Christy Ku shares her thoughts on YouTube fame and to what extent it is truly deserved…
1 May 2015 marked ten years of YouTube. This video sharing platform has transformed many people’s lives, becoming a place to share music, original films, videos of animals – and has allowed the rise of the ‘vlogger’ (video blogger).
Vloggers generally earn money through ad revenue (the bigger the view count, the more money earnt), and occasionally through sponsorship with companies. For many, the income earned from what started as a hobby has become enough for vlogging to be their full-time job. Notable British vloggers include Dan Howell (danisnotonfire), Phil Lester (AmazingPhil), Joe Sugg (ThatcherJoe) and of course, his big sister Zoe Sugg (Zoella) and her boyfriend Alfie Deyes (PointlessBlog).
Vlogging has also given YouTubers many different opportunities including their own merchandise, presenting on Radio 1, launching makeup ranges and securing book deals – you may have heard of Sugg’s notorious ghost-written debut book.
Now, Sugg’s and Deyes’ fame is being cemented (well, melted and moulded) in the form of wax figures for Madame Tussauds in London. The same criticisms are surfacing again: “Do they really deserve this kind of – or any – fame?” “Why don’t they get a real job?” “Aren’t they all just rich white kids with a camera?” It’s just like old people tutting at kids these days with their new gadgets.
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