YouTuber explained
A YouTuber is a type of content creator and social media influencer who uploads or creates videos on the online video-sharing website YouTube,[1] typically posting to their personal YouTube channel.[2] The term was first used in the English language in 2006, and subsequently appeared in the 2006 Time Person of the Year issue.[3] [4]
Influence
See also: Social impact of YouTube. Influential YouTubers are frequently described as microcelebrities. Since YouTube is widely conceived as a bottom-up social media video platform, microcelebrities do not appear to be involved with the established and commercial system of celebrity culture; rather, they appear self-governed and independent.[5] [6] This appearance, in turn, leads to YouTubers being seen as more relatable and authentic, also fostered by the direct connection between artist and viewer using the medium of YouTube.[7]
In 2014, the University of Southern California surveyed 1318-year-olds in the United States on whether ten YouTube celebrities or ten traditional celebrities were more influential; YouTube personalities took the first five spots of the ranking, with the YouTube duo Smosh ranking as most influential.[8] The survey was repeated in 2015, and found six YouTubers on the first ranks, with KSI ranked as most influential.[9] Several YouTubers and their influence were subjects for scientific studies, such as Zoella, and PewDiePie.[10] Numerous studies in the late 2010s found that YouTuber was the most desired career by children.[11] [12] [13]
YouTubers' influence has also extended beyond the platform. Some have ventured into mainstream forms of media, such as Liza Koshy, who, among other pursuits, hosted the revival of the Nickelodeon show Double Dare[14] and starred in the Netflix dance-comedy film Work It.[15] In 2019, Ryan's Mystery Playdate, a show starring Ryan Kaji, the then-seven-year-old host of the toy review and vlog channel Ryan's World, began airing on the Nick Jr. Channel;[16] later that year, NBC debuted A Little Late with Lilly Singh in its 1:35 am ET time slot. Singh's digital prominence was cited as a reason for her selection as host by then-NBC Entertainment co-chairman George Cheeks.[17] In 2024, Canadian Youtuber Jasmeet Singh Raina, otherwise known as JusReign, released his half-hour comedy series titled Late Bloomer. In addition to expanding into other forms of media, several YouTubers have used their influence to raise money for charity or speak out on social issues. Notable examples include James Stephen "MrBeast" Donaldson and Mark Rober, who helped raise over $20 million with their Team Trees campaign,[18] [19] and Felipe Neto, who publicly criticized Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro for his response to the COVID-19 pandemic.[20] In 2020, Time named Neto and fellow YouTuber JoJo Siwa to its annual list of the world's 100 most influential people.[21] [22]
Due to this level of influence, in 2013, University of Michigan associate professor Robert Hovden argued for the creation of a new index similar to the g-index and h-index to evaluate a person's output and impact on YouTube.[23]
Monetization
YouTubers can earn revenue from Google AdSense. Additionally, they can supplement their income through affiliate links, merchandising, and 3rd party memberships using platforms such as Patreon.[24] Popular channels have garnered corporate sponsors, who pay to be included in the videos. In 2018, Walmart, Nordstrom, and others sought YouTube stars as influencers.[25]
In the early days of YouTube, there was no way to monetize videos on the platform. Much of the site's content was homemade and produced by hobbyists with no plans for making money on the site.[26] [27] The first targeted advertising on the site came in the form of participatory video ads, which were videos in their own right that offered users the opportunity to view exclusive content by clicking on the ad.[28] The first such ad was for the Fox show Prison Break and solely appeared above videos on Paris Hilton's channel.[29] At the time, the channel was operated by Warner Bros. Records and was cited as the first brand channel on the platform. Participatory video ads were designed to link specific promotions to specific channels rather than advertising on the entire platform at once. When the ads were introduced in August 2006, YouTube CEO Chad Hurley rejected the idea of expanding into areas of advertising seen as less user-friendly at the time, saying, "We think there are better ways for people to engage with brands than forcing them to watch a commercial before seeing content. You could ask anyone on the net if they enjoy that experience and they'd probably say no." However, YouTube began running in-video ads in August 2007, with preroll ads introduced in 2008.[30] In December 2007, YouTube launched the Partner Program, which allows channels that meet certain metrics (currently 1000 subscribers and 4000 public watch hours in the past year)[31] to run ads on their videos and earn money doing so. The Partner Program allowed for the first time YouTube personalities to make a living from the platform.[32]
During the 2010s, the ability for YouTubers to achieve wealth and fame due to success on the platform increased dramatically. In December 2010, Business Insider estimated that the highest earner on YouTube during the previous year was Dane Boedigheimer, creator of the web series Annoying Orange, with an income of around $257,000.[33] Five years later, Forbes released its first list of the highest-earning YouTube personalities, estimating top earner PewDiePie's income during the previous fiscal year at $12 million, more than some popular actors such as Cameron Diaz or Gwyneth Paltrow.[34] Forbes estimated that the tenth-highest earner that year was Rosanna Pansino at $2.5 million. That year, NME stated that "vlogging has become big business."[35] The rapid influx of wealth within the YouTube community has led some to criticize YouTubers for focusing on earnings more than the creativity and connection with their fanbase that some claim was at the heart of the platform before expanded monetization.[36] [37] [38] In August 2021, it was reported Kevin Paffrath made $5 million in just the first 3 months of 2021 and his YouTube analytics showed he made "several million" in ad revenue within the prior 12 months.[39] By 2021, YouTuber earnings had expanded even more, with Forbes estimating that the highest earner that year was MrBeast at $51 million.[40]
External links
- Web site: Burgess . Jean . 2011-10-28 . YouTube . Oxford Bibliographies Online . en . 10.1093/OBO/9780199791286-0066.
Notes and References
- Web site: YouTuber . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20201111211535/https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/youtuber . November 11, 2020 . 2021-07-07 . Cambridge Dictionary . en.
- Jerslev . Anne . October 14, 2016 . In the Time of the Microcelebrity: Celebrification and the YouTuber Zoella . live . International Journal of Communication . en . 10 . 2016 . 5233–5251 . 1932-8036 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201024024710/https://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/view/5078 . October 24, 2020 . June 11, 2018.
- Web site: Hamedy . Saba . 2016-12-28 . 'YouTuber' is a real word now because the Oxford English Dictionary says so . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20201020032956/https://mashable.com/article/youtuber-oxford-english-dictionary/ . October 20, 2020 . 2021-07-07 . Mashable.
- Person of the Year 2006 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240621012348/https://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/0,28757,2019341,00.html?xid=fblike . dead . June 21, 2024 . 2023-08-10 . TIME . en-us .
- Book: Marwick, Alice Emily . Status Update: Celebrity, Publicity, and Branding in the Social Media Age . 2013 . 978-0-300-19915-4 . New Haven . 862745861 . July 17, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211019113939/https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Status_Update/YZv9AQAAQBAJ . October 19, 2021 . live . Yale University Press .
- Gamson . Joshua . 2011 . The Unwatched Life Is Not Worth Living: The Elevation of the Ordinary in Celebrity Culture . live . Publications of the Modern Language Association of America . 126 . 4 . 1061–1069 . 10.1632/pmla.2011.126.4.1061 . 0030-8129 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211019113942/https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/pmla/article/abs/unwatched-life-is-not-worth-living-the-elevation-of-the-ordinary-in-celebrity-culture/AB0199BBF38BD1BA643A54260F31F3FA . October 19, 2021 . June 27, 2021 . 59355773.
- Web site: Dredge . Stuart . February 3, 2016 . Why are YouTube stars so popular? . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20160203133703/https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/feb/03/why-youtube-stars-popular-zoella . February 3, 2016 . May 3, 2018 . The Guardian . en.
- Web site: Ault . Susanne . 2014-08-05 . Survey: YouTube Stars More Popular Than Mainstream Celebs Among U.S. Teens . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20150207065234/http://variety.com/2014/digital/news/survey-youtube-stars-more-popular-than-mainstream-celebs-among-u-s-teens-1201275245/ . February 7, 2015 . 2021-08-06 . Variety . en-US.
- News: Ault . Susanne . July 23, 2015 . Digital Star Popularity Grows Versus Mainstream Celebrities . en-US . Variety . live . May 3, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180501164355/http://variety.com/2015/digital/news/youtubers-teen-survey-ksi-pewdiepie-1201544882/ . May 1, 2018.
- Beers Fägersten . Kristy . August 1, 2017 . The role of swearing in creating an online persona: The case of YouTuber PewDiePie . Discourse, Context & Media . en . 18 . 1–10 . 10.1016/j.dcm.2017.04.002 . 2211-6958.
- Web site: Weiss . Geoff . May 24, 2017 . The Most-Desired Career Among Young People Today Is 'YouTuber' (Study) . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20201210035151/https://www.tubefilter.com/2017/05/24/most-desired-career-young-people-youtube/ . December 10, 2020 . March 2, 2021 . Tubefilter.
- Web site: Leskin . Paige . July 17, 2019 . American kids want to be famous on YouTube, and kids in China want to go to space: survey . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20210305213625/https://www.businessinsider.com/american-kids-youtube-star-astronauts-survey-2019-7 . March 5, 2021 . March 2, 2021 . Insider.
- Web site: Dzhanova . Yelena . August 3, 2019 . Forget law school, these kids want to be a YouTube star . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20210302221225/https://www.cnbc.com/2019/08/02/forget-law-school-these-kids-want-to-be-a-youtube-star.html . March 2, 2021 . March 2, 2021 . CNBC.
- Web site: Nordyke . Kimberly . May 22, 2018 . 'Double Dare' Reboot Taps YouTube Star Liza Koshy as Host . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20210414053306/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/double-dare-reboot-taps-youtube-star-liza-koshy-as-host-1113637 . April 14, 2021 . March 2, 2021 . The Hollywood Reporter.
- Web site: Wright . Catherine . August 11, 2020 . 'Work It': How Did Liza Koshy Learn to Dance Like That? . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20201023005906/https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/work-it-how-did-liza-koshy-learn-to-dance-like-that.html/ . October 23, 2020 . March 2, 2021 . Showbiz CheatSheet.
- Nickelodeon Embarks on New Direction with Its Biggest, Most Wide-Ranging Content Slate Ever – New Shows Are All That and Much More . February 14, 2019 . March 2, 2021 . . The Futon Critic.
- Web site: Alexander . Julia . September 17, 2019 . Lilly Singh's NBC series debut proves late night TV and YouTube need each other . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20210521210505/https://www.theverge.com/2019/9/17/20847627/lilly-singh-late-night-youtube-jimmy-fallon-jimmy-kimmel-seth-meyers-nbc . May 21, 2021 . March 2, 2021 . The Verge.
- Web site: Williams . David . October 31, 2019 . YouTube star MrBeast wants to plant 20 million trees. Elon Musk, Jack Dorsey, and more are helping him do it. . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20191030234714/https://edition.cnn.com/2019/10/30/us/youtube-mrbeast-trees-trnd/ . October 30, 2019 . March 2, 2021 . CNN.
- Web site: #teamtrees . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20200517210957/https://teamtrees.org/ . May 17, 2020 . March 2, 2021.
- Web site: Phillips . Dom . November 12, 2020 . Felipe Neto: how a YouTuber became one of Jair Bolsonaro's loudest critics . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20210314203454/https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2020/nov/12/felipe-neto-youtube-brazil-jair-bolsonaro . March 14, 2021 . March 2, 2021 . The Guardian.
- Web site: September 22, 2020 . Felipe Neto Is on the 2020 TIME 100 List . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20210303033248/https://time.com/collection/100-most-influential-people-2020/5888282/felipe-neto/ . March 3, 2021 . March 2, 2021 . Time.
- Web site: September 22, 2020 . JoJo Siwa Is on the 2020 TIME 100 List . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20210207222527/https://time.com/collection/100-most-influential-people-2020/5888473/jojo-siwa/ . February 7, 2021 . March 2, 2021 . Time.
- Hovden . Robert . September 12, 2013 . Bibliometrics for Internet media: Applying the h-index to YouTube . Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology . en . 64 . 11 . 2326–2331 . 1303.0766 . 10.1002/asi.22936 . 1532-2882 . 38708903.
- Web site: December 18, 2017 . Evan Edinger: The five ways YouTubers make money . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20200710071357/http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/42395224/evan-edinger-the-five-ways-youtubers-make-money . July 10, 2020 . July 10, 2020 . BBC Newsbeat . en-GB.
- News: Jones . Charisse . August 6, 2018 . Walmart, Nordstrom and others look to YouTube stars to woo millennials and Gen Z . . . live . August 7, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180806231256/https://www.cnbc.com/2018/08/06/walmart-nordstrom-others-look-to-youtube-stars-millennials-and-gen-z.html . August 6, 2018.
- Web site: July 17, 2006 . YouTube hits 100m videos per day . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20201127013411/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/5186618.stm . November 27, 2020 . February 28, 2021 . BBC News.
- Web site: Gomes . Lee . August 30, 2006 . Will All of Us Get Our 15 Minutes On a YouTube Video? . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20201002163044/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB115689298168048904 . October 2, 2020 . February 28, 2021 . The Wall Street Journal.
- Web site: August 22, 2006 . YouTube expands types of advertising . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20210806171720/https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna14464285 . August 6, 2021 . February 28, 2021 . NBC News.
- Web site: Morrissey . Brian . August 22, 2006 . YouTube Shuns Pre-Roll Video Advertising . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20210117221906/https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/youtube-shuns-pre-roll-video-advertising-86148/ . January 17, 2021 . February 28, 2021 . Adweek.
- Web site: Jackson . Nicholas . August 3, 2011 . Infographic: The History of Video Advertising on YouTube . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20210310113305/https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2011/08/infographic-the-history-of-video-advertising-on-youtube/242836/ . March 10, 2021 . February 28, 2021 . The Atlantic.
- Web site: YouTube Partner Program overview & eligibility . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20140916175325/https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/72851?hl=en . September 16, 2014 . February 28, 2021 . YouTube Help.
- Book: Strangelove, Michael . Watching YouTube: Extraordinary Videos by Ordinary People . . 2010 . 978-1-4426-8703-5.
- Web site: Wei . Will . December 29, 2010 . Meet The YouTube Stars Making More Money Than EMTs, Cops, Firefighters, And Teachers . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20210806171720/https://www.businessinsider.com/richest-youtube-stars-of-2010-2010-12 . August 6, 2021 . February 28, 2021 . Business Insider.
- Web site: Berg . Madeline . October 14, 2015 . The World's Highest-Paid YouTube Stars 2015 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20210806171720/https://www.forbes.com/sites/maddieberg/2015/10/14/the-worlds-highest-paid-youtube-stars-2015/?sh=2d91ab2c3192 . August 6, 2021 . February 28, 2021 . Forbes.
- Web site: Bassett . Jordan . August 13, 2015 . NME Investigation: Are YouTubers The New Pop Stars? . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20200128105557/https://www.nme.com/features/nme-investigation-are-youtubers-the-new-pop-stars-756865 . January 28, 2020 . January 28, 2020 . NME.
- Tufnell . Nicholas . November 27, 2013 . The rise and fall of YouTube's celebrity pioneers . live . . https://web.archive.org/web/20210309035757/https://www.wired.co.uk/article/youtube-community . March 9, 2021 . February 28, 2021.
- Web site: Bloom . David . July 3, 2014 . YouTuber Dilemma: Staying 'Authentic' Amid 4K Cameras, Studio Money, Ad Dollars . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20210211230440/https://deadline.com/2014/07/youtube-creators-authenticity-technology-brands-studios-797141/ . February 11, 2021 . February 28, 2021 . Deadline.
- Web site: June 2, 2018 . YouTubers: Money First, Fans Later . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20211019113942/https://chriskirsch.medium.com/youtubers-money-first-fans-later-fcc36ac3b116 . October 19, 2021 . February 28, 2021 . Medium.
- News: Whelan . Robbie . 2021-08-27 . The Social-Media Stars Who Move Markets . en-US . . live . 2021-08-28 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210828063025/https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-social-media-stars-who-move-markets-11630056601 . August 28, 2021 . 0099-9660.
- Web site: The Highest-Paid YouTube Stars: MrBeast, Jake Paul and Markiplier Score Massive Paydays. Forbes. April 5, 2022. April 5, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220405155023/https://www.forbes.com/sites/abrambrown/2022/01/14/the-highest-paid-youtube-stars-mrbeast-jake-paul-and-markiplier-score-massive-paydays/?sh=3b802a241aa7. live.