How Safe Is Youtube’s Vlog Culture?

Social media is growing every day and new trends are always on the rise. Influencers and creators are constantly looking for ways to keep their audiences intrigued. In such a fast-paced environment, it is important to keep posting the most entertaining content in order to stay relevant. 

Vlogging, in particular, is a rising internet trend that has gained a lot of traction in recent years. The phenomena began as a way for social media personalities to show their audience a more candid side of their lives; however, David Dobrik and his group of friends have reshaped the landscape of vlogging.

Dobrik is a 23-year-old YouTube sensation– oh, and he’s a millionaire. He and his group of friends have been creating YouTube videos for about four years. Over this time period, they have gained an insanely large fanbase of 13.8 million subscribers and are now known as the “Vlogsquad.” 

David’s vlogs have changed a lot throughout his YouTube career. They began with his group of friends hanging out and making jokes. As his follower count began to grow, his videos became more extreme. 

Instead of jokes and skits, Dobrik incorporated more stunts and dangerous activities into his videos, from having someone shoot a pumpkin off of his head with a flaming arrow, to having his friends get into swimming pools in the back of a moving truck. He also shot his friends with Nerf darts that had thumbtacks attached to them. Many of the people featured in the vlogs have ended up in the hospital, including Dobrik himself. 

It is known that the majority of the skits in the vlogs are scripted, but many of the stunts are real. Dobrik’s friend, Jeff Wittek, recently made a comment about how “he is always trying to one-up himself.” Dobrik’s channel thrives off of excitement and originality, and he often uses dangerous stunts to keep improving upon his older videos. 

Wittek, a newer member of the Vlogsquad, has his own YouTube series called ‘Jeff’s Barbershop.’ Jason Nash, another Vlogsquad member went on Wittek’s show, and they talked about some of the stunts that happen in the vlogs. 

“Well, he [Dobrik] won’t say this, but I think that pulling my chest hair out with a drill was pretty dangerous,” Nash says. 

David’s friends often make comments about how they will do anything to be in his vlogs because it will help them gain more followers. 

Trisha Paytas, a former member of the Vlogsquad, posted a (now-deleted) video earlier this year opening up about her time in the vlogs. “Something bad is gonna happen in that group. I don’t know what it is. Something bad, something dangerous… they do all these dangerous things,” Paytas said. 

Dobrik is not known for having a controversial image, unlike other YouTubers who post videos with dangerous stunts, such as Jake Paul. This is why many people may not notice the severity of the actions in his videos. 

Performing dangerous stunts for entertainment is not necessarily something new, but when does it cross the line? Is it the audience’s job to just sit back and be entertained?

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Edited by Madison Greer

• safety
• vlogs