Youtubers – Internet Sensations or Abominations?

We live in the technoera – wherever we look we are surrounded by technology, whether we like it or not. Visual media is immensely popular within the realms of the online world, with Youtube proving to be the most popular, with hundreds of millions of hours of videos being watched everyday… Crikey. Within Youtube come the Youtube Stars, or Creators if you want to use the technical terminology. As of 2015, over 17,000 ‘channels’ had at least 100,000 subscribers, with over 1,500 passing the million milestone. So who are these people, why are they so popular and what influence are they having over those that choose to watch them?

Youtube stars, or ‘Youtubers’, have formed a new wave of celebrity. Everyday, millions of viewers tune in to watch their favourites show off their new clothing ‘haul’ or play the latest video game. For those that are unfamiliar, the concept of a Youtuber is someone who records videos, whether they’re ‘vlogs’, tutorials or just them talking to a camera, and uploads them to Google’s video streaming site Youtube.

Let’s use Zoella as an example. The UK’s leading lady in the Youtube world, Zoe Sugg has over 11 million subscribers and over 900 million total channel views. Her worldwide success has lead to numerous beauty and lifestyle product ranges, and three published books. On top of this, her debut novel, Girl Online, is the fastest-selling debut novel since records began. However, if you’re older than your late twenties, the chances are that you’ve never heard of her. Zoella’s primary target audience, young teenage girls, obsess over her more than they do over your bog standard ‘celebrity’. Her uploaded content is absorbed by millions around the world, and her influence is legendary.

Sugg uploads a variety of videos, including beauty tutorials, clothing hauls and collaborations with other popular Youtubers. She also has a second channel, MoreZoella, devoted to daily ‘vlogs’ of her normal life (I use the word ‘normal’ rather loosely here). Zoe is open about her struggle with anxiety and resulting panic attacks. In a video labelled Just Say Yes, Sugg offers viewers her advice on how to deal with feeling down and anxious. As she writes in a blog post,

I feel so much better for saying yes to things. It has improved my confidence drastically, and it’s made me want to go out and do more things I normally never think/want to do.

Utilising Youtube as a platform, she can spread a positive message to millions of people globally, Zoella is, therefore, a perfect example of how people can use the internet for good.

All well and good?

As it turns out, not quite. An article published by The Independent, accused Sugg of

lying about her anxiety to boost her following online

With this comes a series of problems. To put it plainly, if such allegations are true it demonstrates the destructive nature of today’s Youtubers. Rather than being one person sitting with a webcam in their bedroom, they have become brands. The management company Gleam Futures manages Zoella and a number of other British Youtubers. Ultimately, with a management team, the focus of the internet sensations has turned to money making, as opposed to content creating.

Alongside this, Youtubers are promoting an unrealistic lifestyle, one which the majority of their audience won’t be able to achieve. Through their sponsorship deals, lavish houses and ever increasing bank accounts, the lives they lead in no way reflect normality. As Twitter user @tara_smiles points out;

@LivingPerfect @Independent I wouldn't be surprised if some over exaggerated events. YouTubers are normal people. Most people lead

— Tara's Rambles (@tara_smiles) January 5, 2017

@LivingPerfect very, very uneventful lives.

— Tara's Rambles (@tara_smiles) January 5, 2017

These internet ‘sensations’ are creating an unhealthy ideal for a standard of living, which viewers will compare to their own lives. Their younger viewers especially will be naive to the fact that what they’re watching is not, in fact, an accurate representation of reality.

What effect is this industrialisation having on the influence of the Youtubers?

In a recent twitter poll, 47 percent of voters said they are not influenced by the views of a Youtuber. 33 percent saying they were and 20 percent being influenced occasionally. It seems, therefore, that Youtubers are becoming less influential. This has both good and bad connotations. It’s good in the sense that fewer people will compare their lives to those on the small screen. On the other hand, Youtube is a brilliant platform for reaching out to millions of people. Zoella, for example, utilised her global influence to support and raise awareness for a widespread problem.

Question time! Do you often find yourself influenced by the views of a Youtuber?

— Andrew Davies (@LivingPerfect) January 3, 2017

Overall, I would argue that with such an intense drive for money and more viewership, the creators of these videos are betraying the trust of those that watch them. They are promoting an unreachable lifestyle that those watching at home will compare their own lives to. At the same time, forgetting it is those they are affecting who got them where they are today.