Originally published on July 11, 2016
I remember being in middle school and eagerly waiting for
certain days of the week, because my favorite content creators on YouTube would
be publishing a new video that I could watch. For example, every Friday meant a
new Smosh video, like a reward for getting through the week. I bought countless
tshirts, I memorized original songs, and I had wild ideas for YouTube videos
and could not wait to start uploading on my own channel (though I did make an
embarrassingly high amount of videos that remained on my computer). Then came
high school, and my entertainment priorities shifted. I began to read more and
watch Netflix and made very few videos. I got out of my YouTube-watching habit
unconsciously, and that was fine. For the most part, I was “out” of the YouTube
world for about four years.
This past year I started to slowly dive back into YouTube. Good
old Philip DeFranco is my news source, who brings a neutral platform for many controversial
issues that rock the world (as well as nerdy things). I found channels that
criticized movies, made ridiculous and/or plausible theories, and brought up
questions and answers about different books and television shows. What I have
only recently noticed is I stopped looking at the people behind the content. I
am subscribed to several second and vlog channels, but I rarely watch them. I
just stick with my theory, informational, and “crack” videos and enjoy this
secondary look at my primary sources of entertainment.
So I decided to think about why this is. Why have I stopped watching
people I used to care about? The simple answer is, I grew up. Whatever illusion
I had when I was thirteen was somehow shattered during my YouTube hiatus. I now
notice the promotions, the time, the money, the work, and the toll behind the
videos. I just wonder how much of who I am seeing is a genuine person or a
character molded after years and years of being online and is now a habit in
front of the camera. And I think, “I wanted to do this?”
YouTube changed over my hiatus. There has been legal drama.
People are getting their own TV shows. YouTube Red is a thing. Twitter fights
and apology videos have become rampant. There is apparently a new subgenre
dedicated entirely to roasting others. Seriously? These are adults putting
others down to raise their own recognition. Did I get older or did YouTube get
more childish?
But I believe slowly re-involving myself into this community
and culture is a good thing. Since I’m planning on going into the field of
entertainment and media and communication, I’ve been paying closer attention to
the online scene. Perhaps it’s not my dream job to be the frontrunner of a
company’s YouTube channel, but I need to be prepared in case that is where my
path takes me. Like any person navigating unfamiliar territory, I need to speak
the language and know key information. And maybe, just maybe, I will once again
find that thirteen-year-old with a webcam.
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