“Iz u gud? Iz u okay? Cuz I wanted to noe.”
Over the past several weeks, I unleashed myself into the annals of YouTube, amassing a borderline-insurmountable stack of videos that I would try my best to watch. I became a “Nerdfighter” and a “Hopeful”, a “Beard Lover” and a semi-passionate member of the “Nermie Army”, all in an effort to understand the fervor of the members of these groups and what exactly makes them tick.
For the record, I am still unsure. But the key feature of these groups is their undying loyalty for the YouTubers they watch.
On August 3, Shay Carl’s trailer for his new film Vlogumentary went live on YouTube. An in-depth and personal exploration of the tropes of video-blogging (or vlogging), the movie aims to discuss the effect vlogging has on the vlogger and his/her audience.
Shay Carl, who is one of YouTube’s most successful content creators, interviewed many other popular YouTubers for his film, including dailygrace, vlogbrothers, and wheezywaiter, most of whom have millions of subscribers.
However, a point not mentioned in the trailer is that perhaps the most important feature of YouTube popularity is the audience’s impact on the creator.
Take YouTuber Alex Day. In December of 2011, he launched a campaign on his channel nerimon to get his single “Forever Yours” to the top of the UK’s Christmas number one list, which is dominated by larger bands. Unable to attract the attention of radio stations, he turned to his YouTube viewers, asking them to buy the song and its eleven remixes on iTunes and proceed to spread the word.
Consequently, “Forever Yours” slowly began climbing the iTunes charts, surpassing songs by One Direction and Adele. The music video, directed by Charlie McDonnell of the YouTube channel charlieissocoollike, gained over a million views in its first week with the song eventually reaching the number 4 spot, at the time the highest ranking for any unsigned artist.
The incredible success of this song is largely, if not entirely, due to the voluntary participation of several hundred thousand people across the globe. Alex Day gave a ted talk in San Diego discussing the project, mentioning “Forever Yours” high spot on the iTunes charts of many different countries.
The power of his fans, who are dubbed the “Nermie Army,” earned him the title ‘future of music’ from Forbes magazine.
Similarly, the vlogbrothers, John and Hank Green, have incredible influence in the YouTube world. With over five channels collectively boasting over half a billion views, their supporters, nicknamed “Nerdfighters,” are arguably YouTube’s most powerful fanbase. The brothers’ most noteworthy projects include the This Star Won’t Go Out (TSWGO) campaign and the Project for Awesome (P4A), both charitable endeavors. tswgo aims to raise money for families with children who have cancer and works to alleviate the cost of living expenses, allowing families to focus on their ailing child.
According to the p4a about page, “the Project for Awesome is an annual event that sprung out of various YouTube communities to support charities and other ways of decreasing the overall worldwide level of suck.” On December 17, YouTubers from all over the world upload videos talking about their favorite charities and the top 5 most popular videos dictate which charities will receive the money raised that year.
What makes the vlogbrothers so influential is the response rate of their subscribers and their willingness to participate in theses charitable campaigns. The content creators feel the effects of their participation but, in this case, the effects are just as important to underprivileged families, ailing children, and a whole host of other people.
Benjamin Cook of YouTube channel ninebrassmonkeys started a fantastic, half hour, 12-week segment called “Becoming Youtube” that seeks to understand the rules of YouTube and the work put in by content creators. A recent episode discusses the flip side to large fan bases and the sense of entitlement that exists within passionate groups.
However, there is much more to be said about the positive effect fan bases have. The “number one rule” of the internet — never read the comments — can be challenged by the lovely remarks made by those who watch Soul Pancake.
YouTube has a lot more to offer than cinnamon challenge fails and slenderman reaction videos; it is an insight into our need for interaction, and it highlights the many positive possibilities of collective effort.
“We love making videos and one of the best things about Youtube is that we have that direct contact. You inspire us as well!”
