It would be hard to imagine that someone who appears on a screen, can make anyone who might have felt so insignificant in what seemed to be an infinite world, feel so special. Youtube used to be something for families to share not-so-private home videos but overtime matured into a viral online platform, which can now be used as a tool to earn money. More than 1 billion people visit youtube each month and over 6 billion hours are watched in a month- this is almost an hour of view time per person on earth. Never in history, has social media has been at it’s highest as this is the virtual age. But growing this extensively in such a rapid amount of time, how has it possibly impacted our already technology-obsessed generation?
An anonymous, girl, aged 13, tells us the story of how she got hooked onto Youtube after finally grasping the meaning of the videos posted on youtube- The house is quiet as the night exhales it’s gentle wind through the gap of an open window. A girl’s eyes well up with tears as she collapses onto the bed sinking into the mattress causing the comforter to puddle around the hunched outline of her trembling body. No one could know what she was going through. She places herself onto her chair and carefully raises the hinge of her laptop. Who could ever understand what she was going through? No one. Click, tap. Well, maybe someone now. Casually landing on Youtube, was something she went through before but this time, it was different. She finally understood it, what it meant to connect with someone through a video after a night of watching content. She finally found a person who understood her, Zoe Sugg. Through Zoe’s teenage years she had frequent anxiety and panic attacks but she overcame them and now helps people understand that it’s nothing to be ashamed of if they suffer from it. “She get’s it,” the girl thought, “Someone knows, finally.” Understanding Youtube and all it’s goodness is like opening a present. It may take some time to unwrap but once you open it all that time of processing and unravelling will be worth it; you get something that makes you happy because someone else put the effort to see a smile on your face. That’s what Youtube is, something that will always be there for you for the free price of a click away.
At any moment, any girl or boy can find any types videos about motivational speeches of inspiration or even tutorials on school lunches (if you needed them!) From beauty videos to gaming commentary, any person, even one with the most diverse and unique personality, will find some source of com for, laughter or clarity in at least one video as about 100 hours worth of ideas are uploaded every minute! Mainly, this is the compound reason people take so much interest into the videos of youtube, because the people uploading them are ordinary people you can relate and connect to; without knowing, the person making the videos you adore could be your next-door neighbour. Those who make YouTube videos for a living are called ‘Youtubers’ and some are even more adored than some celebrities. Viewers are infatuated with their geniality, humour and charisma. The fact you can find all these qualities in one short video online, feels like it will always be there to comfort you. Especially for those who feel rejected in reality, watching youtube is a brief escape from your life like how Harry Potter left his old life to venture into a lit where he felt like he belonged and was accepted.
Every year, Youtube holds a massive conventions for the devoted viewers of various Youtubers like Youtube Fanfest which took place May of 2014. People, predominantly girls aged 13 to 19, were rushing hastily to queue up in front of the bulging barricades pressed against each other. A smooth, velvet red carpet placed perfectly onto the cemented ground of Scape Playground. The fans, hyperly excited, were shaking on the little pieces of ground they claimed as their territory; the small chunk of space they had were surrounded by other viewers standing their ground making sure no one would take their area. Intense- the one word to describe the whole experience. Some of the girls perched themselves comfortably onto the floor waiting for nearly 6 hours under the scorching sun just for the 8pm video, which was the first show to be sold out by the ‘crazed’ fans. These people were dedicated to Youtube; they committed themselves to see the people who exhilarated them through a video, the people who impacted their lives for the better.
Not only is youtube a video-sharing platform but now has grown so massive, it has been used time and time again to change people’s lives. Bethany Mota, who is one of the most famous youtubers with over 7 million ‘motavators’ (her fans) in her arsenal, started youtube when she felt she had lost her voice as she was being cyber-bullied by people she thought were her friends; the rest is history. With over 550 million views collectively on her videos, she is taking the world by storm, from her beaming clothing line to being a contestant on season 19 of ‘Dancing with the Stars’, this teen superstar flipped her life around, making a name for herself all through Youtube. Tyler Oakley, another beloved youtuber who is one of the most ‘active’ LGBT community members, collaborated with Prizeo (.com) and raised half a million to donate to the Trevor Project which is a hotline people can call for advice about anything. ‘Prizeo' is an online fundraiser where celebrities can choose a charity of their choice and use the site to promote it and raise money for it; other Youtubers like Connor Franta and JacksGap (Jack and Finn Harries) has also worked with Prizeo and resulted in great success for both their chosen charities. Tyler has inspired dozens of lives not only through the Trevor Project, but also has built confidence in so many people who are still afraid to ‘come out of the closet’ and motivated them to know that they will be accepted no matter who you love. Tyler and Bethany were just normal people who found their voice online when they thought no one could hear them and decided to take their fame and use it to spark other people to find theirs. Just imagine how speaking up could change your life entirely.
xoxo,
aisyah
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