Youtube and Twitch have quite notable political niches respectively, but with regards to Leftist Thought, there was/is a loose subgroup of notable creators, Contrapoints, Philosophy Tube, Big Joel, Hasanabi, amongst others who all in someway were affiliated with the term, "Breadtube", taken from "The Conquest of Bread" by Kropotkin.
As universal marker there was a general tone of rebuttal to right-wing political talking points and media but as time has gone on and the subgroup more tenuous it can be asked what is/was "Breadtube" and why did/does it exist?
There has been a marked pushback against many of the creators for a variety of reasons such as their seemingly lacking political advocacy and poor racial representation.
It could argued that there was never a "Breadtube" and that fans of the creators were reading too much into various creators friendships.
There is also room for discussion of the idea of using vaguely Anti-Capitalist talking point a brand without delving into what the concepts actual mean.
YouTube has become increasingly popular, almost like a "new TV" for younger demographics. On the platform, one can see a trend starting to happen where viewers want to watch other peoples' lives through their vlogs and other content, such as unboxing videos and tutorials that the viewer never does but enjoys watching anyway. I call this "The Age of the Observer." This article would explore why this phenomenon is happening and explore just what kinds of videos people are watching. Some examples of channels creating this content would be Ryan ToysReview, both Jake and Logan Paul (where children vicariously live and envy the brother's mansions, cars, clothes, etc.), and Jenna Marbles and Julien Solomita (especially with Jenna's DIY videos and Julien's cooking videos).
This is a really good topic to talk about, especially now that there is a lawsuit against YT from the LGBT community. Perhaps you could talk about the lawsuit and how YT is promoting creators that fit their "algorithim," despite being advertised as a platform for all. – Link5 years ago
Very relevant topic. Though I am not familiar with the examples of the channels you want to use. – AnnaRay4 years ago
"Top 10" type videos and articles on the internet are so prolific right now it's like they fill up any negative space available on the net. Examine why that is and how this type of arguably cheap content has become so popular. Is it because of the platforms they inhabit? i.e, "the medium is the message," or is it simply because of the mindset of the generation? Interested to hear your thoughts!
I would not call "Top 10" a new thing, it has been around for decades. Perhaps how it has changed, say, of songs that have been in the top 10 in different years might provide insight into changing tastes. – Joseph Cernik4 years ago
We’re always told that potential employers will look at your online platforms and turn you down if you don’t fit their image, but is this idea losing importance now that you can become your own employer using a platform like YouTube. Yes, it takes time and effort but it can be done. Write!
I think it's also worth mentioning the issue behind cancel culture and how it also plays an authoritative role in the formation of said online personality, for better and for worse. – Spinach5 years ago
I would love to write about this because I have just experienced the same thing, and it wasn't pretty. To think that not having a pretty online personality means you're a bad person is really jarring, but it's what people think nowadays
– hnguyen11025 years ago
Video production is a true full-time activity. Personally, I find that work as a youtuber is important because youtubers allow people to see the world from another angle, to reflect on topics and question themselves. However, a youtuber doesn't always get a decent salary out of his or her freelance job. Does it mean they're not working? How is this job different from being a actor, a writer or a painter?
I wonder if anyone could get any YouTubers to interview for this? Either ones who have given up traditional work, or any YouTubers just starting out. You can look at how far some of the YouTubers are willing to go in order to make that salary. – CatEllen7 years ago
Great, interesting topic! There are a number of philosophical questions behind your topic: What is a "real job"? What is meaningful "work"? What roles do various factors -- you make reference to salary and to social value, for example -- play in determining whether or not we see something as a "real job"? etc. – JamesBKelley7 years ago
A relevant topic to explore! Plenty of YouTubers usually have to accumulate a certain number of subscribers before they actually start getting paid. So maybe you could look into that process and search up some famous YouTubers and check out any videos they have created describing how they became successful on YouTube? You could also start by comparing and contrasting the differences between being an actor, writer or a painter and how these jobs are similar or different from being a YouTuber? – chloet27 years ago
Could explore the difference between what people might see as a job or as a paid hobby. What are the objective definitions of 'job' and 'hobby'? It is subjective? Maybe some youtubers see it as a career where others see it as a pastime. It is necessary for someone to be paid to be working? I don't think so, but you could discuss it. How does money-making relate to making something a job? What different kinds of youtubers are there? (Yoga instructors, makeup artists, etc) What is the distinction between being a youtuber and using youtube as a platform for your career? – Carinci957 years ago
With social media being readily accessible in today's age, it can be hard to stand out and have original ideas. Getting noticed is also getting more difficult, and creating consistent content can prove to be problematic.
I think this is a good conversation to have, but I would also suggest drawing in the framework of what has made successful youtube channels. – SaraiMW7 years ago
Hank Green, one of the forefathers of Modern YouTube, has admitted that he has no idea how to start a YouTube channel without going back to 2007-08, when the site was first picking up traction. This is one of my favorite things about the Internet in general: no one actually knows what they're doing. The popular people on YouTube hardly ever expected to become as popular as they did, except for the ones who were famous for something before starting a YouTube channel. There is no formula for success. But most of them have some form of advice; check out the vloggers' Q&A's, for starters.
Best of luck to whoever takes on this article. – noahspud7 years ago
I think part of what makes this job fascinating is the freedom it gives you to be yourself and express your ideas. Because everyone is different and has his own experiences, each YouTube channel will have its own identity and its own audience. Some youtubers, I think here of SolangeTeParle, also chose to incarnate a fictive caracter and make a channel about him or her which gives room for so much imagination and creativity. – yara7 years ago
Look at parody fiction, and discuss at what point it stops being "Parody" and becomes "Art", can these coexist? Is parody automatically art?
Suggestion: Hillywood Productions; YouTube
That's a really interesting topic! Parody can parasitic in some ways; it often doesn't have a life of its own, doesn't age well, etc. Maybe to become "Art" it has to be able to stand on its own, divorced from the very thing it's parodying? – JamesBKelley7 years ago
The platform of Youtube is perhaps at its most controversial stage in its development to date. Due to it being owned by Google and advertisements being a determiner of the conventional Youtubers income, there is a huge pressure on content creators to make their videos as uncontroversial as possible in order for them to receive such monetisation . This has resulted in watered down content, demonetisation of otherwise entertaining videos and even lawsuits such as the controversial 'H3H3 productions' debacle which was a battle which lasted over a year. Overall this topic would help shed some light on how artistic capacity is limited by censorship and demonetisation.
PSA Sitch did a really great video series about why Youtube ads are failing (he's usually political, but this one wasn't really, if that's a thing that would have irritated you) and why the advertisers are backing out. Highly recommended, way smarter and more complicated than I had imagined. It's called "Who's Really Attacking Youtube Ads and Why." – m-cubed7 years ago
YouTube revenue is at an all-time low, in part due to the recent departure of several major advertisers over concerns about their products being associated with hate speech. Many on YouTube now rely on services like Patreon for income as much or more so than their YouTube partnerships. That said, Patreon is typically only successful for content creators that have already built a brand and a following. Is this the beginning of the end for YouTube as a cottage industry? Is there room for scrappy newcomers to make a living anymore?
This is an interesting question. You'd probably have to decide on an angle from which to address Youtubers, either as celebrities or small business entrepreneurs or a combination of the two, as it's a pretty unique career and there is no clear historical equivalent to compare it to. It would be important to acknowledge that youtube is only one element in a broader career for many youtubers - Troye Sivan and several other musicians attribute a degree of their success to it, but it would be a stretch to say they'd be nothing without it. Even in the case of beauty youtubers, who often get the short end of the reputation stick, many of them are industry professionals (Glam&Gore is an LA-based special effects makeup artist, pixiwoo are celebrity makeup artists, etc). This is not to say that this is the story for most Youtubers, but just something to bear in mind. Beyond Patreon, you would also have to consider one-off and also contract sponsorships, as well as business opportunities external to youtube. Other video-hosting apps and sites (RIP Vine) experience crossover with youtube so you'd want to touch on that as well. OK textblock over. – Cat7 years ago
As its been since Roman walls, hate speech, so thoughtfully scrubbed now that the sopranos is off the air, is any speech that Augustus dent want to hear. But not every wall is controlled by GE and the NBA and the lords of middlebrow decency, or the Jews theyve married,...ah, my credo, all graffiti says the same thing, This is not my wall. a roman aphorism. – Antonius8657 years ago
This would be interesting to look at from a variety of perspectives: beauty, gaming, lifestyle youtubers- I think it is different in each one. I've heard from a lot of the 'smaller but still popular' youtubers that the new advertising rules have ruined a lot of their income, so it really depends ob what type of personality/ look you are portaying. One thing that annoys me is that content aimed at young adults/ children is becoming more popular because advertisers feel comfortable working with those youtubers. It's starting to annoy me for example, that a lot of beauty youtubers have changed their personality/ content to become more kid-friendly, and have began making more videos about topics such as making friends at school or revision techniques, etc. – kwoodhead17 years ago
Youtube is one of the most popular streaming platforms on the internet. Its biggest stars have several million people who tune in each week to their videos. Many of its stars have the opportunity to use their fame to create other products. Beauty gurus create cosmetic lines, many write books, create gear with their taglines, and over all have many products that they have been able to create thanks to their internet celebrity. With the following they have amassed, it would be foolish not to use their Youtube platform to promote their products. So then why do so many of their viewers become annoyed or upset when these channels take time to promote their products during their videos? The same issue arises when channels are sponsored by companies like Audible, Loot Box, and Crunchyroll.
This topic is really great and very relatable for todays social media. I personally belive if that you have such a large platform of people to advertise, or promote something its a great opportunity, but on the opposing side people might feel they are doing this advertising for their own benefit. – jaimen8 years ago
