Jordyn Taylor states that YouTube "was founded on February 14, 2005" in the article, "The 10 Most Important Videos in YouTube History" on Observer.com. Since then, YouTube has become a revolutionary form of entertainment. Rather than watching an hour-long episode of "Orange Is The New Black," many people will spend an hour watching shorter, minutes-long videos on YouTube.
Much of YouTube is filled with funny clips of cats, dogs, babies and people doing ridiculous or hilarious things. However, as it grew in popularity it took on a new aspect. Individuals started their own channels based on their personal interests. Aspiring beauty gurus, comedians, musicians and many more uploaded videos of themselves doing their things. Vlogging, or video blogging, of day-to-day activities took off. The owners of channels grew massively in popularity and became much like any other celebrity, with millions of followers or more.
In the article, "Google's Best and Worst Acquisitions" on CNBC.com, writer Josh Lipton states that, "Google bought [YouTube] in 2006 for $1.65 billion. The price tag seemed high at the time, but YouTube has grown by leaps and bounds. The digital marketing firm eMarketer says YouTube raked in $5.6 billion in gross revenue last year alone." With the growing success and commercialization of YouTube, has come the growing attention to YouTube celebrities. Popular British beauty and lifestyle vlogger Zoe Sugg, has 8,601,826 subscribers on her YouTube channel, Zoella. And the site's most subscribed user is PewDiePie with 37,973,582 subscribers.
According to the article, "Survey: YouTube Stars More Popular Than Mainstream Celebs Among U.S. Teens," on Variety.com by Susanne Ault, states that according to a survey done by Variety, "the five most influential figures among Americans ages 13–18 are all YouTube faves, eclipsing mainstream celebs including Jennifer Lawrence and Seth Rogen."
Clearly there is something about these YouTube celebrities that makes them different. And that thing is their authenticity. Celebrities are generally seen acting as someone else in a movie or music video, fully done-up for the red carpet or in reality to be portrayed by tabloid magazines. However, YouTube celebrities, for the most part, have personal control over much of the content that is released about them. They produce and direct their own videos. They generally speak their honest opinions. Vlogging channels allow people to see YouTube celebrities as they are with makeup, without it, in a good mood or in a bad mood.
One of the most important aspects may be their honesty about their struggles. YouTubers Zoe Sugg and Kathleen Fuentes discuss their anxiety issues openly on their channels Zoella and MoreZoella, and KathleenLights and DaysOfOurLights, respectively. Alyx Weiss talks about how she has OCD on her channels, ayydubs and TheDailyDubs.
Oftentimes what is a genuine anxiety disorder is played off as mild anxiety or stress that can be reduced if someone would just take some time to calm down. Many people have not been able to find help for their mental issues or to help themselves, because mental issues are not often discussed openly or fully. Thankfully, such discussions have increased lately due to a variety of sources. One such source is certainly open — YouTubers. These celebrities are more genuine to their audiences to begin with, due to their very realistic and honest portrayal of themselves. Therefore, when these YouTubers open up about their issues, often in detail, individuals connect more deeply to them than they might with other celebrities. This can be an important relationship.
An individual who has an anxiety issue may feel less alone when he or she watches and listens to a YouTuber who has similar issues to him or her. That individual will see that although a YouTuber has anxiety, or some other issue, he or she can go out and be successful; anxiety and mental issues may create obstacles, but they are not completely hindering. Someone may even be inspired to get help or to help a loved one. It's difficult to realize, understand or accept that you have an issue that may require extra attention when those around you belittle that issue, or when celebrities gloss over their problems.
The honesty that the platform of YouTube has provided has allowed for massive, open widespread discussion of so many issues, including mental issues. It, and its celebrities, have provided a new kind of support and new kinds of role models for people across the world. Thanks to YouTubers like Zoe Sugg, Kathleen Fuentes, and Alyx Weiss, many are learning to accept and work on their issues and to understand that those issues won't stop them from doing everything they want to do. YouTube and its honest celebrities are taking their popularity and using it for good by doing their part to create a more accepting, open world.
