Wrapping it up!

Summary of all of my Blog Posts.

Entry 1,2 & 3: Mainly on me deciding my essay question.

Entry 4: History of YouTube and some statistics.

Entry 5: Defining YouTubers & explaining the popular categories on YouTube.

Entry 6: Defining the Vlogging Culture, its history & explaining why do people watch vlogs.

Entry 7: A summary of popular Vloggers from the UK & what makes them stand out among all vloggers in the world.

Entry 8: Defining VidCon and explaining our revolutionised culture & some questions.

Entry 9: Answering the questions to Entry 8 & introducing Advertising on YouTube.

Entry 10: How Vlogging can benefit designers & make earnings off it.

Entry 11: Explanation on the YouTube Culture & critical thoughts from different perspectives.

Entry requirements that were met:

1) Essay choice (done)

2) Identification of keywords and experts (done)

3) Breakdown of the research domain and subtopics (done)

4) Generation of related questions and short answers (done)

5) Identification of some assumptions and biases (done)

6) Reviewing of the research literature (done)

7) Experimental /creative exploration of the question (done)

8) Relate the question to other lecture topics or courses (done)

9) Exploring possible thesis statements ( )

10) Strategizing the essay structure or outline ( )

11) Work schedule (done)

12) Reflections on or tutorial sessions, etc. (done) 

13) Summary of blog entries (done)

Entry 11: The YouTube Culture

Yes, it’s 12.43 a.m. and I would like to make one more entry before I can do no more anymore..

This topic has always been interesting to me so here I am, having a discussion about it now. It is called: The YouTube Culture.

Basically, a YouTuber—SpinkleOfGlitter started talking about it, and then more YouTubers joined in and now it’s become a topic of discussion many are aware of. 

The YouTube Culture is about the divide that is widening between the fans and the creators. SprinkleOfGlitter started bringing this up because she was uncomfortable with the whole situation and position of where she stands. First of all, idolising is a main reason why this topic has become so serious. YouTubers are suppose to be ordinary people who make YouTube videos that can entertain (or whatever their purpose is) the viewers, create communities and communicate with the people in the community. But as YouTube grow, so do the exposure of these YouTubers and eventually, it’s become impossible for them to communicate with their viewers. Eventually, the people in the community become their fans and eventually, YouTubers become celebrities and are being idolised by their fans, which is not the way it should be. In SprinkleOfGlitter’s YouTube Culture video (Video available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NnOEYsgcEiQ), she mentioned that we, the viewers shouldn’t idolise them because we don’t know who they truly are as a person when the camera is not rolling. They are choosing what to say and what to share with us and of course, they will make everything look as perfect as it can be. She also said we shouldn’t idolise them but instead, just enjoy their contents because that is how it should’ve been from the start. 

She also mentioned about her ‘fans’ and how she got so overwhelmed by them screaming and crying in conventions or gatherings. Also, the barrier that separates her viewers and her really annoy her because she thinks they should be on the same level, instead of being separated as if she’s on a higher position than they are.

One question she asked that I have to point out is: What has the YouTube world come to? 

The way communities are being brought together with the creators is too insane. SprinkleOfGlitter brought this topic up because she believes that there is a better way to solve this problem, and that is how evolution come about. When everyone is aware of this problem and is doing something about it for a solution.

There are two sides to every story.

A girl named Vicky made an opinion on this YouTube Culture as well, but on a ‘fan’ point of view, from ‘the people who stood on the other side of the barrier’ point of view (Video available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3segtU-9cXI). In her video, she commented that the tension between the creators and the fans are all misunderstandings. YouTubers have failed to understand how we feel when we cry in joy of seeing them or what we meant when we say we idolise them. A majority of the viewers who refer to themselves as the fans do understand that they are a fan of the YouTuber that is shown on the screen, which is the internet persona of the YouTuber rather than the YouTuber that they don’t know personally. When the fans idolise a YouTuber, it is mostly because of the things they’ve achieved, how successful they have become and how persistent they are in reaching their goals. It’s not because they are cute or any irrelevant reasons like that but YouTubers didn’t seemed to get that. Some of the YouTubers think their fans are idolising them more than we actually do.

This YouTube Culture cannot be blamed on the fans/viewers nor the creators/YouTubers because they both are two mixtures mixed together which results in the YouTube Culture. I understand that some fans need to ‘chill out’ a little, and all of the viewers should also understand that YouTubers are not positioned any higher than we are. We are all species of the same kind. We can admire them but also have our own opinions on subject matters because YouTubes aren't always right, despite how perfect they make themselves look in videos. On the other hand, some YouTubers are so famous that they forgot what its like to be on the other side of the barrier. That causes the fans to think that they are in a lower position compared to the YouTubers and therefore, building barriers in between them.

YouTubers like Alfie Deyes a.k.a Pointless Blog, voiced out his opinions too (Video available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPIBS3cDU2I) and received a lot of hateful comments because, there are people who are trying to remove the barriers between the YouTubers and the viewers to form a closer community, and there is Alfie who is putting back the barriers and thinking that he is on a higher position than the viewers are. Although it is somewhat true, but speaking as a YouTuber that is admired by many young teenagers, the information that he’s trying to convey and promote is somewhat unhealthy. 

Anyway, I’ll end this post here. I feel like this is getting a little pointless and out of topic. But it’s okay, it’s an interesting fact to know about… I guess. To me at least. 

Goodnight x

Entry 10: Vlogging for Designers & be paid!! (Part 2)

Question 6 - Identify a form of digital culture (e.g. leet speak, memes, Youtube unboxing videos, glitch art, cyberbullying) that also has a distinct local or regional characteristic. Trace its history and using notable artefact(s), explain how this digital culture may be of significance to designers. 

Be Paid (Money In o yaaasss)

I’ve talked about how advertising on YouTube can be effective when it’s done with money. It’s all about the money. But what if, you turn it around and you’re being paid instead? Sounds like a plan eh? Instead of being the advertisers, why not be the creators? We all are designers after all.

Making videos on YouTube can open up doors for opportunities you might never come across locally because whatever you do on YouTube will be accessible globally (Bullas, 2012). So, why not be a Graphic designer who Vlogs? Although there aren’t many well known graphic designers who vlogs and many of the popular ones make DIY videos like LaurDIY and Ann Le {Anneorshine}. But there are graphic design designers who make Videos on YouTube for example: Karen Kavett and Ana Martha, they just don’t really share their daily private lives with their viewers.

Anyway, when you start to upload videos on YouTube, that’s the first step of exposing yourself to the world. Vlogging is not only about being popular and well know, it is doing what you love and sharing your experience with the world/your viewers, and even better, getting paid to do what you love is a dream everyone dreams. 

Here’s a short explanation on the YouTube Partner Program:

The YouTube Partner program allows users to monetise content on YouTube through paid advertising, subscriptions and merchandise. This program was created in 2007 and now, more than 1 million creators from 30 countries are getting paid through YouTube videos (Allen, 2015). The amount of your earnings depend on two key factors which are the type of ad and the pricing of ad that appears before your videos (YouTube, n.d.).

Vlogging can be done as a hobby or to make some extra money. And also, as a YouTuber, you can collaborate with other YouTubers who share the same interests as you do. That way, you can not only reach new viewers and to grow your audience, but you can also expand your social circle and meet more people which in turn, can increase your chances of better opportunities. If you’re really successful in vlogging, you can even make more money or bring more people and communities together out of it like selling your designs, creating an exhibition where designers get to come together and share ideas, there are so much that you can do. The possibilities are endless.

Lastly, for the introverts out there who produces brilliant work but are always living in people’s shadow, too afraid to make a sound or to voice out his/her opinions, Vlogging is perfect for them. To shout at the world, to have a chance to stand out, to shine, to not be afraid and to finally make a change and be noticed (Bullas, 2012). Vlogging can change a person’s life.

In summary, vlogging is really something to look forward to in the future. It is a pretty exciting movement like how it can evolve a culture, bring strangers together that become a part of something important, how we educate, communicate and share our experiences. These were the things that no one had ever considered for it to play such a huge role in our lives back then. We’ve come so far just because of the birth of YouTube that eventually lead to Vlogging. No matter what, it’s all about the instant connection we have with an enormous global audience.

I think this is the end. :') Although there are some other stuff that I wish to add but I don't think it's really related. I'll see will see.. if not,

ta-ta!

References:

Allen, R. (2015) “Opportunities for YouTube Marketing in 2015?” Available at: http://www.smartinsights.com/social-media-marketing/youtube-marketing/how-big-is-you-tube/ (Accessed: 17 January 2016).

Bullas, J. (2012) “http://www.jeffbullas.com/2012/05/23/35-mind-numbing-youtube-facts-figures-and-statistics-infographic/“. (Accessed: 15 Jan 2016).

YouTube (n.d.) “Monetisation”. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/account_monetization (Accessed: 16 January 2016).

Entry 9: Designers and Advertising on YouTube (Part 1)

Question 6 - Identify a form of digital culture (e.g. leet speak, memes, Youtube unboxing videos, glitch art, cyberbullying) that also has a distinct local or regional characteristic. Trace its history and using notable artefact(s), explain how this digital culture may be of significance to designers. 

Alohaaa, on my last blog post, I asked a few questions regarding our revolutionised culture. Are YouTubers changing our culture for the better or the worse? 

First of all, if it ever crossed your mind that our culture can be destroyed by whatever it is, just think about it, it cannot be.. Because culture is not solidify, it changes over time and it can never be destroyed or like disappear…

There are arguments on both sides regarding YouTubers & culture but we all know that, no matter which side you’re on, YouTubers aren't going anywhere. It’s a fact that they are revolutionary. And so far from the research I’ve done, they’re clearly changing our culture for the better. They’re changing the way the whole generation consumes entertainment and be selective of their influences (Chawla, 2014). Everything develops and become better and more advanced through time, and that’s what YouTubers are.

So, my next question is, will this Vlogging Culture benefit designers in any way?

You do not need the knowledge of math and science to analyse this question and work out its equation because if you’ve read all of the blog posts I put up, YES, IS THE ANSWER YOU KNOW IT. The question is how? 

HOW

We all know that YouTube is by far the biggest video site on the planet earth; mainly for one reason: It connects people. Ok maybe two reasons: It has a little something for everyone regardless of your interests and passion. (Patel, 2014). It is literally for everyone of all ages.

In simpler words,

Designers + YouTube = More opportunities. 

YouTube has over a billion users which means it can possibly get any information transmitted locally to globally. It is not only the size that is expanding but the velocity is accelerating as well because of the speed the information is shared (Bullas, 2012). The Vlogging culture can benefit designers in a number of ways and as a graphic designer, I will now focus on the benefits for graphic designers in particular. 

First of all, as a graphic designer, advertising is vital to survive in this business industry and guess what?! YouTube is the platform to make successful advertising possible. The way I see it is that it can be broken down into two categories: Pay or Be Paid.

PAY (Money Out)

There are the viewers who watch videos made by the creators and then there are the advertisers who pay YouTube for advertising based on different advertising formats and a percentage of the money goes back to the creators (YouTube, n.d.). It’s a cycle.

YouTube Ads is one of the many effective ways to grow your business and reach new customers and it’s not as expensive as you think it is. Charges will only be applied if a skippable video Ad is viewed for more than 30 seconds (Siu, 2014). 

Putting unimportant information aside, another form of advertising is through Vloggers. If you haven’t heard, Vloggers are setting the future shape of marketing and advertising (Chawla, 2014). Partnering or paying vloggers to advertise a product, brand, service or whatever it is that you want it to be known, is gold (Allsopp, 2015). They’re changing our advertising and marketing strategy and also, they have millions of viewers from all over the world which means they can help you reach an audience bigger than tv commercials could!

Many popular vloggers do promotional paid by adverts. An example would be Zoella, as mentioned before. In her vlogs, she’s been advertising products that doesn’t even come off looking like an advertisement to the viewers. Sometimes, it just seemed like it’s something she consumes or uses daily. Here are some examples:

Zoella mentioning her dog’s apparel that was sent in from Pet London to be advertise: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vm_3VykE_A8. 

Official Website of Pet London.

Zoella mentioning a face mask by a brand called Adore that was sent to her P.O. Box: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAo9aajE7Uo. 

Official Website of Adore.

Although there are issues regarding ‘hidden advertising’ by vloggers such as the The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), they are making vloggers declare that they have been paid to advertise a product because they think it is important that the viewers know when and what they are being marketed to so that the product is not falsely promoted. Also, the viewers should know that the vloggers are paid to say the things they say, instead of finding it out later and that could ruin their reputation (Harley, 2014).

I’ve never really see this as a problem but I do think that to be fair with everyone who is working in the advertising industry, and to be fair with the viewers as well because they obviously look up to their favorite vloggers a lot and to be fed with false information is like making use of their viewers/fans that they’ve built for so long. It is okay for vloggers to give shoutouts to brands or products but if they’re paid to do so, they should do it in a clear and upfront way with the audience (Lynch, 2014). But then again, if you are an advertiser, you wouldn’t want this issue to stand in your way because vloggers + advertising is very effective, hands down. But that is being selfish and not being considerate of others, I mean, this is a competitive world after all. Someone is going to be better than you so you gotta do whatever it takes to be on top. Overall, it really depends on how serious/severe the situation is.

I’ll continue with part two: Be Paid, on my next blog post. :) It is taking me so long to write one post..

References:

Allsopp, A. (2015) “YouTubers are taking over the internet & changing the entertainment industry”. Available at: http://www.techadvisor.co.uk/opinion/internet/youtube-vloggers-are-taking-over-internet/ (Accessed: 16 January 2016).

Bullas, J. (2012) “http://www.jeffbullas.com/2012/05/23/35-mind-numbing-youtube-facts-figures-and-statistics-infographic/“. (Accessed: 15 Jan 2016).

Chawla, D. (2014) “The young vloggers and their fans who are changing the face of youth culture”. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/sep/28/vloggers-changing-future-advertising (Accessed: 6 January 2016).

Harley, N. (2014) “Hidden advertising by vloggers under the spotlight”. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/11255077/Hidden-advertising-by-vloggers-under-the-spotlight.html (Accessed: 17 January 2016).

Lynch, A. (2014) “ASA rules top vloggers like Zoella must tell fans when they’re being paid to advertise”. Available at: http://metro.co.uk/2014/11/26/asa-rules-top-vloggers-like-zoella-must-tell-fans-when-theyre-being-paid-to-advertise-4963669/ (Accessed: 17 January 2016).

Patel, S. (2014) “Why Video Games and YouTube Are a Perfect Match”. Available at: http://www.thevideoink.com/features/special-issue-tag/video-games-youtube-perfect-match/#.VpJvvZN95E4 (Accessed: 10 January 2016).

Siu, E (2014) “Looking For New Ways To Reach Customers? Try YouTube Advertising”. Available at: http://www.forbes.com/sites/theyec/2014/05/08/looking-for-new-ways-to-reach-customers-try-youtube-advertising/#2715e4857a0b4b08a3f77add (Accessed: 15 January 2016).

YouTube (n.d.) “How ads work on YouTube”. Available at: https://creatoracademy.withgoogle.com/page/lesson/ad-types?hl=en#yt-creators-strategies-4 (Accessed: 16 January 2016). 

Entry 8: VidCon & Our Revolutionised Culture

Question 6 - Identify a form of digital culture (e.g. leet speak, memes, Youtube unboxing videos, glitch art, cyberbullying) that also has a distinct local or regional characteristic. Trace its history and using notable artefact(s), explain how this digital culture may be of significance to designers. 

Hello again..

My lecturer told us not to do last minute work, yet, here I am, writing the third post in a day. But don’t get me wrong, I’ve done my research beforehand and knew what to write about. So yeah I’m just writing and combining facts that I’ve found (you may think this as an excuse but I SWEAR ITS NOT).

Ok moving on,

I have explained how YouTubers can bring communities together in my previous posts. Well, Hank and John Green (They are YouTubers known as Vlogbrothers and they are legit brothers) (Yes it is THE John Green. The famous author) took it to the next level!!! They wanted to bring YouTube creators and their online communities together in real life and that is how VIDCON was BORN. The first VidCon was held in year 2010.

VidCon is a convention where the ‘fans’ get to meet their favourite YouTuber, it’s also a networking opportunity and a form of celebration (Siede, 2014). YouTubers are also invited to give speeches about everything from their life experiences to their success and such. DO YOU SEE IT? Our society, the way we educate and entertain are being REVOLUTIONISED.

So, Is this revolutionised culture good or bad? Will the world favour YouTubers so much to a point where everything goes out of hand and our culture will be meaningless a.k.a. destroyed? Or is there a bigger, brighter and more powerful community ahead of us that can make unknown impossibilities possible? Also, as a designer, will this Vlogging Culture benefit you in any way?? (to be continued..)

I’m gonna leave this post to it just being about VidCon and some questions I thought about for now.

Ta-ta

References:

Siede, C. (2014) “YouTube stars create communities, not fans” Available at: http://www.avclub.com/article/youtube-stars-create-communities-not-fans-205939 (Accessed: 6 January 2016).

Entry 7: What makes the UK Vloggers so special?

Question 6 - Identify a form of digital culture (e.g. leet speak, memes, Youtube unboxing videos, glitch art, cyberbullying) that also has a distinct local or regional characteristic. Trace its history and using notable artefact(s), explain how this digital culture may be of significance to designers. 

HI.

Before moving on to anything, I just want to clarify one thing.

Most of the most-watched/popular vloggers are mainly from the UK and the US.

Here are some of the most popular vloggers from the UK:

Tanya Burr

 Jim Chapman

Marcus Butler

Casper Lee

Joe Sugg a.k.a ThatherJoe

Alfie Deyes a.k.a PointlessBlog

Zoe Sugg a.k.a Zoella

Louise Pentland a.k.a Sprinklerino

Louis Cole a.k.a FunforLouis

Phil Lester a.k.a AmazingPhil

And here are some of the most popular Vloggers from the US:

Shane Dawson

Tyler Oakley

Jenna Marbles

Trisha Paytas

Ryan Higa a.k.a NigaHiga

 Grace Helbig

Hannah Hart

Bf vs Gf

Joey Graceffa

Michelle Phan

Vloggers that walk around, holding up a camera throughout the day, documenting their lives on a daily basis are widely known in the UK. If you were to type in “most influential vloggers” in the google search bar, all of the results are mostly UK-related. 

If you have never watched any of the UK Vloggers’ vlogs, you’re probably clueless about their lifestyle like who they’re friends with, what are their favourite foods are etc. etc. Well then, here’s a fun fact.

In the UK, most of the YouTubers/Vloggers are either related or they’re really close friends. For example, Zoe Sugg and Joe Sugg are siblings, Alfie Deyes is the boyfriend of Zoe, Tanya Burr and Jim Chapman are a married couple, Casper Lee and Joe Sugg are housemates and best friends and the list goes on. They are all close to each other; they are like a big big family. What’s more? They are also joining the communities that they individually have. Everyone in the world are JOINT WOW.

Have you ever wonder, why are the UK vloggers getting so much attention compared to the other vloggers out there, somewhere..?

I came across this site that caught my attention and it’s entitled: Only a third of UK's top 10 most influential YouTuber's traffic originates in the UK. It is stated in the site that UK YouTubers have an international advantage over non-english speakers because people from all over the world prefer YouTubers from this region… also because of their accent (McCarthy, 2015). Well, the British accent is voted as the sexiest accent in the world so.. (Singh, 2015).

It was also concluded that only 34% of the viewers are from the UK, and the rest are from all over the world (McCarthy, 2015).

Another reason in my opinion is because the UK vloggers are literally like a legit family. They are so close and so caring of one another it makes it so enjoyable to watch their vlogs. Sometimes, they’d do collaborations, which means they invite another vlogger/YouTuber and do fun/entertaining stuff together that put a smile on the viewers’ faces. By doing this, they are also merging isolated communities into a whole, making everyone feel like they are an important part of their lives, making every one of the individual souls feel like they belong. Maybe that’s why, it is the invisible connection they have with their viewers. 

Well, that’s it for this blog post. These are not really very important information. It’s just for you to have a better understanding of the YouTubers’ world. That’s if you are clueless about it.

References:

McCarthy, J. (2015) “Only a third of UK's top 10 most influential YouTuber's traffic originates in UK”. Available at: http://www.thedrum.com/news/2015/10/23/only-third-uks-top-10-most-influential-youtubers-traffic-originates-uk (Accessed: 8 January 2016).

Singh, A. (2015) “British accent is more attractive than French, says survey”. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/11399001/British-accent-is-more-attractive-than-French-says-survey.html (Accessed: 13 January 2016).

Entry 6: The Vlogging Culture

Question 6 - Identify a form of digital culture (e.g. leet speak, memes, Youtube unboxing videos, glitch art, cyberbullying) that also has a distinct local or regional characteristic. Trace its history and using notable artefact(s), explain how this digital culture may be of significance to designers. 

HI.

Now that I’ve explained about the History of YouTube which is also the origin of YouTubers, hopefully my explanation was good, I will now talk about…

The Vlogging Culture (!!!)

We live in a world where everything revolves around the Internet. The Internet is a very powerful tool where it can influence and shape human behaviour and our culture such as the way we communicate and interact with one another, the way we source for information to satisfy our imaginations and curiosities or for any other purposes at all. The unknown is no longer available because whatever that is present is available on the Internet which is available to us, the users (Bagchi, Narula, Sengupta, n.d.). 

INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE WORLDWIDE AND IS ONLY ONE CLICK AWAY 

Ok so moving on, Vlogging is very known and done in the western countries that are influenced by the European culture. It is short for Video Blog or Video Log which is a form of blog but with video as the medium, and it’s also a form of web television (Pilkington, 2009). Local YouTubers such as JinnyboyTV, name wee and Naomi Neo are now vlogging as well because whether you like it or not, we are all influenced by the western culture, or even, the culture that everyone in the world is influenced by. 

JinnyboyTV

name wee

 

Naomi Neo

But how did Vlogging even started in the first place?

It all dates back to January 2, 2000, before YouTube was even invented, Adam Contras uploaded a video on his blog to keep his family and friends updated on his cross-country trip to LA (reposted on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Op65qkWxqBY) That was the first video uploaded and is now the longest series of vlogs (Wikipedia, 2016). Vlogging is a way to share your thoughts and feelings on the internet and since 2005, YouTube provides that, FOR FREE because before then, posting videos on the internet was expensive. Since then, Vlogging has increased in popularity and has become a massively popular form of entertainment (The Chicks Life - Daily Family Vlogs, 2015).

My next question is, why would anyone put so much time into watching someone else’ life when they could be doing something even better?! Why do vlogs get so many views when it doesn’t really benefit you in anything but instead, it’s a form of procrastination? Honestly, we all ask that, but we all do what we questioned too, how ridiculous haha. First of being, ENTERTAINMENT. Not gonna lie, watching someone whom you admire live their daily life IS very entertaining. There are so many vloggers who make interesting vlogs on YouTube and that just mean spending more time watching more vlogs but the reason for why humans like watching vlogs is because of the connection between the YouTuber and the viewers. When they invite you into their private lives or when you feel like you know them to a certain extend or when you feel like there’s a one on one interaction between you and the YouTuber, that forms a connection. We as humans strive for connection and with vlogging, it creates a possibility to connect with people from all over the world. This is what sets vlogging apart from any other form of entertainment. HUMAN CONNECTION.

Another reason for why people watch vlogs is because it is an escape from reality. Just like how sometimes you’d go on a shopping spree and spend a lot on stuff you don’t really need or eat tons and tons of junks when you’re not hungry because temporary happiness block off the stressful reality for awhile and that somehow feels good. Vlogging allows viewers to join another community. It brings people together and to be a part of their lives, to be a part of something different, bigger and better. 

Everything written on the above are the bright and positive side to vlogs, vlogging, vloggers, viewers and such that are involved in the vlogging culture. But is there a down side to it? Well yes of course, there is always a down side to everything, its only a matter of how severe it is. I feel like I have so much more to say, therefore I’ll see you in my next post! 

tqvmgoodbye, goodnight.

References:

Bagchi, J., Narula, M., Sengupta, S. (n.d.) “NO ONE IS IMMUNE TO THE STORMS THAT SHAKE THE WORLD”. Available at: https://edge.org/responses/how-is-the-internet-changing-the-way-you-think (Accessed: 11 January 2016).

The Chick’s Life - Daily Family Vlogs (2015) “Why do Millions of people watch vlogs? A History Of Vlogging & YouTube”. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=keEdvNZfMKQ (Accessed: 5 January 2016).

Pilkington, E. (2009) “Merriam-Webster releases list of new words to be included in dictionary”. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/jul/09/merriam-webster-dictionary-new-words (Accessed: 5 January 2016).

Wikipedia (2016) “Video Blog”. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_blog (Accessed: 5 January 2016).

Entry 5: YouTubers. What are thoseee

Question 6 - Identify a form of digital culture (e.g. leet speak, memes, Youtube unboxing videos, glitch art, cyberbullying) that also has a distinct local or regional characteristic. Trace its history and using notable artefact(s), explain how this digital culture may be of significance to designers. 

Aloha! I hope your day has been as beautiful as you are and.. ok I’m just gonna to jump right into it.

So, there’s a term for people who make videos on Youtube and it’s called, YouTubers! And yes, that is the topic of discussion for today. 

You might be wondering, what are YouTubers? But the chances are low because almost everyone who is familiar with YouTube knows what YouTubers are. Well anyway, If you type ‘YouTubers’ in the search bar of google images, this is the first image that appears. 

You may or may not recognise these iconic faces but they are YouTubers. First of all, ‘YouTuber’ is not even a word that is present in dictionaries. The fact that it is known globally says a lot about their importance and sensitivity in the YouTube community. YouTubers are not only content creators on Youtube, they also create communities. Most of them do not aim to make fans and become celebrities but instead, they see their viewers as a broader community of people with similar ideas and interests and values. They try to connect with them as if the YouTuber themselves, are part of the community. Just like Jim Chapman (a YouTuber) put it, “The moment I start getting too big for my boots and begin separating myself from my audience will be the moment they feel alienated. I think that is the uniqueness and the beauty of my relationship with my audience: I wasn’t cast by a big production company; they picked me.” (Siede, 2014).

So yeah, basically they are the people who make videos on YouTube. YouTubers make all sorts of videos that the viewers find entertaining such as gaming videos, which comes second on the most viewed category with 14.8% of all uploads to YouTube be video games related (Patel, 2014). One of the most popular gaming channel is called ‘PewDiePie’. They are also known as the channel who surpassed YouTube’s own channel to become the most subscribed channel on YouTube with over 41 million subscribers. 

With gaming being known as a male-dominating category on YouTube, a female-dominating category would be Beauty such as makeup, nail art, workouts etc.(Blattberg, 2015). One of the most popular YouTube channel on How To’s (tutorials or DIYs) and Beauty is Yuya. Although I can’t quite understand her because she speaks Spanish, but she has almost 13 million subscribers so that definitely put her name in lights. And also she is gorgeous.

Coming in second, but is still known as one of the most influential women in the world, especially in Britain, is Zoella (Gavin, 2015). Her subscribers are reaching 10 million in no time. 

There are also many many other YouTubers on this endless list but i’m not going to go into the details, it’ll take forever. Some other popular categories on YouTube are Prank videos, Music Covers, Entertainment and celebrities, Rants, Vlogging and so on. 

Vlogging is what I’ll be focusing on but this blog post is getting too long. I’ll end it here for now, goodbye my friends.

References:

Blattberg, E. (2015) “The demographics of YouTube, in 5 charts”. Available at: http://digiday.com/platforms/demographics-youtube-5-charts/ (Accessed: 10 January 2016).

Gavin, G. (2015) “Zoella is one of the most influential women in the world”. Available at: http://www.spin1038.com/page/1.32.68/19558/1/ (Accessed: 10 January 2016).

Patel, S. (2014) “Why Video Games and YouTube Are a Perfect Match”. Available at: http://www.thevideoink.com/features/special-issue-tag/video-games-youtube-perfect-match/#.VpJvvZN95E4 (Accessed: 10 January 2016).

Siede, C. (2014) ”YouTube stars create communities, not fans”. Available at: http://www.avclub.com/article/youtube-stars-create-communities-not-fans-205939 (Accessed: 6 January 2016).