Life Online: Success in Seconds
The thing that bothers, confuses, and impresses me all at the same time about the tool of the Internet is peoples' abilities to make a living purely through posting content online. It was something I had never really thought of until I started watching people on YouTube with massive followings and fanbases, and realizing that their entire career is purely posting videos on the platform and making money, some making insane amounts of money. This concept of not having to get an education, but rather just be entertaining and well-liked in order to support yourself and in some cases even become very successful financially makes a lot of sense but is still very hard to wrap your mind around.
On one hand getting fame and creating a career for yourself online is not that different than most other entertainment professions. You're still providing comedy and something people want to view, but it is being delivered through online media platforms. It is technically a traditional job in an untraditional way. What elevates it from original entertainment-based careers is that it is relatively easy to make money on social media platforms, most commonly YouTube, and extremely easy to start and get involved in. In the past, the only ways you could achieve celebrity fame and status through the entertainment business was through being an actor, singer, or comedian. Now it is mind-bogglingly simple to start up your career on YouTube and if you're able to appeal to a large audience, you can make huge sums of money.
It's hard to place how I feel about peoples' abilities to become so famous and well-off solely through social media. My whole life it has been drilled into me that getting an education and good grades is the key to success and a bright future. I have never wanted to go into entertainment, so this topic doesn't really concern me, but I suppose that I am slightly frustrated at the fact that people can become so successful overnight without having to do any academic work. While people able to achieve this online status are no doubt talented and driven, and being academically successful is not within everyone's capability, it is bothering and disconcerting that some people can achieve in minutes what others have worked their whole lives for. I suppose that observation is more a reflection of entertainment professions being more highly regarded and spoken of than traditional education-based jobs. However, the point still stands that this shift in how easy it is to become prosperous in entertainment can be seen as an unfair to those who have dedicated their lives to becoming a household name through traditional methods; they are being replaced by those who just post a video and the money starts rolling in. Using online media to reach success is troubling and impressive at the same time, and it is redefining what it means to live life online.
I would have to disagree with your oversimplification of how "easy" it is to start a career on YouTube. Out of the millions of YouTube accounts that most likely post daily, only a couple thousand are really sweeping in the cash everyday. Furthermore, the cases in which someone who doesn't put in any work getting tons of money off of YouTube videos are rare, with the exception of people doing stupid stuff and posting it online for attention. I feel like YouTubers have to put in work to get proper angels, to make their videos turn out well and not sloppily put together with templates from iMovie, and so on. Although traditional jobs may require more intense work, there are more people than just YouTubers who seem to do no work/bad work and are still honored and payed huge sums of money. Just look around--Donald Trump is extremely wealthy and successful and he's an idiot who has gained his success because of other people and his connections. I think being extremely successful is for the most part random.
ReplyDeleteHowever, aside from that, I do think that YouTube and other platforms open opportunity for people who might not be able to follow through with an education that can provide them with an amazing job. So for some, setting up a camera and doing something that might appeal to masses of viewers is their only means of escape.
I don't believe that YouTubers have necessarily any less talent than the average entertainer, and I agree with you that it does take work to create good content online, however, that's not to say that YouTube doesn't make it easier than traditional methods of becoming famous in the entertainment industry. Because the access to so many people in so little time, something achievable by the powers of the Internet, allows for a lot of traffic on your profile, it is easier to become well-known faster, because the spread of things online is so instant. It does take a lot to be a successful YouTuber, you have to have enjoyable content and that can be a challenge. But I think that just using an online platform definitely allows success to come faster, and with success inevitably follows wealth.
DeleteEven if someone becomes famous for no reason and has no talent, I still believe the money does not come without a catch. Being famous means that everywhere you go you get attention. You can never get away from people looking into your life and stalking you. So the money is what you get when you allow people to watch you all the time and you never get any privacy. Also because of this there is no room for mistakes. Everything you do will be heavily analyzed no matter how insignificant it may be. I would prefer to be rich if thousands of people were watching me every second.
ReplyDeleteI fully agree that people are becoming famous and making millions for doing absolutely nothing. Filming videos has become these people's careers and are starting to drop out of high school and college to get more followers. It makes me question how these people on Youtube are able to afford these extravagant lifestyles by the support of their followers...
ReplyDelete