YouTube : It's Power

He angled his camera towards his brown sofa, the light reflectors highlighting the undertones in his skin. He hit the record button. “Well hello everybody, my name is Tyler Oakley!” pulsated around him as he began filming his next video.

He is a YouTuber.

YouTubers are just like regular people, they live normal lives, go through normal things but the only difference is that they film it, often talking to a camera, doing tutorials, putting up little skits, doing challenges and or even making short films. But what makes it so unique, what makes it so much better than actors on the big screen? How is it that a person you have never met, one you only see through a computer screen can impact you in the most significant way, change your personality, change your life?

For many, YouTube is really the first site to search for videos online. Whether it be a video about the latest political election, a funny cat video or a tv show, Youtube has it all. It all started when three men, Chad Hurley, Steve Chen, and Jawed Karim were looking for videos online but had terrible difficulty in finding them so they created YouTube, intended for sharing videos but has grown and evolved to much more. It is a special place, to some, their own Hogwarts where they can express themselves in an unprecedented way. YouTube isn’t just a place for outcasts making videos, contrary to what most people think. It focuses on real issues and it gives people something to relate to and has enough potential to be huge.

For an expert testimony, this reporter referenced Susan Wojcicki, the current CEO of Youtube who has said YouTube has been putting more and more effort into getting the YouTube community more popular saying, ‘YouTube personalities are well known to their audience but not to other people” and also explained on how and why she wants to change that. She makes it clear that YouTube has a lot of power and it certainly gives “a voice to people who would otherwise not have one” which ties into what YouTuber Bethany Mota had to say about her journey on YouTube, she talked about how it really did give her a platform to voice her thoughts for when she didn’t have that.

In the UK, a poll held by Tesco Mobile found that nearly a third of the population aged 16-25 watch YouTubers at least twice a week. Another survey revealed that 15 out of 22 middle schoolers say that they watch Youtube on an everyday basis and 11 out of the 15 say that these YouTubers have affected them in some way or the other. This information reveals that growth of the YouTube community is truly life changing and it definitely has the power to impact more lives.

Another survey conducted by Variety magazine found that YouTube celebrities are more appealing to Americans, aged 13 to 18 more that mainstream Hollywood stars revealing that The similarity between YouTubers and their viewers is the lifestyle they both share and that’s what makes them appealing. They share their life, their past, their thoughts and it almost feels like having a best friend who you haven’t actually met.

“These people have such a strong connection with their audience, and that just isn’t possible if you’re starring in a Hollywood hit every two or three months,” says Ben McOwen Wilson, the director of content partnership for YouTube EMEA, “There is no genuine personal connection with the audience, which is what it takes to be successful on YouTube.” Whether they vlog or film their whole day, or use social media, these YouTubers connect with their viewers on a daily basis, talk to them and do anything in their power to meet them- something that separates them from celebrities.

You may now think that YouTube is a place for uncultured slobs making crazy weird videos but give them a chance. But, quite the contrary, one Youtuber in particular that has impacted the whole Youtube community is Tyler Oakley, a 25-year old man with almost 6 million subscribers and over 250 million views. He is not just a YouTuber but also is an advocate for The Trevor Project, which is a suicide prevention project specifically orientated to gays, a project for which Tyler raised $250,000. Being an openly gay YouTuber, he always voices his opinion on gay rights and equal rights for all. So you see? YouTube can do things, it can change lives, it can promote well-being and it can be a safety suit for people to fall on when they’re down.

Give them the time of day because the amount of hard work, creativity and love that goes into these videos is unimaginable. Watch their content, theres nothing you can lose from it but theres a lot to gain. The journey that YouTube has taken and given is incredible and deserves to be recognized. “We’re just getting started with YouTube and its potential,” said Omid Kordestani, Google’s chief business officer.

There’s a lot of talk of YouTube possibly being the next television, who knows? Maybe in a few years time, you’ll be watching YouTubers on a weekly basis.

By Urja