Recently Twitter revealed that they would be discontinuing the app "Vine". This has been big news in the social media community due to the fact that there are many people who have made their careers through the app or used the app as a platform to launch their careers in other directions. These people include social media stars such as Andrew Bachelor -- "King Bach" --, LeLe Pons, Christian Delgrosso, Nash Grier, Gabbie Hanna -- "The Gabbie Show" -- and many more. None of these people thought this app would take them so far in life but many of them make their living off of social media.
YouTube is the biggest contender when it comes to a social media career. People are paid to crank out content no matter what it is, and they can monetize it by allowing ads to be played before their video. The more views and subscribers you receive, the more money you make. YouTube has been a career path stumbled upon by young people all over the world. A Majority of the ones I personally watch are based in America or England. However, there are people from a variety of countries who have made YouTube their primary source of income. Going back to the topic that started this article, many vine users have switched to YouTube which may play a role in why the app is being discontinued. There is a lot less activity on it than when it first started, unlike YouTube which now sees a whopping 500 hours of content uploaded every minute.
Most YouTubers monetize their videos but there are a few who have a massive following who also receive brand deals from companies who want them to advertise their products within their videos. Many people argue that social media is not a real career choice but I think the people making a living off of it would disagree. It may not be a choice everyone would make, and it definitely has its risks -- lose all of your viewers and you're done -- but there seem to be plenty of people who are doing just fine for themselves. The social media platform has led to many social media stars breaking into the acting world. You can see a few familiar faces from Vine and Youtube in the new Tyler Perry movie "BOO! A Madea Halloween", and many have written books --whether or not they were written well is up for debate because I personally have never read any of them -- or started podcasts to broaden their horizons. A few people who have made their name through YouTube and social media are Shane Dawson, Jenna Marbles, Zoe Sugg -- Zoella -- and Thomas Sanders. With the rise and fall of social media apps throughout the years it seems that the one that has stayed strong is YouTube.
Personally I wouldn't be able to handle the stress of wonder whether or not my channel would do well enough to produce enough money to live off of, plus I don't think I could handle having to come up with new content every week to keep it running - I'll never understand the people who are able to post something new everyday, but props to the people who have been able to turn social media into their career.
Here are a few of my favorite YouTube Channels that I watch semi-regularly when I have the time:
1. Shane Dawson
The OG YouTube channel, he has been making videos since the beginning of YouTube.
Check out his channel here
2. Jenna Marbles
Another throwback channel, I watched her videos all throughout high school and she's one of the biggest names on YouTube
Her channel can be found here
3. Joe Sugg
A YouTuber from across the pond, he is a British YouTuber who makes money off of random tag videos and basically making himself look like an idiot on the internet.
His channel can be found here
4. Jefree Starr
When he's not running his beauty guru channel he is running his own makeup line, if you're obsessed with makeup you definitely know who he is.
Check out his channel here
5. Gabbie Hanna
She started on vine and is best known for her Happy Camper and Me as a Parent vines, know she makes YouTube videos and vlogs every few days. She is one of the people who took the discontinuation of Vine to heart.
Her channel can be found here
These are just a few examples of people who have made social media their career or who have launched their careers using social media as a platform. Social media allows us to connect with millions of people at the click of a button which makes it the perfect place to gather a large following and fan-base, which is an opportunity that many have taken advantage of.
