Why Do People like YouTubers So Much?

By Allison Johnson
Blog Content Contributor

Lately, I’ve been trying to understand the hype behind YouTube vloggers. It could possibly just be that I don’t have a relationship with these famous YouTube vloggers and I feel like most of their lives are portrayed as a facade.

I started doing more research to understand peoples’ interest in vlogs. I came across an informative one that could be useful to certain people. There is a couple that vlogs about raising a daughter that is living with autism. The content in their videos are a great way It would be a neat vlog to check out to be informed about the differences in the world, or for a family that is also going through the same thing.

I personally think a lot of the topics YouTubers discuss are super cheesy. “Boyfriend Tags, What’s in My Purse, Let’s Google my Boyfriend’s Net Worth”..etc. And trust me… they get worse. I don’t get the point in most of these videos, but I will say this; some of the vloggers I came across on YouTube were popular vine creators! It’s neat that some people really enjoyed the peculiar personalities of these people and followed them to YouTube.

It’s smart on the creators’ part because why not venture into another medium after the end of Vine. (Cries.) Plus, vloggers can collaborate with others for more fans and views. Let’s not forget that these people are making money from it. Ads, marketing, and sponsorship. It’s all there. I’m not a fan of the majority of content popular vloggers put out, but hey if you can make a living off of it, go for it.

I truly am trying to understand people’s fascinations with the content on Youtube’s platform. Sure the creators have some peculiar personalities, but I’m not entertained by them enough to want to watch them react to a video of themselves. To understand people’s feelings and excitement from YouTubers I read through their comments. Most of them are from kids and tweens, so that can play a part in why I’m not particularly interested in them.

A lot of them may serve a bigger purpose though. Maybe a person with an adventurous personality could watch someone hike and go run marathons every day. It may truly ignite something in someone’s soul. Not necessarily my cup of tea, but everyone is different, and it’s what makes the YouTube community thrive.

I’ll just say I’m going to appreciate the diversity in the YouTube community instead of hate on it. I am 100% unashamed that Linkin Park is in my top 10 favorite bands of all time. In middle school, I remember watching “LPTV.” It was basically a vlog of what the band was up to. It got a lot of attention during 2010 during the release of A Thousand Suns. I feel like the emotional bond I had with the band’s music and goofy personalities made me interested in what they were up to. Mike Shinoda is an awesome artist; I loved watching him talk about his paintings and other art produced outside of Linkin Park. I think vlogging is a great way to get to know someone that you might have just looked up to for music, beauty reviews and much more.

I’ll just learn to look at vlogging as the new wave for a personal blog or extra-long Snapchat stories. Most of us love visuals, and would rather be shown something than read about it. If there’s anything trendy you like or a public figure you admire, see if they have a vlog. (Is Joe Keery vlogging these days?)

Featured illustration by Asia Daggs.