the paradox of being a fulltime vlogger

Hey guys, in today's video I discuss influencers, labor, following your passion, the creator economy, and the paradox of being a fulltime lifestyle vlogger.

~sources~
Workism is Making Americans Miserable
In The Name of Love
The Creator Economy Explained: How Companies Are Transforming The Self-Monetization Boom
Edison Research The Gig Economy
What the “Creator Economy” Promises—and What It Actually Does

~socials~

[imaninline]

I wonder what will happen when we reach the late stage of the creator economy and how it would’ve affected content creators who made themselves the content. When you can’t separate yourself from your work, your self worth is derived from your productivity and the profitability of your literal existence.

[HeyRowanEllis]

as someone who has recently gone "full time" on youtube (although not in the lifestyle niche) this video is so fucking good and hits a lot of points i hear from fellow creators all the time

[bigkev]

*Everyone doesn't have to aim to be a social media star. It's okay to keep your life private.*

[cuteblackhousewife]

Yes yes 100%, I have friends who ask why I haven't made content for a while and it's like I have a lot of ideas but some things are not really good for YouTube/Tiktok/ig/etc. I don't want all my moments in life to become watered down by trying to make them perfectly curated for the sake of content for all these different platforms.

[dsmartdotink]

If it doesn't get done at 8am, try again tomorrow... LOL i relate

[LisaFevral]

everyone should see themselves as separate from their job/career. you gotta provide for yourself and your family, and working is just a way to do it, not necessarily an indication of good/bad character

[hollyexley]

This was such a great video. Great quote from 'The Death of the Artist' : " The industrial economy laid claim to our bodies. The knowledge economy laid claim to our minds. Now the creative economy is laying claim to our souls "

[eleesiasportraits]

There was a lot of emphasis a couple years ago about trying to not document everything for social media and live more in the moment.

I wonder how hard that is to apply when your job (as a lifestyle vlogger) is specifically NOT to live in the moment. Every moment/ experience of your entire life has the possibility of monetization or making content out of it. And fans/subscribers clamor to see whatever you do, because of the need to live vicariously.

I've always wondered how well can you enjoy something like a vacation when you're constantly thinking about angles, aesthetics, how it will look to followers/ subscribers.

[HeyItsShey]

"the self feels like the final frontier of capitalism" oof...

Also, "Workism is Making Americans Miserable" is one of my favorite articles! It articulated something I continually struggle with and was a necessary reminder that things weren't always *this way*.

[melisdantou]

i’m literally the smallest most inconsistent vlogger ever and even I find myself telling myself “you don’t have to record everything, it’s okay to enjoy the moment 💀”

[ilostmyjacket]

It must be hard to have content just based on personality. What do you do if you aren't in a "happy place"? And how do you separate your work from personal life? .. it doesn't surprise me that a lot of bloggers get burnout.
I'm so happy I found your channel btw 🥰 love your videos

[linzihan]

honestly i used to want to have a social media platform but lately it isn’t really something i want for myself anymore, and that’s okay. all i want is to one day have a podcast hahah i love them

[caylalikescats]

its funny because i just saw the thumbnail of a youtubers video that said "i quit my 9-5 with no backup job" or something and like... isnt being a youtuber the backup job lolll she had thousands of views so im sure she makes enough to survive. the disconnect is just weird sometimes but this video helped me wrap my head around the concept a bit. i think you should definitely do a video on the great resignation and how well off youtubers are influencing 9-5 ers to quit their job even though they have a backup job and their viewers likely dont.

[samantharose]

okay the not starting by 8am thing is how I feel a lot of the time! Love your videos. This was SO interesting. Thanks for your work and thoughts!

[lizzieblades]

I always say to myself that the application to “work for youtube” is hours upon hours, expenses out of your own pocket, and changing your entire life so that it looks appealing to viewers.

I thought what this video would be about is the “chicken or the egg” type of scenario where vloggers need to record their life, but their life becomes being a vlogger, so it becomes a confusing cycle. (In a way, I think this video covered that because the concept of vlogging while editing a video reflects the cycle)

[Mikejguevarra]

I’ve always seen the influencer industry as similar to other celebrity/performative fields like sports, acting, or music. For every 1 Uber successful influencer there’s maybe 10 influencers behind them well off enough to do it full-time and behind each of them 100 micro influencers who are happy with getting a couple freebies here and there despite essentially turning their online selves into a brand. I feel the black-mirror dilemma of when one’s hobby turns into their source of livelihood, its as if that passion and their own lives / identity no longer belong to themselves but to their fans and sponsors

[elise]

This is why I greatly appreciate channels like sunbeamsjess who have consistently filmed and pursued the 'vlogger' career path whilst completely a full uni degree and dissertation and now is filled with her general life of being a mum and renovating her house. Its like the vlogging comes last but that's the best part? Her critical thinking and literature analysis is amazing too.

[joreneereads]

Loveee this. I’ve seen multiple people who went full time on YouTube talk about how difficult it is and how they’re working far more than before now & i feel both sympathetic and critical… I can’t iron out my emotions lol

[neptunehenriksen]

I really really loved this video! As a writer, I feel like the video hit a lot of things I've been dealing with recently. But also, for me, as an autistic person, the thing at the end where you said “I think I said the same thing a bunch of different ways”, that's actually very helpful for autistic folks! There can (occasionally) be a difficulty understanding the certain ways that (non-autistic) people might go to explain something, so although autistic people don't need to be infantilised, or talked down to, there can be a lot of value in watching a video essay and having the person give multiple examples, or explain a concept a couple of different ways. So, I feel like you've done a really great service in this video of making your points more accessible, and I wanted to point that out, and thank you for it.

[bestmermaid]

Wow, you put a lot of things into perspective for me. Like I’ve always know that social media work is still work and that even though they enjoy what they do, it’s still hard. But I never realized how blurred the lines can get and how that can be just as bad as working a job you hate. Both scenarios really mess with your mental health. I’ve seen this happen to myself (though I’m not big or anything, lol). I’m always thinking of how to make content without “stressing” myself out and adding new tasks (like making content out of what I already do) but I’ve recently asked myself “what do I do to relax?” I don’t even know anymore. Everything that was once done for fun, I now use for content. It’s such a slippery slope and a hard mindset to get out of once you’re in it. It explains why so many content creators are so out of touch with reality, it’s probably because they’ve merged everything with their online persona.

Also, congrats on becoming an RA!! I was an RA in college too. I hope you enjoy it 😊