In 2019, we have finally come to a time where people watch more of Youtube than traditional television. It’s an easier and more useful platform, which is a lot more accessible than TV has ever been. It isn’t only extremely easy to watch, but also very easy to be apart of. Commenting on videos, as well as making these videos, already exceeds television in the consumer-creator relationship. It’s safe to say that Youtube will not be saying goodbye to the general public anytime soon. Traditional television is guaranteed to leave our lives very soon.
Kids born in the late 2000s have grown up watching YouTube from the early ages of a toddler. They have been immersed into this world of various characters and personalities and have seen their lifestyles on a personal level. The kids of modern society see YouTube as a platform where anyone can put himself or herself out there, play their normal lives on a screen, collaborate with others by showcasing their day-to-day journeys. They see this haven of a perfect career of just being you and ranking up to millions of views. By visiting any primary school in the UK, at least 40% of a year group would say they aspire to become a Youtuber or some sort of social media celebrity. Of course this is surprisingly high, but why is this the case? And more importantly, what can we do about it?
YouTube can be a brilliant platform in which people find their communities and people. It’s a place where everyone could find a place whether it’s small and unknown or popular and on demand. However, not all is sunshine and rainbows. People can easily think that YouTube is a career pathway that everyone can fall back to when else is failing. This is simply not the case in this quantifiable and quantitative-based system. It takes many of the famous YouTubers we see today to get enough attention to collect promotions and sponsorships. Youtubers like Olajide William Olatunji (KSI)took 4 years to rise to popularity in 2013 whereas others like Alfie Deyes fell off the top charts only 5 years after his peak. Youtube can be a tricky algorithm to uncover and cannot be a concrete backup as a career. Many YouTubers have to go on for years with only a handful of subscribers and views to get a fully life-supporting salary. I’ve also been in the atmosphere of this. At the time of GCSEs, many students who waited for results continued to say that “They didn’t matter as they had YouTube to fall back on,” which deals a great sense of confidence but a reality check needs to be made first.
I do not believe children should be told what to do in their future or what their dreams should be. The reason why the new generation have a great majority of them aspiring for the same goal is clear. Youtube is the only career that children can see and learn about. Their job is open for the world to see and is currently the only jobs that children are able to see the function of. Youtube is the only job that they can see inside and out. They’re able to have an insight into the work atmosphere, the holidays and how they can do better. With other occupations like Dentistry, Engineering and Bankers, children only know of the work and know that it’s just something that only some people do and that’s all they know. Children are very susceptible to what they see in the world and will believe anything that they see or read. That’s why it’s important that adults, especially parents and teachers, need to make sure they venture these children into the different pathways of life so they know that there’s more to do. The reason they all want to be YouTubers is because that’s the only career they see! From a young age, we show them the endless variety of jobs in the world to expand their ambitious horizons.
-Mohammed Rebut Kamal.
