Recently one of my favorite YouTubers, Louise aka Sprinkle of Glitter, did a video on the YouTube culture and ever since it has made me think about the YouTube community, especially the fandoms. If you haven’t seen it, it’s above and this is my response to that so maybe you want to watch it.  Most of the people I watch on YouTube have been there for quite sometime, and I don’t think any of them intended to start that endeavor with the intention to become an internet sensation. Up until now, I would have considered myself a part of the general YouTube fandom, then focusing on the Brit Crew, Connor Franta,  and Troyler. Now, I don’t know if I want to associate myself with that. I used to consider these people role models, but Louise is right, we only see the good parts. I just don’t know what to think any more.

Okay so first and foremost, have you seen any vlogs from Italy or Digitour? Fans are going crazy. People freak out as if these people are One Direction. That’s awesome for them, but that’s not something I would want to do if I ever met my favorite YouTubers, I would want to be able to talk to them. I would want to know them as people more than people on a screen that I see once a week maybe. That’s like a dream of mine, but seriously so impractical looking at where they are now. I wanted to go to things like Digitour, Playlist, and VidCon but now I’m not so sure. I don’t want to wait in line for hours upon hours to wait in line to never get to actually meet people who are in a rush to meet the next person. I want to sit down and talk to them, know them like I feel like I do.

When Louise, Zoe, Alfie, Marcus, Connor, and so many “original” YouTubers mostly were just there for a creative outlet. Some went to college, some had day jobs, and others were trying to figure out their lives. I really think that was good, but somewhere along the lines I think things started to spiral. I’m really curious as to how this happened, I mean everyone knows Jenna Marbles, she’s huge and I think that’s where it started. Then there are collabs, that introduces you to more and more YouTubers. It’s a new generation of celebrities, and no one really expected it. However, is this a fleeting or what? Remember Fred? Well Lucas has his own channel now (to be honest, I haven’t seen any videos) but for a while everyone thought he made it, but his fame vanished almost as quickly as it came.

I believe YouTube is a great outlet for people, and it really gives great exposure to people who are trying to be discovered whether that’s singing/acting/directing or whatever, but really that whole idea has changed. People now go on YouTube to become what is considered  “YouTube” famous. What does that mean now? Every day more and more people are hitting one million subscribers, twitter followers, instagram followers, and Facebook likes, is this what YouTube fame is? I think this goes down into what is fame. As time goes on I think the majority of people really are starting to desire fame. Fame is just what people look for in life, they think that they will not be fulfilled until they are recognized by many. However, I’m getting off topic with my rant on self-fulfilment and fame.

Anyway, I think Louise brought up some really great points and aspects of the YouTube culture, but I also think that it’s not going to change the thoughts of others. There are always gong to be people who base their thoughts and ideas off of others, and I think Louise is a role model to many and that’s not going to change. She’s done videos on body confidence, self harm, love, friendships, giving loads of advice to many people, which I think will always inspire people and motivate them to be better people. When I look at that, does that mean that she is qualified to be role model? I’m not sure. I think more than anything her video made me think about who I should consider an influence in my life, that even includes people on a day to day basis. There’s a lot to consider before calling someone a role model. I do think everyone impacts you and inspires you in different ways. I mean I didn’t just decide to blog one day, it was something I always thought about or wanted to do, but if it wasn’t for one of Caspar Lee’s videos I watched I don’t think I ever would have followed through. I would disagree that she’s not an inspiration, maybe not a role model, but she does say inspiring things and does help so many people, especially young girls gain confidence. I don’t think that’s something anyone should downplay either.

These are just my thoughts on this, let me know what you think about this evolving fame in the comments! I would love to talk to you guys about this. Thanks for reading! I’m sorry I know this might not appeal to everyone either.

XOXO,

Mary.