This is kind of devastating but mostly just fascinating when you consider the ramifications of this kid sharing his pubescent angst. Part of me questions his motives in making this video, the sincerity of it all-- while the video was made 7 months before Chris Crocker blew the lid off of YouTube soul-bearing/famewhoring, it's worth noting that this kid (who I'd never heard of before your blog post) is the #71 most subscribed user of all time on YouTube, and he's also a "YouTube Partner"-- meaning he's exchanging our voyeuristic pleasure at his pain for cold hard cash. The seemingly authentic, hidden emotions of puberty's outcasts are actually a commodity in the YouTube era-- the rarity of watching that weird kid from high school talk to himself alone in his room at night equals a profit. Which raises the question: what happens when the market becomes oversaturated with kids willing to bare their souls to the world? Will high schoolers then understand each other better, when they've all watched those weirdos' inner thoughts broadcasted for the world, and they're no longer a valuable, rare or exotic thing? Will losers lose their uniqueness, are we headed for an even playing field? Or will things just keep escalating, creating an even greater divide between the socially rich and the socially poor?
Anyway, I really like your work... it's amazing, frankly... I'm honored that you would put me in your blog links :)
1 Comments:
This is kind of devastating but mostly just fascinating when you consider the ramifications of this kid sharing his pubescent angst. Part of me questions his motives in making this video, the sincerity of it all-- while the video was made 7 months before Chris Crocker blew the lid off of YouTube soul-bearing/famewhoring, it's worth noting that this kid (who I'd never heard of before your blog post) is the #71 most subscribed user of all time on YouTube, and he's also a "YouTube Partner"-- meaning he's exchanging our voyeuristic pleasure at his pain for cold hard cash. The seemingly authentic, hidden emotions of puberty's outcasts are actually a commodity in the YouTube era-- the rarity of watching that weird kid from high school talk to himself alone in his room at night equals a profit. Which raises the question: what happens when the market becomes oversaturated with kids willing to bare their souls to the world? Will high schoolers then understand each other better, when they've all watched those weirdos' inner thoughts broadcasted for the world, and they're no longer a valuable, rare or exotic thing? Will losers lose their uniqueness, are we headed for an even playing field? Or will things just keep escalating, creating an even greater divide between the socially rich and the socially poor?
Anyway, I really like your work... it's amazing, frankly... I'm honored that you would put me in your blog links :)
Peace out
Graham
3:23 PM
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