YouTube Killed the TV Star

Growing up, Disney Channel and Nickelodeon were the entertainment hubs for kids and teens. Stars of television shows and movies were idolized and known as the A-listers. I remember wanting to have long blond hair and a wardrobe like Hannah Montana or marry Zac Efron. With the introduction of streaming services and the spike in cable prices, big changes occurred. People became less inclined to pay hundreds of dollars for cable when they could pay under ten dollars and re-watch all the shows they already loved. With the norm shifting to binge watching what had already been made, what was next for the entertainment industry?

Thanks to the combination of the smart phone and social media, a new era of entertainment has emerged. From Facebook, to Instagram, to Vine, and eventually to YouTube. This Social Media platform has flourished over the past five years and the Influencers that have grown with it have established themselves as the next wave of big-name stars.

The platform has grown to so many subgenres of channels that it is hard to pinpoint a single person as the influencer to start it all. But, because my sister is a vlogger and I know the most about them, I think David Dobrik is an incredibly influential person in building the industry into what it is today.

Starting on Vine he quickly gained a following for his funny six second videos. Once vine was taken off the App Store, he turned to vlogging to maintain followers. At the time vlogging was a new concept and YouTube itself wasn’t as widely used as it is today. As a former illegal immigrant and now DACA recipient, David did something that I don’t think Hollywood entertainment thought of: he gave a look into the lives of ordinary people. His channel started doing pranks and filming funny moments with his friends. They were simple, four minute and twenty second videos that made you laugh. Eventually he gained a new following and made other friends utilizing the new platform and ad money started pouring in.

What is so special about David is the way he made his name into a Brand. He became known for his outrageous thumbnail photos and video titles that draw in the people who follow him and new people as well. This concept is known as Clickbait.  Once he had a big enough following, he created a clothing line where he simply copies the designs of other brands and puts either his name or the word clickbait on them. He makes small quantities of each item so that they have a high demand and sell out every time he releases. He also collaborates with growing companies. Seat Geek is his most popular sponsorship. They buy cars for his friends, sends him to events, and allows him to donate money to people in need. In return David makes a quick 30 second montage mentioning the app for his video. At this point, Seat Geek on David Dobrik are an association that anyone who follows the YouTube world recognizes.

Witnessing the success of people like David and other pioneer YouTubers sparked a second wave of influencers. People like my sister, Hannah Meloche, who decided to buy a camera and start filming her life and posting it on YouTube. She started when she was thirteen and came from Grand Rapids, Michigan, not LA. She is now eighteen and making a career out of it. She is surrounded by the same kinds of normal people from all over the world, all different backgrounds just filming their lives while millions of people, generally ages 10-20, watch video after video. This next generation of YouTubers also release merch and participate in brand sponsorships just as David does and make a real career out of what they do.

These YouTubers go from ordinary people creating videos of their everyday lives, to millionaires living in luxury. They are always recreating themselves. While they are no longer people just like us, they keep our interests by inviting us into the world of the one percent by vlogging their experiences. In the last year YouTubers like David Dobrik have given us a look into what goes into hosting an award show by vlogging their experiences. James Charles showed us the preparation for the MET Gala. Emma Chamberlain gave us an inside scoop on accompanying Louis Vuitton at Paris Fashion Week. While these people are no longer the ordinary people their followers started with, they keep their interests by giving them a backstage pass to all the cool places they go, something that hasn’t been done before. Especially not in such an informal way.

Just as the Buggles changed the way we appreciate music alongside MTV almost 40 years ago, YouTube is redefining mainstream entertainment by providing kids with relatable content and maybe even inspiration that the kid from “nowhere” Michigan can make it big.

https://youtube.fandom.com/wiki/David_Dobrik
https://www.businessinsider.com/video-killed-the-radio-star-34th-anniversary-of-music-video-on-mtv-2015-7
https://giphy.com/search/david-dobrik