The Rise of the YouTube Celebrity

## Starting on YouTube

Henry Jenkins wrote on the topic of spreadable media, stating how it gives producers of media, the opportunity to share a message across to a large audience. Not only has YouTube provided the opportunity and tools to develop media to a large audience, but it also proved to lead to many more opportunities. Although there are no set parameters to describe a viral video on YouTube, the immense amount of shares and views that a video receives directly correlates to how popular a YouTuber gets. Once that video goes "viral" there suddenly becomes a bigger responsibility to put out enjoyable content. However, once YouTubers get their "big break" many doors are open to them that never were before, leading to careers that can support their lifestyles.

### Some characteristics  that lead to viral videos are:

* **Humor**- ex. Jenna Marbles (15 million subscribers) video on "How to trick people into thinking you're good looking" has almost 63 million views because it is impossible to watch through without cracking a smile. She uses common ways that girls try and make themselves look better and completely makes a joke out of them, causing everyone to want to pass the video along to their friends.
* **Relatable to viewers**- ex. Lauren Riihimaki (2 million subscribers), a DIY YouTuber recently posted a video titled "LIFE HACKS: How to take Better Instagram/Tumblr photos." The title of this video draws in viewers because it features certain tricks to getting more likes on Instagram which is important to lots of people, and more specifically the demographics of her viewers (teenage girls).
* **Truthful**- ex. British YouTube star, Zoe Sugg (9 million subscribers) posted a "Draw My Life" video on the different struggles she has faced with anxiety and depression throughout her life. Her vulnerability generated 10 million views on this video and has created a huge trend for other YouTubers to also share their life stories.
* **Emotional**- ex. A video posted by Sloan Churman, "29 years old and hearing myself for the 1st time" lead many people to tears as they witnessed someone gain their hearing back. These types of videos bring out sentimental and raw emotions that leave viewers with a smile on their face through the tears.
* **Unexpected**- ex. YouTube prank star, Yourself Erakat (7 million subscribers) known as "fouseytube" always posts public prank videos as well as social experiments. You never know what you are going to see or what reactions he will get through his pranking. One video, with 90 million views "Spiderman in Real Life Prank" featured him dressed up as spiderman and putting smiles on kids faces.

This list could easily continue, however having one or more of these aspects in a YouTube video could lead to it going viral and increasing the likelihood of becoming a YouTube celebrity.

## Some examples of "YouTube Celebrities" and how they rose to stardom:

### **Prank vs. Prank**

The famous YouTube channel, “Prank vs. Prank,” started because a normal, formal military man, Jesse Wellens, decided to pull a prank on his girlfriend, Jeana Smith and recorded i for YouTube. Shortly after posting it Jeana pranked him back and ever since they have been in an on-going prank war. Now, around five years later, their net worth is 4.8 million dollars and they have a full-fledged career through YouTube. These YouTube stars have now created their own brand and image that they come across to their viewers, including on sale merchandise and meet-ups. According to Jenkins, these brands that come from spreadable media are there to be transformed and used to make a profit the corporate world. YouTube stars like Prank vs. Prank are examples of in this new age of technology and media are ways to make a living and become very successful. Jesse and Jeana are both featured on IMDb ( featured below) because they have participated in TV and movie projects that are outside of YouTube and continue to work on new projects every day. They also vlog every day which shows their YouTube experiences on their second YouTube channel, "BfvsGf" where viewers can see a more personal side of their lifestyles.

### **Justin Bieber**

In 2008, Justin Biber, then only 14 years old took to YouTube to post his cover on "With You" by Chris Brown. This was a life changing moment for Justin Bieber and through YouTube was able to gain media attention from music producers, and even Usher. They took him under their wing and provided a way for a normal Canadian teenager to quickly rise to be one of the most famous celebrities in the world. Without YouTube and his first music video going viral it would have taken Justin Bieber a lot longer to get in touch with music producers and jump start his career. This example of Justin Bieber's career shows that YouTube functions in many different ways and styles. It also provides a platform that continues to build over time and expand beyond the YouTube realm.

### **Grace Helbig**

Grace Helbig is a YouTube star with almost 3 million subscribers. She also was given the opportunity to have a TV show on E! This is a huge step and accomplishment for a YouTube star to move up from making random videos in her bedroom to having her own production on a major network. The Washington Post wrote about Grace in an article titled "What comes after YouTube stardom? Grace Helbig is figuring it out"  they quoted her saying:

> “At the end of my videos I used to say, ‘Byeeee,’ but now I say, ‘I don’t know,’ ” she said, holding her arms out wide. “That’s my mantra now: I have no idea, but I’m going with it.”
>
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Grace proves that YouTube can serve as a stepping stone to even bigger ways to get famous and become successful. Despite her recent success, Grace still continues to post YouTube videos every week and is always dedicated to her subscribers, not neglecting how she got to be famous in the first place.

 Reference List:

1. ↑ Jenkins, Henry. "If It Doesn’t Spread, It’s Dead (Part Six): Spreadable Content." Confessions of an AcaFan. N.p., 23 Feb. 2009. Web. 18 Oct.2015.
2. ↑ Thomas, Jon. "8 Traits of Successful Viral Videos." *PostAdvertising*. N.p., 8 Feb. 2012. Web. 01 Nov. 2015.
3. ↑ Kavner, Lucas. "What Comes after YouTube Stardom? Grace Helbig Is Figuring It Out." *Washington Post*. The Washington Post, n.d. Web. 01 Nov. 2015.