Youtube has been constantly changing and evolving from the times when people would put up simple covers of songs, to beauty and DIY channels, to the new craze-gaming on Twitch. More recently, YouTuber and twin Niki DeMartino has started a new series called "The Truth About". Up until this point, many creators were perceived as perfect people with perfect lives, which not only was damaging to viewers and their own self-confidence and image but also proved challenging for these YouTubers who felt a need to maintain this air of perfection.
In the first video of this powerful series, Niki herself faces the extremely scary reality of opening up about her own difficulty with an eating disorder. Probably one of the most important parts of this video is that she acknowledges that her journey to recovery is still ongoing. Many people who speak about these personal issues do not open up until they feel completely ready and as if this challenge is in the past. If the series had opened up with an interview of anyone else, it would not have been as effective. Instead, Niki reveals the difficulties she faced last year and leading up to this point before she herself became the interviewer.
She goes on to interview several more people, and these interviews feel incredibly authentic and genuine without any clear scripted direction. Each person who feels encouraged to do the "Truth About" series with Niki speaks about what they personally feel ready to talk about, and what they believe the viewers will benefit most from hearing about their personal journey. The videos that she has done so far do not serve merely as a way to "break down the wall" between creator and viewer, which they clearly manage to do successfully, but they also initiate an open conversation about these struggles of appearance, identity, and self-worth.
Before this point, some people would open up about a struggle in the form of a personal video or vlog. Simply the setup of this series alone creates the dynamic of a thoughtful conversation where Niki, the "interviewer" speaks for the audience with a few guiding questions, but a majority of the video allows for the person opening up to share their story the way that they feel comfortable doing so.
Why is this important? Beyond the youtube world, people tend to have trouble realizing that many other people are going through similar personal challenges and struggles as they are dealing with. Beyond YouTubers and celebrities, this series has sparked a conversation that is challenging but critical for people to have about insecurities and other personal issues.
Personally, I'd prefer this series highlighting insecurities and how other people are battling to overcome them over any other "life hack" or "clothing haul" video that seems prevalent on the internet. In the same way that Odyssey articles have the potential to spark up the conversation about issues that many people today are faced with, such as eating disorders, anxiety, depression, and conflicts of identity. Hearing people open up about these problems is the first step in working towards awareness and hopefully a more thoughtful society catering to the emotional needs and wellbeing of people faced with these challenges.
