Photo credit to Gage Skidmore

Vidcon creators Hank Green (left) and John Green (right) present at the convention. These two youtubers have also had success with their books and movies.

Youtube, the popular video streaming platform created in 2005 has revolutionized the media. It’s hard to believe that less than 15 years ago people got their news and entertainment solely from television. Now, people have found new trends, slang and funny videos through the YouTube site.

We have seen the rise of “youtubers” or other social media influencers over the past decade. This has created a whole new culture and form of entertainment for kids, teens and young adults to enjoy.

Youtubers have a wide range of content on their channels which allows everyone to have an audience. Some choose to film comedy skits, while others do makeup tutorials or an informative video on a certain topic.

With such a widespread influence, many question whether a youtuber should be considered an actual celebrity. The younger generations may completely agree that they are considered famous. With some youtubers having over 10 million subscribers; who can say that have no global presence?

“I think that youtubers have definitely divided people in the country to an extent. A lot of older generations think it’s ridiculous for young people to choose YouTube as a career,” senior Kaillee Goldberg said.

Since some people watch their favorite YouTube stars everyday, there’s a connection that some might have to the influencers. They feel as though they can relate on a personal level because in reality, the youtuber is sharing everything about their life with people on the internet.

“YouTube is more personal than watching a movie or a TV show because it feels like you are really interacting with them at home in normal clothes, doing normal things,” senior Anastasia Kaloshina said.

YouTube has started to fund conventions such as Vidcon and Playlist Live to allow fans of the internet stars to meet them in person. This opportunity is unlike meeting actual celebrities because it is more casual.

Although one might think that youtubers would stick to the platform they started with, we see more and more success stories as online creators transcend to bigger projects such as television, music and huge brand deals.

“A lot of people look up to [Youtubers] and want to live like them. So even though sometimes their songs or clothes are stupid and expensive they are still successful because people like who they are as a person,” sophomore Julia Holt said.

Some notable success stories who started out on YouTube include Troye Sivan, who just released his second album this month. Similar to Sivan,Michelle Phan, Zoe Sugg and Jeffree Star have all created their own makeup brands.

Regardless of whether one considers YouTube stars famous or not, these influencers have a global influence and are impacting lives everyday.

One can only wonder how long YouTube’s success will last and what the next big thing will be for those who profit off of it. The world might have to wait years, possibly even decades, before the next big platform arrives. Until then, it will continue to change the world in numerous ways.