YouTubers

Stokel-Walker, ChrisChris Stokel-Walker is a British journalist whose work regularly appears in WIRED, The Economist and Newsweek.

'For anyone trying to understand the bonkers world of YouTube, this is essential reading.' - ESQUIRE

'Bothabsorbingand highly illuminating' - THE BOOKSELLER

'No one understands the intricacies of YouTube like Chris Stokel-Walker' - THE ATLANTIC

Two billion people now watch YouTube, yet its stars are a mystery to the general public and media. What is the secret of their appeal? How do they cope with being in front of the lens? And who is behind their success?

More than 100 insiders laid bare the reality of their lives for this, the first in-depth independent book on YouTube. It charts the platform's rise from single home video to global boom - while getting the facts on brand deals, burnout and authenticity.

This is an ideal guide for anyone in universities, media or marketing who needs to understand YouTube professionally, and of course those who want to make it as a YouTuber.

A writer charts YouTube's rise from single home video to global boom industry - while getting the low-down on brand deals, burnout and authenticity

PART I. POWER AND BEGINNINGS 1. UPLOADING: CASEY NEISTAT AND THE POWER OF YOUTUBE. Introducing the power and reach of YouTube, now owned by Google, by focussing on the single post uploaded by a YouTube veteran. Mentions YouTube registered users, YouTube extraordinary growth, Netflix, Facebook, television, American cable network HBO 2. JAKE PAUL: CARS, MONEY, AND A BURNING SWIMMING POOL. A character portrait of a leading YouTuber – the brother of Logan Paul and resident of a mansion with a pool in Los Angeles. Mentions Tesla, Lamborghini, merchandise shop, Ohio, Beverly Grove, California, YouTube persona, Audemars Piguet Swiss watches 3. ME AT THE ZOO: JAWED KARIM AND THE WORST VIDEO OF ALL TIME. The launch of YouTube, featuring the video Me At The Zoo shot by co-founder Jawed Karim, who joined forces with Steven Chen and Chad Hurley, backed with investment from Sequoia Capital. Mentions Ask Jeeves, Altavista, Google 4. VIRAL COMEDY: YOUTUBE LAUGHS ALL THE WAY TO THE BANK. YouTube's big breakthrough comes when comedy clips from TV shows such as Saturday Night Live go viral. Mentions Lazy Sunday, NBCUniversal, Jorma Taccone, copyright infringement, Grouper, Viacom, lonelygirl15, Michael Buckley, WhatTheBuck? 5. GRACE HELBIG AND THE FIRST STARS OF VLOGGING. How the first creators exploded in popularity, looking at case studies such as Grace Helbig and Michael Buckley. Mentions multi-channel networks, YouTube salary, VidCon, Vlogbrothers, Philip DeFranco, YouTube managers, MCN, YouTube secrets, YouTubers 6. FROM RUSSIA TO LATIN AMERICA: YOUTUBE GOES GLOBAL. Charting how YouTubers gained fame across the world, featuring the biggest Spanish-language YouTube channel Enchufe.tv, the Brazilian music video star Kondzilla and the Russian game player FROST. Mentions Martin Dominguez, Ecuador, El Rubius, Paladin PART II. ENGINE ROOM: HOW YOUTUBE WORKS 7. THE ALGORITHM: YOUTUBE’S SECRET FORMULA. Explaining the secret computer code that matches YouTubers to viewers and determines who will become a star. Mentions PewDiePie, Google Brain, artificial intelligence, VideoDays, Jim McFadden, YouTube Kids, Little Monster Media Co, Charlieissocoollike 8. POLICING YOUTUBE: EXTREMISM AND THE ADPOCALYPSE. How conspiracy theorists got away with bogus claims in online videos before Google belatedly started cutting ad revenue from extremists and hoaxers. Mentions David Zublick, QAnon, UFO, Flat Earth, red pill, Alex Jones, Islamic extremism, 9/11 theory 9. SPONSORED CONTENT: THE TALE OF DODIE CLARK AND HEINZ BEANS. How the LGBTQ+ Pride star came to be paid by a grocery brand for advertising its product in a YouTube video. Mentions bisexual, mid-roll ads, pre-roll ads, Fabian Göbel, Carat Global, Beckii Flint, Kwebbelkop, adpocalypse, I Hart Food PART III. CHARTING THE STARS 10. KNOW YOUR YOUTUBE: ELITE, MACRO-INFLUENCER AND MICRO-INFLUENCER. Marketing agencies have understood and categorised the differing power of YouTubers. Jake Paul, Casey Neistat, influencers, MediaKix, YouTube video views, subscribers, nano-influencer, creators, brand deals, celebrity, terminology 11. ELITE INFLUENCERS: FIGHTING THEIR WAY TO THE TOP. Introducing a new way for YouTube stars to earn money: pay TV events such as at the boxing match between KSI and Logan Paul. Mentions Copper Box Arena, Upload Events, Olajide William Olatunji, Caspar Lee, Joe Weller, Jake Paul, PewDiePie, Zoella 12. CHILD STARS: MEET MATTYB, WHO GETS TWO MILLION VIEWS A DAY. By the time he was 11 American Matthew David Morris had racked up one billion views, the latest in a line of very young YouTubers. Mentions Justin Bieber, Ben Hampton, Troye Sivan, Dua Lipa, Mister Max, Miss Katy, Jacob Sartorius, funniflix 13. MACRO-INFLUENCERS: BEAUTY, CRIME AND DIY. The British YouTuber Eleanor Neale shows how going through 'beauty hauls' of new purchases attracts viewers and sponsorship. Mentions YouTube fanbase, Social Circle, Lucy Moon, Chez Rossi, Ultimate Handyman, Jawed Karim, Justin Bieber, Granny Potty Mouth 14. MICRO-INFLUENCERS: SPEAKING TO A DEVOTED AUDIENCE. Muslim modesty vlogger Eniyah Rana makes a full-time living by serving up videos to a devoted audience. Mentions Asian housewife, hijab, Snapchat followers, Instagram, Bengali, haram, YouTube entrepreneur, Rincey Abraham, Booktube PART IV. BEHIND THE SCENES: SNAPSHOTS 15. SUMMER IN THE CITY: A GATHERING OF THE INFLUENCERS. With the stars and fans: behind the scenes at the biggest UK event for online video. Mentions London Docklands, Creator Day, YouTubers, content networks, Zoella, Alfie Deyes, VidCon, HelloWorld!, Thomas ‘TomSka’ Ridgewell, Dodie Clark, Taha Khan 16. COLLABORATION: SAPPHIRE BUILDS A CAREER. The 16-year-old YouTube star has already played Wembley twice. She is now looking to collaborate with other creators to increase her appeal further. Mentions VideoDays, Camp Rock, Nick Upshall, uploading videos, Summer in the City, Zoella, famous YouTubers 17. MANAGEMENT: SARAH WEICHEL, STAR AGENT. She represents some of the world’s biggest YouTubers such as Lilly Singh, nickname IISuperwomanII. Mentions PewDiePie, Carson Daly, Zoe Sugg, Alfie Deyes, A to Z Creatives, @Zoella, KSI, Anthony Padilla, Patrick Starrr, VidCon, Hannah Hart, My Drunk Kitchen 18. TRAINING CAMP: WITH THE 11-YEAR-OLD YOUTUBERS. In a villa 20 miles from Madrid, scores of teenage YouTubers are in bikinis and swimming shorts, excitedly chattering over the sound of summer pop hits and Disney songs. Mentions Bastian Manintveld, professional YouTuber, YouTube channels, Maker Studios 19. YOUTUBE SCHOOL: WITH THE ADULT ENTREPRENEURS. How chief executives, advertisers and marketers learn to post videos to attract business. Mentions Brighton, Vlog on the Beach, Caspar Lee, YouTubing basics, Mi Elfverson, Amazon statistics, traditional broadcast media, celebrity vlogger, creator PART V. CAUGHT IN THE MACHINE 20. PRANKS FOR VIEWS: WHY MONALISA PEREZ SHOT HER BOYFRIEND. The dangerous, sometimes fatal risks creators take to get hit videos. Mentions Pedro Ruiz III, LaMonaLisa, Dammit Boy, Halstad, Curtis Combs, Trikkstar, Laci Green, Sam Pepper, Tyler Oakley, Vlogbrothers, DaddyOFive, TGFBro, Crazy Sumit 21. AUTHENTICITY: THE FOURTH WALL FOR YOUTUBERS. How speaking directly to the camera builds intimacy between presenter and viewer. Mentions lonelygirl15, Bree Avery, Creative Artists Agency, Los Angeles Times, Tyler Oakley, Charlie McDonnell, Facebook, KhanStopMe, Lucy Moon, social media, 2btube 22. BURNOUT: SLAVES TO THE ALGORITHM. Showing how posting online videos can become an exhausting round-the-clock job for workaholic creators, at a cost to their mental and physical health. Mentions YouTube homepage, OlgaKay, Olga Karavayeva, lonelygirl15, Lisa Donovan, popular YouTuber, iMovie, view count 23. FANATICAL FANS: OBSESSIVE RELATIONSHIPS. Singer Christine Grime was shot dead by a YouTube follower in Orlando, Florida. Mentions meet-and-greet, favourite YouTuber, Internet fame, James Charles, Logan Paul, Tom Burns, Zoella, Alfie Deyes, parasocial relationship, Tahj Deondre Speight, VidCon PART VI. THE BATTLE FOR CONTROL 24. YOUTUBERS FOUND A UNION. Fed up with low earnings from YouTube's advertising revenues or from Multi Channel Networks (MCNs), YouTube influencers strike back. Mentions Grace Helbig, MyDamnChannel, DailyGrace, amateur vlogging, Rhett and Link, Rhett McLaughlin, Hank Green, Internet Creators Guild 25. PATREON: SEEKING INDEPENDENT SUPPORT. Creators discover they can generate income direct from fans and, more particularly, superfans. Mentions Laura Chernikoff, Internet Creators Guild, YouTube AdSense, Pomplamoose, Sean Palmer, Little Monster Media Co, Matt Gielen, secret algorithm, Phil DeFranco 26. MERCHANDISE: FROM BOOKS TO POP SOCKETS. YouTubers capitalise on another source of income - by storming the bookseller bestseller charts. Mentions Zoella, Penguin Books, Girl Online, New York Times bestseller for young adults, Pointless Books, Keri Smith Wreck This Journal, Cordially Invited PART VII. THE FUTURE: YOUTUBE V TV 27. THE FUTURE: YOUTUBE v TV. YouTube makes it big - big enough to attract Hollywood stars like Will Smith. Mentions James Corden, Jack Whitehall, YouTube Rewind, Kate Stanford, Kevin Hart, Jake Paul, KSI, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, Ryan Reynolds, Ellen DeGeneres, Carpool Karaoke, Netflix 28. INVASION OF THE HOLLYWOOD STARS. The likes of Will Smith launch their own YouTube channels. Mentions James Corden, Jack Whitehall, Kevin Hart, YouTube Rewind, Tyler ‘Ninja’ Blevins, Jake Paul, KSI, Ryan Reynolds, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, Ellen DeGeneres, Jennifer Lawrence, Wiz Khalifa 29. IS YOUTUBE KILLING TRADITIONAL TV? The shift from terrestrial linear television to on-demand online viewing. Mentions Derek Holder, Little Baby Bum, animated educational videos, El Bebe Productions, CBeebies, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Google, L’Oréal, Wheels On The Bus, Justin Bieber,YouTube Kids 30. ONLINE VIDEO WAR: YOUTUBE v FACEBOOK. As it becomes more popular, rival online platforms vie to control internet viewing. Mentions Mark Zuckerberg, Goubran ‘Goubtube’ Bahou, Jahannah James, viral video skits, Major League Baseball, Facebook Watch, BuzzFeed, TikTok, creator cash, Instagram Stories PART VIII. CONCLUSION 31. A FLAWED WINNER. Mentions Summer in the City, VidCon, YouTubers, peer-to-peer TV, adpocalypse, Elsagate, extremism, YouTube brand deal, conspiracy theories, YouTube stunts, Alice Marwick, James Bridle, TikTok, Amazon, Facebook, Spotify, Kevin Allocca, MeTube, UsTube, YouTube personality,YouTube book GLOSSARY. Explains terms used in this YouTube book such as algorithm, authenticity, creator, Facebook, haul, influencer, merch, parasocial relationships, Patreon, stanning, streamer, subscriber, TikTok, unboxing, Vine, vlogger, YouTuber ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. Mentions Laura Chernikoff, Anthony D’Angelo, Matt Gielen, Zoë Glatt, Harry Hugo, Internet Creators Guild, Wired UK, New Scientist, Bloomberg, Oli Franklin-Wallis, Tom Rowley, Angelika Strohmayer, Bastian Manintveld NOTES. Full references for the book, such as: 1. Means a Life of Poverty, Casey Neistat, YouTube, accessible at https://youtube.com/watch?v=xyVdZrL3Sbo 2. 2. four billion people: everyone on Earth with an internet connection: Internet World Stats, at https://internetworldstats.com/stats.htm INDEX. A full index of mentions within the book, listing media sources, YouTube stars, technology companies etc