I wrote about @tyleroakley’s very profitable year & the nature of YouTube fame: https://t.co/SI1XgrD3OT
— Doree Shafrir (@doree) December 14, 2015In an article titled "YouTuber Tyler Oakley’s Big, Incredibly Profitable Adventure", Buzzfeed asks the following question about Tyler Oakley: Why stop at voice of your generation when you can be the Ellen DeGeneres of your generation?
A summary (since Buzzfeed isn't a banned source!):
- just finished filming reality show The Amazing Race
- he 'wrote' a book called 'Binge'
- his show 'Snervous' has been a big selling hit. He travels around and performs for about an hour for an audience of mainly teenage girls and their parents.
- his persona is relatable, modest, and in a state of constant surprised bubbliness: i wonder why these amazing things are happening to lil ol' me!. everything is 'crazy' to him.
- youtube success is mainly marketed on being different to 'real' celebrities - more relatable and accessable. there has to be a percieved authenticity about who they are.
- Oakley wants to seem appealing to the outcast - that's his (and a great deal of other youtubers out there) 'thing'. he has to sell the idea that he's friends with the loner or the loser or the geeky.A summary (since Buzzfeed isn't a banned source!):
- just finished filming reality show The Amazing Race
- he 'wrote' a book called 'Binge'
- his show 'Snervous' has been a big selling hit. He travels around and performs for about an hour for an audience of mainly teenage girls and their parents.
- his persona is relatable, modest, and in a state of constant surprised bubbliness: i wonder why these amazing things are happening to lil ol' me!. everything is 'crazy' to him.
- youtube success is mainly marketed on being different to 'real' celebrities - more relatable and accessable. there has to be a percieved authenticity about who they are.
- but his 'relatable' persona has to appeal to his white, teenage audience who can afford to buy a $40 ticket to a show, or at least convince their parents to.
- in order to do this, but still enjoy being a celebrity, he does things like wear a tailored armani tux to a premiere, but then put a self-deprecating caption on instagram of a photo of him in it.
- he's part of a youtuber clique that produces content online as well as profitting from book sales and sponsored deals.
- these youtubers are all young (20s or early 30s), white, and 'relatable'/goofy/atypical from the 'beautiful celebrity' idea.
- the writer points out that this doesnt seem like it is being more inclusive to the outcasted as the youtubers themselves suggest, but instead contributes to the idea that you have to be white, rich, and attractive to be successful.
- it's a very exclusive club, and the market around 'relatability' is just a way to profit from the idea that Youtubers are more authentic from other celebrities.
- made a very messy video a few years back insulting 'forced' diversity. when he was called out on in by Franchesa Leigh, former(?) ONTD member who nows works for MTV and makes Youtube videos, he made a Tumblr post titled 'On Privilege' which seemed reluctant to criticize his own video but tried to seem self-aware.
- the writer says what once seemed authentic about YouTube now just seems like a marketing strategy to get more views and make money.
- he has hinted that he wants a career outside of YouTube.
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ONTD, do you think the facade of 'accessible' celebrity in YouTube culture is fading? Do you think that any of them will go on to have careers they are known for outside of YouTube?