YouTube is a platform of social media that millions have been watching for years for various purposes: entertainment, tutorials on basic everyday things, and even the news. However, recently in the YouTube world there has been a rise of vloggers. The idea of a vlog is that it is like a blog, but in video form. Vloggers essentially record themselves all day doing basic everyday things such as grocery shopping, cleaning their house, or even putting makeup on for viewers to see.
Along with this new genre of video for YouTubers to create, the fascination of how YouTubers make money has also been an intriguing thing for avid YouTube watchers. Vlogging has opened a whole new window for people to watch leading to a new way for the YouTubers to make money. When asked about whether or not senior, Annie Warner was aware of how YouTubers make money and how much she said, “I have heard that it is an obscenely large amount of money, but I have no idea beyond that on how they do it or the exact number.”
For a sustainable career, content creators are advised to attempt achieving 4,000 hours of watchtime within a 12-month period and at least 1,000 subscribers. Channels such as TheOfficialLogan Paul, gamers Evan Fong (VanoossGaming), and Dude Perfect are among some of the top earnings on YouTube all greater than $10 million.
For channels that pick up speed and even achieve one million subscribers, the constant demand for new content, upkeep with brands, and the fact that they are making a decent living can cause some emotional and mental stressors that could have very negative long-term effects.
A report done by the University of Michigan gives several reasons are given as to why becoming a YouTuber, and specifically vlogging, could have drastic consequences. Two of the main fears were the narcissistic nature that YouTube can create.
Ultimately, the Youtubers’ channels are a reflection of the their own lives and can often publicly track a YouTubers problems overtime. There are also many channels that claim to be about social networking, but are only used for self-advertisement and showing off the extravagant life YouTubers could be living.
In close relation to narcissism, another fear the report mentions is the dissolution of real world interaction with such a heavy connection with the digital world. Many critics say that through social media it allows humans to fully connect and obtain this “virtual family” that YouTubers may not have anywhere else. The drive to always striving to get more money and status from videos that are posted online will definitely start to have some narcissistic and selfish tendencies.
With all the negative effects that being a YouTuber could have, why do many people still watch and want to be a YouTuber? Pleasant Valley junior Addie Even says, “I love watching students at our school YouTube such as Clarence (a freshman) who makes me laugh and makes my day better. His videos make me laugh so hard I cry! His content is so refreshing compared to the other things on YouTube.”
As teenagers see the success of these YouTubers, there could be a desire to become a social media influencer so that the same level of lifestyle can be achieved. Many famous social media stars barely finished high school and are still making minimum $500,000 a year. Little do teens know of the negative effects that recording yourself almost all day everyday could have on your brain and the social interactions around you.
