Growing up with Youtube

Understanding Youtube is key in understanding today’s teenagers. I am 21 years old, the forerunner of this new generation. Still, I never expected that this video website would have so much more value to them than it ever had to me.

Last week my little sister and I had this competition while watching ‘Youtube Rewind 2015’, which is a video featuring all the popular youtubers of the year. We tried to name as many youtubers as possible, which was hard because the shots never lasted longer than two seconds and always contained different people. None the less she started naming youtuber after youtuber and I simply could not. It ended up being a one-sided battle which really surprised me. I grew up with Youtube, I was there when it all started! 21 years old and already outdated, what a joke.

My little sister is 15 years old and I call her ‘To. She watches at least as much Youtube as I do, which is quite a lot. I feel addicted to listening to my music, watching the latest videos of my subscribed channels and searching for more. It is the best way to waste time. But to her, and probably all her friends, Youtube is something more. It is a platform that unites them, where people understand them and act like friends or brothers.

Where social media like Facebook can make teenagers feel lonely or unaccepted, Youtube does the exact opposite. They will always find a Youtuber who shares their interests, whether it is beauty, gaming, drawing, reading, etc.. which is why they automatically feel affection towards this person.

Not only do they share interests, but Youtubers are also nice people in general. Most of the popular channels started filming themselves before they realized that they would be able to make so much money out of this. Honestly, it must’ve taken courage to expose themselves in their own craziness to a world that can be really hateful. However, their hard work payed off. They absolutely love their jobs and are grateful towards everybody who is willing to watch them.

There is this one Youtuber called Markiplier, who started crying while watching his fans thank him in a video they made. It was an absolutely beautiful thing to watch because it showed how important they are to him and he is to them. ‘To showed me another video which is a compilation made by a channel in which they let their fans talk about their fears. It goes further than just watching videos. These communities are massively big and within them everyone is accepted, whether they are gay, mute, suffering from a disease or just lonely from time to time. To them, Youtube is a better place.

“Me being me helps some of you guys be you.” — Tyler Oakley, Youtuber and activist

I think that understanding Youtube is a key element to understanding this new generation and that is what I wanted to share with you. I always thought of Youtube being fun, but also dangerous because it is so addictive. So I think that it would be normal for parents to try and stop their kids from spending too much time on the net. Obviously I still think that it is unhealthy to do nothing but watch videos, but I came to understand the reasoning behind its success. Now I believe that it is not as bad as I first thought it was.

Just like how the television was the medium that heavily influenced our way of thinking, Youtube is the exact same thing but even stronger. Luckily, like I mentioned before, Youtubers are great people. Of course there are exceptions, but I believe the most popular channels to be those with the content creators being honest and caring. So I am excited for the future, I believe that we are going towards a world in which there is much more acceptance and that there will be a voice given to everyone who has something interesting to say.

“Here comes the brofist!” — Quote that the Youtuber Pewdiepie uses at the end of every video. Can you imagine millions of young fans fist bumping their computer screen? It happens and I think it is adorable.

In short: Before talking to my little sister I felt skeptical towards Youtube. I admit that this was part because I got distracted way too easily. It was an addiction which made me waste a lot of time. However little did I know that Youtube had a different meaning towards this younger generation than it ever did have to me. So called Youtubers help their audience through tough times, which every teenager has. It is a place where people care and feel accepted. Hopefully the good that Youtube brings will soon reach the rest of the world.

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Thank you for reading. Feel free to comment!