Recently Jack Howard uploaded two videos on his YouTube channel opening a discussion about YouTube itself, looking specifically at the content being uploaded by creators. He stated that he is “not interested, nor stimulated by any of the stuff that’s deemed ‘popular’ on YouTube these days.” He feels that creators aren’t using the platform to be as creative as they can be and that the same content is being uploaded over and over again.
I must say that I completely agree with Jack. I do not doubt that I am the only one who is getting a bit bored with the same tag videos. Now, don’t get me wrong, being a creator myself I have uploaded a few tag videos but only because I wanted to make that content and had fun making it. The problem lies within those who are filming that content for the sake of having a video to upload that week. Jack gave a perfect example of this: someone who is in their mid/late 20s and uploads a video talking about ‘the worst things in school.’ How is this relevant to someone aged 25 or older? It isn’t relevant to them. They are no longer in school and should no longer be thinking about it. If the bulk of their audience is in school then they should be able to go off and find someone making that same content but are actually in school themselves. You should make content that you would enjoy watching yourself. A 27-year-old would not sit down to watch a video about school.
Some creators are making videos purely with the intent of gaining the views. I was unaware of this, but Jack stated that the more frequently you upload, the more chance you have of your videos being seen on the home page or in recommendations. It becomes about the quantity rather than the quality. How many videos have you seen that involves trying some sort of candy? You cannot tell me that every single person who has made that video felt passionate about eating candy. I don’t want to come across as a hypocrite because I know that I’ve made one of these videos myself, but as I stated above, I genuinely enjoyed filming the video with my sister and I am in fact passionate about Japan – candy included!
On the other hand, looking at it from a consumer’s point of view, it’s all to do with age. Your interests change over the years and you most likely aren’t watching the same content that you did 5 years ago. When I first started watching YouTube videos, I was obsessed with Alfie Deyes (PointlessBlog), Zoella and Marcus Butler. I still watch the occasional video from these creators, but at age 20 I am much more interested in Japan vloggers and creators such as Jack & Dean, Hazel Hayes and Savannah Brown.
I personally feel as if now that YouTube is such a huge thing within the media and so many people are trying to ‘make it big’ on the platform that the creativity and spark that oozed out of the site originally is gone. This ‘popular’ content is making those creators that truly deserve recognition get lost in the shadows.
Feel free to let me know your views on the matter and be sure to check out Jack’s videos if you haven’t already. Let’s continue the discussion.
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Elijah Holland 