I remember when I was 14 years old, waking up every morning excited to see which of my favourite youtubers uploaded.
I was excited to watch Lachlan, Vikkstar, KSI and other YouTubers of the like upload a video because they were having fun and it was genuinely unique and entertaining. But as I got older, the landscape started to change.
It got to the point where I would scroll and watch something to fill in the time, not because the video was good but because the video was good enough, it took me away from the reality I was living in, at a point in time where I didn’t like my life, there was enough going on in the video to keep me interested and engaged for long enough, jumpcuts, every few seconds, a crazy title, a colourful thumbnail, etc.
But what’s the end result of me watching that video? Only time wasted.
YouTube has become what TV was, a lack of creativity, a lack of individualism, the Sidemen used to make videos in their room or backyard that would average 20 million views, and was enjoyable to watch because it was authentic to them, the video wasn’t as much about the concept, but a bunch of English lads having a laugh where the viewer can understand the inside jokes and also have a laugh.
Now they probably invest more money into their videos than ever before, with some tacky, lucrative, Mr Beast type of idea that barely cracks 10 million views and isn’t even enjoyable to watch because it feels so forced.
YouTube nowadays is only a bunch of people twerking for views and selling their souls for whatever will get them views and popularity, there’s no substance, no depth, and no one cares about having an authentic connection with their audiences, and the viewers don’t really care to have an authentic connection with the creator.
That’s why I used to really like the videos that Sneako made, I’m not saying that what he is doing now is bad, because I believe as a creator you have to learn how to evolve. But his old style of content was refreshing, different and unique to HIM, in a landscape full of Mr Beast clones where videos are highly edited with zero substance.
These authentic type of videos gave you insight and perspective from a young man trying to figure out life, but obviously now he has more direction in life and doesn’t need to make those type of videos which is fine. But my point is on YouTube, there is a lack of authenticity, a lack of people experimenting, a lack of people trying to break the mold, a lack of creativity, and it isn’t about the individual being unique and living authentically to their true nature.
Videos feel like a TV show you put on because there’s nothing else to watch, they’re soulless pieces of content. It’s more about what type of viral concept is going to get the most views and how can I put something new on the screen or introduce a new concept every few seconds to keep the viewer engaged for longer, and there’s no real substance with that.
Is this only a YouTube issue or is this a life issue? I don’t know if it’s the fact that I’m not a child anymore and I see the world through a different lens or if it’s because everything genuinely lacks the authenticity it once had, but everything seems so dull.
In football there’s a lack of creativity, where I used to watch Ronaldinho outskill everyone on the pitch, doing tricks that seemed like magic, incorporating his own unique attributes to the game of football, leaving you in awe after you watched him perform.
Now the sport is highly focused on how can we play perfectly and efficiently as possible as a team to score goals and win a game as the sport is focused on coaches tactics rather than individuals, and now overall the sport lacks the individualism that it once had
Music feels the same way too, because most rappers are losers that glorify drugs, being degenerates & sleeping with hoes, there’s only so many times you can listen to that garbage before you get sick of it.
Everything has become so systematised for efficiency and what will work the best, as everything becomes so results driven, (which obviously makes sense because results are important), rather than creating something to stand out amongst the crowd.
But why can’t we have both? Why can’t people incorporate their unique creativity, whilst also creating content that will get views?
As time goes on I believe that the landscape will change, and things will shift, and those Mr. Beast copies will have to change to whatever is popular, as in any environment things will always change, and it’s up to the creator whether they want to also change or get left behind.
Because it’s clear that when the pendulum swings one way, it will always swing back the other way, and as Newton’s third law states, for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction, which is what you can see with the rise of Mr. Beast clones and people copying that formula, on the opposite end you are also seeing the rise of other more authentic creators like Sam Sulek, and more long-from authentic content like podcasts are also performing well.
But overall YouTube is a forever changing landscape, that’s what it must do to survive and stay popular, but I hope that the platform finds the authenticity that is once had.
