Becoming YouTube

I never thought the day would come when YouTube, yes YouTube, that dangerous ad-filled video uploading website full of things I don’t want or need to spend three minutes of my life watching, would be a huge part of my life. That was my initial opinion of YouTube back then, and preferred to frequent websites like Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr etc where I can express opinions instead of listening to other people’s (it was a very narcissistic phase of mine…I think some might understand what I’m putting down here).

And then it started when I found a link to Alex Day’s (nerimon) Alex Reads Twilight video series on his channel, and then I found Charlie McDonnell (charlieissocoolllike), Ryan Higa (nigahiga), John and Hank Green (vlogbrothers), Jack Harries (JacksGap) and many, many other YouTubers who quite frankly, have managed to brighten my day with just a single video multiple times. There’s just something different about watching videos compared to reading blogs and books because besides the much larger impact the visualization element has on you, it’s also like striking a conversation with an interesting online persona and chances are, if you’re as much of an Internet parasite like I am, you will share very similar opinions with aforementioned persona that will send you into fits of laughter as you stare wide-eyed at the screen shouting, “YES YES YES!!!!!!” In the wise words of Dan Howell (danisnotonfire), we are after all, an Internet support group.

Another thing that makes all these YouTubers so enticing (enticing…mmm) is the fact that they are all this huge community of love and friendship. But seriously, some of the friendships made between YouTubers are friendships I can only dream of. And write fanfiction about. I remember when Beneh (my equally YouTuber-enthusiastic companion) and I found out about Jack Harries, and through him found Sam Pepper, and through him found Marcus and Alfie, and then Caspar, Zoella, BriBry and eventually Dan and Phil, who in turn also know Alex and Charlie (and also One Direction [!!!] but let’s not go there) and I SWEAR TO GOD ALL BRITISH YOUTUBERS KNOW ONE ANOTHER!!!!!!!!

Of course, on the other side of the world (in America, to be precise), there’s the YTF group of YouTubers, one of the earliest YouTubers I found and quite frankly, was one of the main reasons how I got so hooked on YouTube. And then of course there are the Green brothers, who created DFTBA and then the whole chain cycle thing commences again.

In a nutshell, everyone I’ve ever known (or rather, watched videos of) on YouTube have built really strong relationships with one another and that, in Tumblr talk, gives me so much feels I can’t even.

Plus, there literally is one for everyone on YouTube. Besides vlogs, penguinz0 is my favourite gameplay and commentary channel of all time, there’s also the Lizzie Bennet Diaries of Hank Green’s creation, SciShow and CrashCourse of vlogbrothers’ creation, Dan & Phil’s Super Amazing Project and of course, a video of Charlie biting his brother’s finger.

More to the main gist of the video above, it’s a shoutout to everyone who has ever wanted to be a YouTuber (or in Benjamin Cook’s words, crazy Internet famous) to go ahead and just do it. Now don’t laugh at me and scream “IT’S JUST A PHASE MICHELLE!!!” but I honestly have thought about it. In fact, several times, Beneh and I have considered doing a joint channel together and I even filmed my day by the lake celebrating Anum, Lela and Leea’s birthday party on my phone but sadly, those videos remain untouched in my phone, justified by my ultimate excuse which is I don’t know how to edit videos, coupled by who’s gonna watch them anyway, they’re most just crap, I’m just going to make a fool out of myself, isn’t blogging terrible enough in terms of ‘what will people think of me’ etc hence why this video had quite an impact on me because IS IT A SIGN????????

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to leave blogging for vlogging, but there’s just something very tempting (besides narcissism) about uploading videos of yourself expressing your own opinions on the Internet for millions to see. Writing isn’t the same as speaking, and it’s also something new I’ve never tried before. Besides, it’d be something better to do than to lie around the whole day lurking on the Internet during these six gap months before I go to college right?

I don’t know!!!!!! Show me the way, magic eight ball!!!!!!!

Before I leave, on an unrelated note:

https://twitter.com/danisnotonfire/status/277793227145363457