YouTube: A Cultivated Anomaly
YouTube was founded in February of 2005 and has since taken off. In the fourteen years of its existence, YouTube has produced a number of A-List celebrities (ie. Justin Bieber, the Paul brothers, Shane Dawson, etc.) and has also produced a number of controversies that manage to weasel their way into mainstream news. With that, YouTubers and their fans have begun to have a different relationship than that of other celebrities who choose to be more orthodox in their practices (ie. staring in only professional films as opposed to daily vlogging), and the main difference is the recurring theme that the fans of these YouTubers have a feeling as if they know the vlogger on a more personal level than one that’s just behind two screens.
Origins & Evolutions
In March of 2005, three Paypal employees (Jawed Karim, Chad Hurley, and Steve Chen) attempted to find one of the biggest television controversy: the 2004 Super Bowl Halftime performance in which Justin Timberlake ripped open an article of Janet Jackson’s clothing to reveal her breast and nipple cover to the 143.6 million people watching the show. Finding a video that depicted the scandal proved to be no easy task, and the three men tossed around the idea of a site in which videos could be accessed easily, no matter where in the world the user was. After its first video post by Karim in April of 2005, YouTube became a worldwide sensation almost overnight. By late 2006, Google purchased the rights to YouTube and it is now considered to be one of Google’s subsidiaries.
The creation of YouTube birthed a new way to achieve fame: video logging (referred to as vlogging with the users being called vloggers). Unlike most mainstream celebrities, vloggers did not have to wait for a studio to edit and crop videos before they could release content. Vloggers were able to upload a video monthly, weekly, even daily if they so choose. The concept of vlogging rose in popularity that by 2010, the first ever VidCon took place in Los Angeles, California, in which popular vloggers were invited to meet and interact with their fanbases. While this convention started as an easy way to bring fans and their favorite vloggers together, it became the first step into breaking the orthodox relationships between fans and their idols.
Welcome to My Channel
In 2005, Jawed Karim uploaded the first ever video on YouTube titled Me At The Zoo. Fast forward fourteen years, and YouTube now has hundreds of millions of videos with hundreds ofthousands more being uploaded daily. The constant upload of new content on the site is enough to keep anyone busy, and Jennifer “Jenn” Bowers, 20, of Drexel University stands to be a prime example. On average, Jenn guesses she watches around ten to fifteen videos a day, and those videos range from makeup tutorials to conspiracy theories to everything else in between.
The Mind of Jake Paul
The first round of videos that I had Jenn Bowers talk about was a docu-series conducted by Shane Dawson. Dawson’s first video upload was in March of 2008, and he has since risen to be one of the most popular and influential vloggers. The particular docu-series that I questioned Jenn on was of Shane Dawson dissecting and analyzing the actions and drama that surrounded Jake Paul, someone who had risen to fame on the now-deactivated app Vine and stayed in the spotlight by starring on Disney Channel’s original show Bizaardvark and vlogging the various activities and shenanigans he and his friends (donned Team 10) on YouTube.
The docu-series had a generally split opinion: most people approved of the series while others thought the series to be inconsiderate in the fact that Shane Dawson seemed to be diagnosing Jake Paul as a sociopath when Dawson 1. had zero abilities to properly diagnose someone and 2. had little to no interactions with Paul, which then made 3. people believe Dawson to be making light of a very serious situation.
While the video not only brought to light the seriousness and (astonishingly enough) large number of diagnosed sociopaths, it also brought to light a relationship between vloggers and their fans. With the new waves of information coming out about Jake Paul that many people did not know before, opinions began to form around not just Jake Paul, but his brother, Logan, their family, and Shane Dawson.
In my interview with Jenn Bowers, the first thing I noticed was the casualness in which she addressed the issues. One of the questions I had asked dealt with whether or not the docu-series influenced or changed her perception of the parties involved, and she responded with, “it made me like him (Dawson) more and hate them (Paul Brothers) more).” While her opinion is one that many people hold, it was still alarming at the casualness in which she said it.
In order to speak so boldly of someone, I’ve always been a firm believer you have to know them on a more personal level. The details of the Paul brothers and Shane Dawson are ones that remain to be surface level, as there was little revealed to the public that wasn’t already known. The clips Dawson chose to show Jake Paul’s past actions were ones that were pulled directly off of his (Paul) social media accounts. While Jake Paul remains to be more of a teen heartthrob and out of touch with most of the other people his age, it still remains to be alarming at the influence that another YouTuber would have on his persona to the general public.
A Bad Foundation: Tati Westbrook vs. James Charles
With the issues and opinions on Jake Paul and Shane Dawson being so heavily biased, the next round of questions I had for Jenn Bowers revolved around a topic I knew she had more of a neutral stance on. At the tender age of seventeen, James Charles uploaded his first video onto YouTube. Fast forward two years, and James Charles’ fanbase and popularity increased so much that he received an invitation and attended the 2019 Met Gala.
James Charles’ rise in popularity could be heavily credited to thirty-seven year old Tati Westbrook. As a content creator and an owner of makeup lines, Westbrook mentored Charles’ career as a YouTube influencer and even helped him enough that he was able to release his own line of makeup.
However, all came crashing down when James Charles promoted Tati Westbrook’s competitor, Sugar Bear Hair, on his Instagram story. Westbrook responded to the insult by posting a video in which she spoke about being hurt and betrayed by someone she held close to her, and the effect was immediate. While Westbrook never explicitly stated Charles to be the cause of her sorrows, the fans sleuthed and pieced together that he had betrayed her and took matters into their own hands. Within seventy-two hours, Charles lost three million subscribers on YouTube, the Kardashians unfollowed him on Instagram, and #JamesCharlesIsOverParty trended on Twitter.
While the matter was one that I remained unfamiliar with, the feud trended enough that I knew the gist of it: there was an offense of some sort that caused a widespread storm of people to react. One of the major issues I saw with this was the extreme actions that many people took. In order to show support of a side, people unfollowed, unsubscribed, undid everything that they saw fit to declare whose side they were on. When asked what she thought, Jenn believed that the feud was badly handled, but she also had always seen James Charles and Tati Westbrook to be dramatic as well as problematic, and the public disagreement just proved that to her.
Youtube Culture: A Song
The final task I had lined up for Jenn Bowers was to watch a video I knew she would most likely be unfamiliar with: YouTube Culture: A Song. The video was uploaded in 2016 by Jon Cozart, a YouTuber who had attended several VidCons as a performer and had also risen in status enough to be voted “King of the Web” in 2011.
The video is one of the many collaborations Cozart does on his channel, but this particular video has him singing about the flaws and dangers of YouTubers and their fans. His lyrics poke fun at the fact that many viewers think they know their favorite vloggers offline, even if the videos are just five minutes in length. YouTube Culture: A Song is a little under four minutes in length, and the song itself is under three minutes (the extra minute depicts the YouTubers drinking from a bottle labeled Kool-Aid, in reference to the 1978 Jonestown Massacre/Suicide).
Throughout the video, Jenn bounced along to the catchy tune that Cozart composed, and at one point was able to sing along to the chorus. Once the song finished, I asked her what she thought of the song. Her response was that it was surprisingly catchy, though she wasn’t entirely sure what the Kool-Aid at the end had to do with the lyrics (which I then explained the Jonestown Massacre/Suicide to her). I then made a point of showing that the video was released in March of 2016, over three years ago. Once that point was made, I asked if she believed the lyrics were still relevant to the present-day relationships and false friendships that YouTubers have cultivated to their fans. After a brief moment, Jenn determined that the lyrics were still relevant today, however, there were still aspects of the song that she didn’t necessarily agree with (as she believed the song to be taking the extreme of every scenario and normalizing it).
Don’t Forget to Subscribe
At the conclusion of the interview, I determined several factors. The overall theme of it being that the relationship between YouTubers and their fans has always been one that differs from that of mainstream celebrities and their fans. And while many fans of mainstream celebrities do defend their idols to the end, the extent that fans will go to for YouTubers is much farther given that the YouTubers are able to publish videos depicting their feelings and finding ways to make fans empathize with them more (while mainstream celebrities can use YouTube to vocalize their own feelings, many resort to Twitter or Instagram to speak out, which makes it much harder to empathize with written words than with an actual face). The relationship that’s cultivated between YouTubers and their viewers is one that needs to be addressed with more sincerity, especially since so many followers tend to blur the lines between the YouTuber being an idol and the YouTuber being a friend
References
Alexander, J. (2019, May 19). Tati Westbrook and James Charles’ New Videos Are A Lesson On How to Placate YouTube’s Wildest Fans. Retrieved from https://www.theverge.com/2019/5/19/18629183/tati-westbrook-james-charles-youtube-fans-drama
Audichya, M. (2017, July 4). Who Founded Youtube? Retrieved from https://www.quora.com/Who-founded-Youtube
Cozart, J. [Paint]. (2016, March 31). YouTube Culture: A Song. [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9yS1muZPW4
Cozart, J. [PaintPrime]. (2011 Nov. 20). Dancing King. [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6tKSwfTYGo
Hernandez, P. (2018, Oct. 17). Shane Dawson’s Jake Paul Series Is Really About YouTube’s
Broken Heart. Retrieved from https://www.theverge.com/2018/10/17/17984304/shane-dawson-jake-paul-documentary-crisis-youtube
Interview Guide
Main Question:
- How much YouTube videos do you think you watch on average per day?
James Charles/Tati Westbrook:
- Have you ever watched a Tati Westbrook and/or a James Charles video?
- How much information do you know on Westbrook and/or Charles?
- In your honest opinion, do you think that Tati Westbrook was just in exposing James Charles?
- Does the James Charles/Tati Westbrook feud change your opinion on YouTubers and makeup brands?
- Do you think that this feud is something that should have been taken as personally as many people and fans have or do you see it as something that isn’t and wasn’t a big deal?
Logan Paul/Jake Paul/Shane Dawson:
- Have you ever watched a Logan Paul and/or Jake Paul and/or Shane Dawson video?
- How much information do you know about Logan Paul and/or Jake Paul and/or Shane Dawson?
- In your honest opinion, do you think that Shane Dawson doing a docuseries on whether or not the Paul brothers, and specifically, Jake Paul, being sociopaths was a just?
- Did the docuseries on Jake Paul change your perception on Dawson or either of the Paul brothers?
- Do you think that the docuseries on Jake Paul potentially being a sociopath should have exploded into an internet sensation as much as it had or do you think that it was overrated?
- Prior to Shane Dawson’s docuseries coming out, have you ever watched a Jake Paul or Logan Paul video?
Overall:
- Does the video above change your overall views on YouTubers and their fans?
- Do you feel that YouTubers have a different connection to their fans than what the more mainstream media celebrities have?
- Do you feel that YouTubers and their fan bases have a false sense of friendships between one another due to the fact most YouTubers upload almost daily, which as a result makes fans believe they’re a part of the YouTuber’s personal life?
- This video came out in 2016. Do you think the lyrics still apply?
"YouTube Culture: A Song"
I'm a famous clown in a flower crown
My friends are dictated by similar subscriber counts
My channel takes you through my bedroom routine
It's just between you and me and a hundred thousand other tweens
Don't care for money, don't care about the fame
I'm just collabing with my friends, though I only know their screen names
After five minutes a week you think you know me offline
I exploit fandoms for a bottom line
I...conjure fame with challenge vids and
I...play drinking games to target kids and
I hope Lucifer will sell me a selfie stick in hell, wheeee
Welcome, welcome to the YouTube Culture
The YouTube Cult
Hey guys, I'm on tour, so tug on mommy's hair
If she pays two hundred bucks you can meet-and-greet a millionaire
Ha, ha, hopping town to town in my first class flight
Which you kinda paid for when you bought my book I didn't write
YouTubers had morals back in 2011
More virgins were at VidCon than in Al-Qaeda heaven
Now we're snorting lines of cinnamon, copycat cashin' in
Quality to quantity, it's Kubrick to Kardashian
I...idolize your idle eyes and
I...'m monetizing kissing guys and
I won't come out the closet till I've got something to sell about it, whoo
Welcome, welcome to my YouTube Lifestyle
YouTube Lie
Welcome, welcome to the YouTube Culture
The YouTube Cult
There's a mystery to being at the top
People think I'm divine (ohhh)
But the truth is, we're not heroes
We just play some online
5, 6, 7
I'm like Hercules or Thor with a slightly slimmer bod
Cause, yeah, I'm just a normal guy but also I'm a God
So I didn't write my book, Jesus didn't write the Bible
I spread my message through the world with twelve-year-old disciples
I got more slave followers than Moses at the Red Sea
They purchase my biography, despite the fact I'm twenty-three
So love me, and I'll love you more
Cause I love the way you love me, my church is a merch store
I...'m privileged, white, and rich, and male and
You...are not, so worship at my YouTube sale
I put the "I" in "defy" and suddenly you deify me
Welcome, welcome to the YouTube Sensation
The YouTube Sin
Welcome, welcome to my YouTube Lifestyle
YouTube Lie
Welcome, welcome, na-nohh
Welcome, welcome, na-nohh
Welcome, welcome
I said welcome to the YouTube Cult
Cheers!
One Minute Verbatim Transcription
Interviewee: Jennifer Bowers
Interviewer: Camille Holzbauer
Date of Interview: May 20, 2019
Location of Interview: Apartment 812
List of Acronyms: JB = Jennifer Bowers, IN = Interviewer
[Begin Transcript at 00:00:20]
IN: On average, how many YouTube videos do you think you watch per day?
JB: Oh ... probably like, ten to fifteen?
IN: Ten to fifteen, alright. Awesome. Have you ever watched Tati Westbrook or James Charles?
JB: Yes.
IN: What information do you know about either one of them?
JB: They’re problematic. That’s all I know.
IN: They’re problematic.
JB: Yes.
IN: Anything else?
JB: And they’re dramatic. And do most things for views in my opinion.
IN: Alright. In your honest opinion, do you think that Tati Westbrook was just in exposing James Charles?
JB: No.
IN: May you elaborate?
JB: I think that both sides of the argument were valid, but I think that she should have handled the matter privately instead of having the whole world watch them, because that just makes things worse.
IN: Alright, did the James Charles/Tati Westbrook feud change your opinion on YouTubers and makeup brands in general?
JB: No, I already thought that the whole community was not good, and that just reinforced my opinion.
IN: Alright, so kinda follows one of your answers earlier. Do you think that the feud is something that should have been taken as personally by viewers as it has, or do you think it wasn’t as big of a deal as people have made it to be?
JB: Um, I think that it was a big deal because the YouTubers decided to involved their audience.
IN: Alright, awesome. Now, are you familiar with Logan Paul, Jake Paul, and/or Shane Dawson?
JB: Yes.
IN: Have you ever watched any of their videos?
JB: Yes.
IN: All three? Two of the three? Just one?
JB: All of the three.
IN: And then, how much information do you know about them?
JB: I know the stuff that, um, Shane Dawson mentioned in his documentaries But other than that, I don’t know anything.
IN: Alright, in your honest opinion, do you think that Shane Dawson doing a docuseries on whether or not the Paul brothers, and specifically, Jake Paul, are sociopaths was just?
JB: Yeah.
IN: Can you explain why?
JB: Because they were terrible people that were influencing young viewers and their actions needed to be brought to light because they’re influencing people that are too young.
IN: Did the docuseries change your perception on the Pauls or Shane Dawson at all?
JB: It made me like Shane Dawson even more and it made me hate the Paul brothers even more.
IN: Do you think that it’s appropriate that the docuseries on Jake Paul got as much attention as it did, or do you think that it was overhyped?
JB: No, I think it got enough attention considering how big both of their platforms are.
IN: Alright, so now I need you watch a video.
JB: Okie.
IN: Have you ever heard of Jon Cozart before?
JB: I’ve heard his name the past few days, but I don’t know who he is.
IN: Alright, so basically, he came out with a video called YouTube Culture: A Song.
[End Transcript at 00:04:25]
