Here’s a #TBT for you all (unless you’re like 10)… Remember the days of rushing home from school just in time to catch an episode of your fav TV show. Fighting with your brother over the remote because he wants to watch the discovery channel but you want to watch iCarly. Recording shows to watch later on your PVR when you finish your homework.
Sadly, cable is a thing of the past…
We’ve all said goodbye to Television and hello to YOUTUBE!!!!
Youtube’s been around for a loooooooong time, since 2005 to be exact. If you’re a 90’s child, you remember using Youtube occasionally to watch music video parodies or Rebecca Black’s “Friday” LOL.
In the past few years, Youtube has taken a MAJOR turn in the entertainment industry. 2016-now has been the ERA of Youtube. Yes, I know I know…youtubers have been around for like a decade. But now more than ever before, Youtube channels are gaining a lot of attention. Kids in 2018 aren’t growing up watching Disney Channel & Nickelodeon, they’re watching Youtube.
You could almost say Youtube is the new television. Parents are turning their cable off. Kids are barely even watching Netflix anymore. If you think about it, every Youtube channel is like a TV show. They even ressemble television format that we’re already familiar with! Here are two prime examples…
- David Dobrik’s vlog is the new Friends/comedy sitcom
If you’re not familiar with David Dobrik, here is some backstory. Starting off as a viner, Dobrik created a youtube channel three years ago with a small following. His channel started to blow up with the help of his relationship with youtuber Liza Koshy. He now has 9.6 million subscribers, taking the Youtube world by storm with his entirely new concept of “vlogging”. His videos all essentially consist of the same formula… a 4 minute & 20 second fast-paced video filled with the funniest shit you’ll ever see in your life. Despite being somewhat scripted, the jokes and storylines in his vlogs are original and absolutely brilliant.
Aside from peeing your pants laughing at Dobrik’s hilariously entertaining content, you also get invested in his iconic friend group known as “The Vlog Squad”. Similarly to the cast of Friends, every member of the squad plays into a certain character type. This persona is based off their personality, but with slight exaggerations due to the scripting aspect of the vlog. Together, they all have that amazing “tv sitcom” chemistry, like the cast of Friends. There’s dating, break-ups, drama, and genuine friendships. They have even recently won a Streamy for “Best Youtube Ensemble”.
2) Shane Dawson’s videos are the new TV documentaries
You must be living under a rock if you haven’t heard of Shane Dawson. He’s been in the Youtube game for about a decade. Besides publishing books, creating films and receiving numerous awards, Dawson has recently transformed his channel into something that has never been done before.
In the Youtube space, there’s many different types of channels. You’ve got the vloggers, “comedians”, beauty gurus, story-time channels, lifestyle channels..etc. Instead of putting himself in one of these categories, Shane decided to do something completely unheard of. Starting about 6 months ago, he created several mini documentary series that would go deep into the life of another creator/youtuber. Each series consists of several videos ranging from 30 minutes to an hour, revealing the reality behind a youtube persona that differs from what we all see on screen.
Recently, Shane has encountered his most controversial and heavily reported docu-series…The Mind of Jake Paul. Jake Paul is arguably one of the most hated public figures in the world. In the past year, him and his brother Logan have been involved in more scandals than you can count with one hand. Despite the overwhelming amount of hate, with the argument that the public does not want to sympathize with Jake, Shane decided to go through with the series.
No one has any idea how, but after his 8-part series dissecting the life & psychology of Jake Paul, Shane won over the public and completely changed everyone’s perspective. Despite the occasional backlash throughout the series, it was an overall success, accumulating a total of over 140 million views. A truly successful documentary can take someone you absolutely despise and completely humanize them. This isn’t just some stupid Youtube video…This is some television-level shit.
Sources:
https://www.theodysseyonline.com/6-reasons-watching-david-dobriks-vlogs
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