A love letter to small youtubers

Hi!

There's been a lot of talk about algorithms lately and it coaxed me into asking the question.

How did the first generation of youtubers feel when they started making Youtube videos? Back then, Youtube looked and felt completely different. If you asked me back then if I knew what Youtube was, I'd probably have said something along the lines of "PEANUT BUTTER BABY"

It wasn't a successful business yet, but a platform for anyone to share whatever it is they desired. I'm not here to give a history lesson about the good old golden days though, if you're interested I think Nomad did a pretty nice job in this video.

When I did come around eventually, some household names were already established. Matpat, Markiplier, DanTDM are a few examples that come to mind. There was a time when I came back from school to watch these guys on my TV screen. I'm sure I wasn't the only one. That is until it all changed.

The first generation isn't around like they used to anymore. Either moving to grander projects or pursuing new paths in life. They're no longer the quirky 20 year olds we used to watch. They've matured. And so have we.

W

Despite the horrendous efforts to bring itself down, Youtube remains on the top of the social media hierarchy for me. So naturally, I got to experience some awesome events like the beginnings of Mr beast, and the FNAF era and who can forget the severe lapse in jugement? If you're younger than 20 I hope you feel severe FOMO in your bones. You missed it all MWAHAHAHA. *cough xough*

Of all the youtubers I eventually stumbled upon at the time, Jschlatt was by far the most entertaining. I'm not an old fan of Jschlatt. Matter of fact, I didn't even know he existed before the Mutton chops were a thing. Everything about the guy just clicked for me. His gameplay commentary and his continuous rampage through his supply of keyboards was funny. 

But also, Schlatt had a really cool side that only showed up on theweeklyslap. Was he the first to make these videos? Nope. Was he the one to popularise it? I don't know, but that's not going to stop me from categorising similar content as "Theweeklyslap" adjacent. 


<The start of an Era>

mclovin

Nomad

Flingboar

2002Caucasian

David Achu

FartSniffer


I want you to look at all of these channels and tell me what you think they have in common. They're all around the same age give or take. All with varying levels of growth and success because they started at different times. At the time of writing the script Caucasian is only a month old. 

I don't care if Youtube is a viable career, but I genuinely do feel that whatever it is I'm in is the closest I'll get to feeling like the original youtube. I'm watching in live time as these very cool people make stuff they're interested in and I'm able to engage with them. I'm not just watching because I'm trying to calm down my arsonistic tendencies, I'm watching with the intention of engaging with the creator. 

I'm a writer at heart, the reason I started Youtube is because one of the things I tried writing can only be made as a video. That is my vision as a creator and essentially my long term goal. One of the things I like as a writer is when people engage with my thoughts and start a conversation. Youtube videos are that. They also display the creator's personality and voice, and I find that truly charming. 

This is all to say, to my dear small youtubers. I love you-R videos. Make me more please!


*Why I started making Youtube videos...

*Small Youtubers and small communities + interacting with the creators.

*The joy of creation

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Lost Verdania and Shellwood

 I think I have a slight obsession. I don't think I can label it anything but that. I just keep reopening the game, walking around the world I explored, looking for the little secrets I missed. I can't seem to find them, but I still enjoy exploring the little realm. Just a few minutes ago, I was sitting in front of the main menu screen. I just watched the animation play infinitely and seamlessly with the music. It's comforting. The main menu is designed to draw you in. And I find it comfy to just stay there and watch it over and over. The Hollow Knight effect strikes again.. Wonder how this one will last.. Will it last long enough for me to get back into practicing art? Who knows?  We're going back to Egypt tomorrow. My parents are worked up about it. It shatters their hearts every time we leave. I don't understand their pain. Mine is different than theirs. I feel like something is empty or missing when they're not around. But I think I'm naive and I take th...
Read more

Smiles are Cute

 There are two opposing forces that I imagine on the facial expression spectrum. On one side, there are smiles. On the other, there are frowns.  Yesterday, I went grocery shopping with my parents. I clumsily took a few steps back while walking, not aware of a shopping cart that was behind me. When it bumped me, I flinched and looked back to see who my bumper was. It was a small girl. The moment we made eye contact she drew the biggest smile ever. It was the brightest thing I had ever seen. Maybe I was already in a good mood and the smile just made form of my mood and gave it a definition. But I think it has more to do with how pretty her smile was. On the other side, one of the worst faces I remember seeing was a mirror selfie frown. Or was it a scowl? I don't know. The face had contorted in puzzling ways that were so ugly, I could throw up. It felt like someone was stabbing me with a gaze that was not even directed at me. The eyes were dead, tired and spiteful. I could feel p...
Read more