul (a popular and very controversial Youtuber who has frequently been the recipient of the accusation on the platform) as a case study. And so far, it has already accumulated a total of twenty-eight million views across two videos, both posted within the last four days.
For anyone who might not know what to make of these numbers, let me tell you, that’s huge. It’s more than huge, it’s outstanding and practically unparalleled on the platform. Especially considering neither of the videos received any push from Youtube itself, whose trending page has ignored the series so far, despite it’s massive popularity. Of course, considering the length of the series, it’s likely that will change in the future.
So- Who is Shane Dawson? And what is this series? An outsider of the Youtube space might wish to dismiss it, as the platform has a bit of a shoddy reputation for unsophisticated, controversial content aimed at teenagers. And, partly, they’re right. Shane Dawson himself has been on Youtube since 2008, and hasn’t been free of controversy.
Which is an understatement of the highest degree.
Even this series, despite its acclaim for it’s high production value, interesting subject, and for Shane’s own approach to interview has already faced criticism, specifically for the highly dramatized and horror-inspired editing of the second video, which detailed at length what a sociopath was, why Jake Paul and his also very controversial brother, Logan Paul have been accused, and whether or not these accusations hold up under scrutiny. This editing style, while captivating, gorgeous, and, in my opinion, highly effective, was criticized for lacking in sensitivity towards what is, after all, a very real mental illness afflicting, according to the video itself, approximately one in every twenty-five people.
This ‘controversy’ however, is nothing. Truly, pennies to what Shane Dawson has had to face in the past, and little more than a blip forcing a slight readjustment in the editing of upcoming videos in the series. The series itself, so far, is fascinating, and one need only take a look at his other recent documentary series to have faith that this new endeavour. Specifically, if his series is anything like the one he made on the life of Jeffree Star, or the one he made preceding the disastrous TanaCon event, it will absolutely be shocking and dramatic, yes, but also hard-hitting, layered, complex, and most importantly, human.
I would argue, even, that this early controversy is an extremely good sign. Why? Well, there is a reason that while nearly all early Youtube stars of the era of Shane Dawson’s early rise to fame have either moved on from the platform onto other things, or faded into obscurity. The very limited few who haven’t all have one thing in common: adaptability. Shane Dawson’s content has changed drastically over the years, as has the content of everyone else who has managed to stay relevant on the platform for so long.
Beyond adaptability, however, Shane Dawson has learned. A lot. While Youtubers are infamous for bland and seemingly dishonest apology videos following controversial content, Shane Dawson’s apologies have always rung true. Specifically, because of the real and genuine change which came after them. When faced with controversy, Shane Dawson has always looked inward, faced the criticism head on, and instead of justifying himself, tried to see whether or not the accusations held any weight and whether or not change was necessary. Often it was, and he did change, though perhaps change isn’t the right word. Perhaps ‘evolved’ is closer to the truth.
When Shane Dawson started on the platform, he was known for making skits. Short, edgy, brightly-coloured, irreverent comedy skits. Exactly the kind of thing that critics of the Youtube platform point towards as discrediting proof of how ‘terrible’ the platform is. Of course, very few if any of those criticisms hold up upon scrutiny. Yes, Shane Dawson’s videos were crude, but they were passionate. He was a nineteen-year-old boy with aspirations of becoming a filmmaker, from a family which struggled financially. He had no connections, no way of breaking into the film industry, and it wasn’t as if he could up and quit his job to become a comedian. So he found a way to do it anyways. He gathered up his friends, family, anyone he could convince to help, and he made films. Short, choppy, questionably funny, passionate, honest films.
Of course, he made many mistakes. One only has to look for some of his earliest videos on his original channel, Shane Dawson TV to find plenty of very curious and unsavoury material.
But he learned.
A lot. He honed his editing skills, became a better comedian, had a short stint as a comedy pop singer (‘Fuck Up’ is still fantastic by the way, and I will stand by it until the end of time), and started making vlogs.
These vlogs were the first step towards where his content would end up. In them, he spoke honestly and earnestly. He talked about how he and his entire family got fired from their job because of a comedy skit he’d posted on Youtube. He talked about his complex familial situation, about his relationship at the time, about mental health, about his issues with weight, about anything and everything he was going through. He still made jokes, obviously, but he wasn’t a character. He connected with his audience there in a very real, raw way. Similar to the matter in which he presents the people he interviews in his recent documentaries. There are jokes a plenty, a fair amount of lightness and, more than anything, honesty, and vulnerability.
Of course, around the same time, he was hosting a podcast, where, presumably, he learned to interview people, but he also faced harsh criticism there. Mostly for his style of humour, which at the time, was mainly designed to shock. So, in between podcasting and vlogging, somewhere along the way, by paying close attention, Shane Dawson learned to become, by himself, the exact type of reporter that journalists study for years to become.
And of course, he had set-backs. After the end of a long term relationship with Youtuber Lisa Schwartz, and a difficult video coming out as bisexual to his fans, somewhere, he lost the passion he’d always had. This isn’t conjecture, he’s mentioned it himself several times, but it’s also obvious from the videos he was making. He mostly food-tasting videos, and strange barbie-waffling videos (trust me, that’s all the explanation you need for that one), and from watching it’s obvious there’s a missing spark. He’s going through the motions… mostly.
There are a few videos. A few very specific videos, where there’s a glimmer. Shane Dawson’s conspiracy theory videos. In them, he discusses conspiracy theories and other creepy, strange phenomena and explores them in detail. There, he also starts to experiment with editing. He works in creepy, unsettling visuals, chilling effects and odd, tonally relevant music. Eventually, he hires Andrew Siwicki as a cameraman and editor, who, by Shane Dawson’s own admission, helps him regain his love of editing and video production.
And he combines all of it, everything he’s learned throughout the years, mainly through error and effort, into these documentaries. They are vlogs, kind of, only in the sense that they follow the life of the creator, and give a personalized voice to the narrator. They are comedic, kind of, showcasing his unique sense of humour and ability to turn any situation, even the most unsettling or taboo into comedy, but they are far more skilled in this regard. They are creepy, strange, bordering on conspiratorial, filled to the brim with scary, intense editing, especially in this newest series. They are earnest and human, and they showcase highly impressive interviewing skills.
Most importantly, they are passionate, and they are evolving. And anyone who has an interest in seeing the work of someone who, I have no doubt, will be remembered as one of the most influential artists of his time, ought to tune in.
GIF Source: GIPHY