Look at the influence some famous vloggers have had on culture (i.e. Casey Neistat). What is the appeal of this form of sharing? Where should the line between real life and the web be drawn?
I think vlogging is something that gives a very personal window into someone's life. It is, in this aspect, similar to blogging, except that blogging is generally more controlled in terms of what is produced and shared, and vlogging can be more candid. It also of course has the addition of images and sound. Although reading someone's writing can be a very personal experience, there is nothing quite like hearing their actual voice and seeing their facial expressions and body language, all things that we have access to in vlogging. That gives it the potential to be highly relatable in more day-to-day ways than in deep ways that the meditation and careful writing of blogs is. In short, it can make audiences feel like they are right there, just listening to a close friend talk to them and share things with them. As far as the line between life and web realities, that of course ultimately comes down to the person creating the content. It also depends on subject of the vlogs, whether someone sticks to one general topic (such as music, painting, a career, etc.) or vlogs about literally anything and everything going on in their real life. It is not so much a question of where "should" the line be drawn, but whether or not it is drawn, where it is drawn, and how all of that ultimately affects the producer and the audience. Hope those are some helpful ideas! – carp0009 years ago
There is something to be said for the appeal of vlogging in the first place, especially of people whose job is vlogging. YouTubers are incredibly popular--why? Is it the idea of an average person filming their normal, everyday life? Is there a sense of vicariousness in watching a vlogger's life? What is it about this "personal window," as the previous person stated, that makes vloggers so popular? They become so popular they become sort of celebrities, gaining fans, inspiring people, and even making money doing so. It's a cool topic with a lot of potential. – hesylvester9 years ago
Vlogging is a one-sided relationship between the vlogger and the viewer. These days, it seems, there is a surge in the number of youth, the primary audience of vlogs, who are depressed, insecure, and unconfident about themselves. They seek friends in the real world and are unable to have meaningful relationships in their lives. As a result, they turn to vlogs. They experience being in another person’s life without the difficulty of a real friendship. This is the unconscious allure of watching a vlog. The relationship is dependent on the vlogger not having any actual or substantial contact with the viewer. If this were to happen, the allure would be gone and the vlogger would no longer have the magic that made the viewer enjoy the vlogger in the first place. Real relationships do not have this allure, the allure of a friend that does not fight with you, that is funny, does not criticize you, etc. Young people feel a bond with these far-away strangers that they cannot feel with regular people. – GeorgeStirling9 years ago
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