This is the moment when most of you will realise that YouTube is far more than cat videos.
It was Christmas 2008, I was home for a two month break after my first semester at university, I was bored out of my mind, and while browsing YouTube stumbled upon a guy called AmazingPhil; this was the beginning of my YouTube story.
This year Corey Vidal of Apprentice A Productions and Shay Carl of Shaytard fame began the filming of what I think will be one of the most talked about YouTube documentaries (or “vlogumentaries”) for years to come. Vlogumentary is the story of YouTube vlogging, or video blogging, for those of you who aren’t YouTube regulars. While the vlogs are the daily ‘behind the scenes’ of our favourite YouTubers, Vlogumentary gives us an insight into what vlogging is and how it has affected so many people.
I have been an active member of YouTube for almost five years now and I would happily say that it’s a part of my daily life. But while a lot of people are looking up videos of cats or goats licking electric fences, I’m watching the daily lives of Charles and Alli Trippy (CTFxC), the Apprentice A crew (ApprenticeEh), Jesse and Jeana (BFvsGF), Datev Gallagher (Ladie Dottie), Meghan Camarena (Lifeburry), Anthony and Kalel (Watchusliveandstuff), and many more YouTubers who make a living from making videos and uploading them to YouTube.
I, like so many others, love all my favourite vloggers so much because they welcome thousands of people into their lives and share everything with them, no questions ask. In 2012 Charles and Alli Trippy continued to document every day of their lives while Charles found out he had a brain tumour and had to go through numerous surgeries. Vlogging is important to so many because it reminds us that we’re not alone, that we’re part of a community and that we’re here to support each other.
This past year my favourite vloggers have inspired me to have the courage to chase after the things I care about the most, to follow my dreams, to stop being afraid of the things that used to terrify me, to get out of my comfort zone. They’ve shown me that if I work hard enough then I can achieve my goals, and that inspiration has been there every single day.
While there is a very negative side to social media, the positive side shines through on YouTube. Vlogging isn’t about sitting in front of your computer for hours on end feeling sad, it’s about gaining inspiration and encouragement to go out and live, to be spontaneous, to explore, to do the things that scare you the most. YouTube is very much a part of my life, and the lives of millions of other people. I encourage you to get an account right now and experience it for yourself.
x
Following the Northern Star 