Youtube, an internet platform for the
creative, the crazy and the 'Charlie Bit My Finger'. A website, which
at first, was seemingly named after the vague insults directed at
those who posted videos “oh, you tube”. Only the furiously furry
cuddly cat videos, the outlandish and the embarrass-proof lip-syncers
gyrating to Britney Spears became viral and really nothing else
seemed to exist. Videos once unwittingly uploaded in the assumption
that they would silently slink off into a dark, quiet corner of the
internet, now back to mega-bite individuals on the bottom when
youtube became a more universally accessible and active site.
This quietly quirky online gathering
of the wacky creatives, the 'You've Been Framed' aspirers,
even the ego enriched individuals seeking just that little bit of
extra 'look at my facetime' have congregated to a formidable extent
and a new profession has been born. The generation that has kept it's
nose firmly pressed against the screen has accidentally snorted up a
bit of inspiration to make a name and an income by being a tangible
version of themselves online.
The only glitch for many being that
the footage is to be published to the dementors of the web, who's
scaly fingers are poised eagerly to suck the joy and confidence from
the discoloured roots of your hair to your big boring bones with the
tactical use of hate fuelled comments. These 'trolls' have blossomed
into a community of cheerless-leaders for the content creators,
managing to pick out almost sub-cellular flaws in those who poke
their innocent toes onto the site.
The fact that this career is now
available to virtually anyone unwittingly partaking in the digital
age is one of the greatest achievements of the 21st
century (perhaps sitting respectfully behind the whole robotic and
genetic engineering malarky). A self expressive, home based
employment option has never been so widely attainable- potentially
making millions of pretty green bills from the bum cradling comfort
of your computer desk and chair.
However, this tasty doughnut comes
with a hefty spoonful of saturated fat to sink straight to that
pillow padded bottom. These ordinary keyboard clutchers are now
swimming their way into the main steam of media, and are being
exploited. To the big- vulture like- companies, these people are a
formidably sized slab of fresh meat to be picked at. They have multi
million strong audiences, an established online platform to preach
whatever they feel to an audience who trusts their word, and for the
most part, these content creators need the cash, so are more likely
to do it than other celebrities who rake in a fair few more gold
leaves in their line of work. So, cheap advertisements to a
susceptible audience, a.k.a the cheapest celebrity endorsement out
there.
Personally, I have some sneaking
aspirations to make a username for myself on this majestic online
oasis. I'd like to think if I rolled my desk chair into youtube
stardom, my keyboard dented finger tips could resist the tempting
scent of the precious pressed paper wafted under my nose from the big
business bosses. But, if it truly came to it, I predict it would more
be a case of only promoting the products I truly used down to the
'monthly empties' video. A fair compromise coming from a
hypothetically stardom slapped youtuber, really.
But in the mean time, my pyjamas will sink into my skin as I let my eyes lap up videos, holding a vaguely jealous middle finger to those who exploit their eager eyed audiences, and admiration for the rest of the youtuber bird nest.
But in the mean time, my pyjamas will sink into my skin as I let my eyes lap up videos, holding a vaguely jealous middle finger to those who exploit their eager eyed audiences, and admiration for the rest of the youtuber bird nest.