Click Bait and Heartache: The Art of a YouTube Break Up
By Courtney Wong
Break ups are painful, and people generally want to keep it under wraps. I remember when I went through one, I thought the world was over and just wanted to disappear. I couldn’t think of anything worse than explaining my situation to friends, family and even strangers.
For YouTube content creators, though, the standard is different. Social media has enabled us to become nosier about the lives of others and compare our own relationships. If a YouTuber regularly documents their partner on their channel, viewers often become emotionally invested and want to know every single detail of the relationship. So, if and when they do break up, it makes for a heart-aching must-see video.
For instance, the video “we broke up” by YouTube star David Dobrik and Liza Koshy in June last year garnered 56 million views as of August this year. Viewers usually see the couple loved up and doing vlogs with each other but not this time. Although, the break up video did start with the pair joking around, it quickly turned serious with Liza confirming they had in fact broken up six months prior but were still friends. She stated she was going through some stuff and that they were living separate lives but there was hope for the future. Fans showed their support with 2.6 million viewers liking the video.
Unfortunately, Dobrik and Koshy aren’t the only ones to have made a break up video. There are a number of other YouTube couples who have done the same, such as beauty blogger Shani Grimmond, Fitness influencer Tammy Hembrow and Comedian Colleen Ballinger. All of which have bared their hearts for the world to see.
Although, the most disturbing factor about these videos, is not only are they giving up their privacy on such an intimate issue but that the videos are also click-bait content. YouTubers are able to monetise their break up videos and viewers can watch their teary-eyed explanations as entertainment. The more exposure they have, the more advertisements and connections they receive. YouTubers know that break ups grab attention and sometimes even post videos with titles alluding to a break up, only for the video to turn out being a prank.
According to anthropologist, Crystal Abidin, this is a commodification of personal life where YouTube stars are able to accumulate and maintain followers by depicting their personal lives as relatable. Whether they are being “really real” and authentic is up to the viewer.
With the advancements in technology, some viewers take to the comment section or social media platforms to discuss their thoughts on the video or even their own personal break ups with strangers. However, is it really necessary for the YouTuber and viewer to do so? There are many implications of oversharing break ups, which include, making the other person uncomfortable, spreading negativity and discussing confidential information that doesn’t need to be discussed.
As someone who only occasionally watches the lives of YouTubers, I believe that if a video is made to talk down on their ex-partner or their partner is not a significant person on their channel, there is no need for the video to be made. However, if both parties are comfortable sharing their story to the world like Dobrik and Koshy, that is up to their discretion and I think it’s fine to do so. Of course, keeping in mind the importance of everyone’s privacy and if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say it at all.
