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Vlogs are a blog version but where most or all of the content medium is in a video format rather than written text or image entries. Just like the word blog, the word vlog stems from the combination of the words video blog or video log, which was shortened to become the more popular and widely used term we see today as vlog's.[1] Additionally, the term vlogging has also grown to include other popular video streams seen on YouTube, Facebook, and other video sharing platform interfaces.[2] Vlog’s are primarily self-made and first-person videos; they can be either be live-streamed or pre-recorded and uploaded onto a vlogging platform. Each vlog will usually feature the vlogger speaking directly into the camera, and sharing his or her day, or thoughts on a particular subject.[3]

Vlog History

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The first vlogs were created after the increasing popularity of blogs, in which videos were then uploaded and added to a blog post. However, the person who is generally credited as the first vlogger was Adam Kontras after he set off on a cross-country road trip from Ohio to Los Angeles in pursuit of a career in show business, where during his trip he documented his personal journey by first writing blog posts along the way to inform his friends and family of his adventures and then he started adding personal videos into his blog post which then became vlogs.[4] After the first vlog was posted, over the next few years a small number of vlogs also started popping up around the internet but at the time not many people were viewing them.[5]


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Yet, all this changed after YouTube had launched in February 2005 and vlogging saw a strong increase in popularity. However, in 2006 Google bought YouTube for $1.6 billion.[6] Currently, YouTube is considered the world’s largest video-sharing social networking site with around 1.9 billion active users and is second in unique monthly visitors only after Facebook and also YouTube is the 2nd most popular website worldwide, behind Google.[7][8] YouTube increased popularity is also due to the fact that it hosts a large number of vlogger's content, and it's free.[9] Furthermore, Youtube users consume over 1 billion hours of video every day and more than 500 hours of content are uploaded to YouTube per minute.[10]

Vloggers

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People who vlog are commonly referred to as vloggers and they tend to upload regularly to a video sharing platform of their choice and when they are creating content its referred to as vlogging. However, those who frequently post on YouTube are generally known as YouTubers. The videos that vloggers normally upload have an individual aspect to them and they share a personal perspective on their lives, about life, thoughts, ideas, or opinions on a subject that revolves around travel, comedy, fashion, cooking, music and more.[11] Furthermore, anyone can become a vlogger because there isn’t a barrier, personality types or background that someone needs to have in order to become a vlogger. Additionally, it’s important to note that most vlogger contents are mostly independent, highly creative, rule-breaking, revolutionary and vloggers maintain full creative control in the content they produce and upload.[12] But, just like blogs, corporations are also embracing vlogs as a way to promote their business, services or products.

Most Popular Vloggers

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Most famous and Popular vloggers are on YouTube these days and it has become the de-facto launching pad for the next generation of celebrities, personalities, and big stars.[13] Business Insider has ranked the top 25 most popular and influential vloggers by subscribers total from SocialBlade rankings, they had focused only on independent YouTube stars and ignored YouTube channels from mainstream celebrities and music record labels.[14] These are the top 12 from the list.

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1. PewDiePie — 108 million subscribers

2. Dude Perfect — 54.3 million subscribers

3. Badabun — 43.7 million subscribers

4. Whinderssonnunes — 41.4 million subscribers

5. JuegaGerman — 42.3 million subscribers

6. El Rubius — 39.1 million subscribers

7. Felipe Neto — 40.6 million subscribers

8. Fernanfloo — 38.7 million subscribers

9. Kids Diana Show — 69.8 million subscribers

10. Like Nastya Vlog — 64.7 million subscribers

11. Vegetta777 — 31.6 million subscribers

12. Você Sabia? — 38.2 million subscribers[15]

However, the 10 highest-paid YouTubers of 2019 from Forbes recently released list are based on their earnings from June 1, 2018, to June 1, 2019.[16]. However, YouTubers wealth stems from finding new sources of income beyond the ad revenue on their videos such as personal clothing or makeup lines, TV appearances, sold-out live tours, custom toy brands, brand partnerships and more. These are the top ten highest-earning vloggers on YouTube;

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1. Ryan Kaji — $26 million

2. Dude Perfect — $20 million

3. Anastasia Radzinskaya — $18 million

4. Rhett and Link — $17.5 million

5. Jeffree Star — $17 million

6. Preston — $14 million

7. PewDiePie — $13 million

8. Markiplier — $13 million

9. DanTDM — $12 million

10. VanossGaming — $11.5 million[17]

Casey Neistat

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Arguably one of the founding fathers and pioneers of the vlogging world, any conversation revolving this topic can not be short of this individual. Casey Neistat started off as a traditional filmmaker and was quite a successful one at that. He then later switched platforms and started to garner attention on YouTube. This came as a surprise to many since he could have easily made a decent amount of money promoting his films. However, he did not believe that he would be that way. Instead, he decided to take a leap of faith and became the man that we know him as today. Furthermore, he is very inspirational and constantly promoting people to always seize the moment and strive for the better. He uses his own rags to riches background story as a motto to encourage those in the world to really put themselves out there and be the best that they can be. Other than his main branding, he also produces quite the number and quality of videos on YouTube with contents ranging all the way from creative crafting/construction, traveling the world to simply riding his iconic electric Boosted Board around New York City (where he originally worked out of, now Los Angles) to donating to his favorite charities and promoting small-time businesses and content creators. All of this adds to his likable character and makes people always want to return to his content nowhere he is. [18]



YouTube Famous Controversies

Logan Paul

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Logan Paul posted a 15 minute Japan vlog titled “We found a dead body in the Japanese Suicide Forest…” The video starts off by mentioning “This is not clickbait. This is the most real vlog I’ve ever posted to this channel,” Paul says in an intro to the video. “I think this definitely marks a moment in YouTube history because I’m pretty sure this has never hopefully happened to anyone on YouTube ever,” he continues as minor-key piano music plays. “Now with that said: Buckle the fuck up, because you’re never gonna see a video like this again!” The video shows footage of the dead body, a person that hung himself from a tree. Paul blurs the footage but records all of it. The video was meant to be part three of his Japanese vlog. Paul and his friends say things such as “Yo, are you alive?” “Are you fucking with us?” “So, a lot of things are going through my mind. This is a first for me.” “His hands are purple. He did this this morning,” after discovering the body. His friends that are also content creators posted similar videos on their channels with clickbait titles relating to the footage of the body. Within the first 24 hours of uploading it, the video reached 6.3 million views. [19]


The internet was outraged at the video. Many took to twitter to blaming Paul for his insensitivity for showing footage of a dead person that committed suicide and used someone committed suicide for views. On January 1st, 2018, Logan took to twitter and apologized for the video. He mentions that this is a first for him and has never faced criticism of this level. He apologizes and mentions that he did it for a “positive ripple on the internet” and wanted to bring awareness to suicide and suicide prevention. He mentions that he is still human at the end of the day and makes mistakes and that he will not do it again. [20]

Besides showing the footage of the dead body in the forest, people were also outraged at the disrespect he showed in Japan towards the communities. Logan Paul recorded footage of him taking off his pants in the middle of the streets in Tokyo, throwing huge Pokémon balls at random people in the city (including a policeman). [21]


James Charles

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On May 10,2019 Tati Westbrook, a long time beauty YouTuber uploaded a 43 minute video titled “BYE SISTER..”. Sister is a known phrase from her long time friend James Charles. The video goes into criticizing James Charles for disloyalty, manipulating people’s sexuality and using fame, power, and money to play with people’s emotions. The video begins by mentioning that it started at Coachella when James did a short Instagram video for a brand, Sugar Bear Hair. The gummies are known to be a direct competitor for Tati’s beauty supplements, Halo Beauty. After the video was posted, Tati posts a clip of herself on Instagram saying that she felt lost and betrayed by an unnamed person. After James posted a story publicly apologizing to Tati. “She has been like a mother to me since my first days in this industry and has given me more love, support, resources, and advice than I could ever ask for.” “This weekend I did an Instagram Story for sleep vitamins that I’ve been taking because the brand helped me with security when the crowd around me at Coachella became unsafe,” he continued. “I did not accept any money from this post.” Tati mentions in her video about her perspective on the whole issue, mentioning that her and her husband invested a lot of energy into James Charles and his career. The last straw happened to be Coachella but it had nothing to do with the money. Tati mentions in the video that her relationship has never been about the money and has never asked for money. She was tired of apologizing for James’ Behavior which includes saying mean things about other beauty influencers and sexually harassing men who weren’t interested in James. [22] Tati accuses James for coercing guys into doing sexual acts with him. She mentions that’s one of the main problems she has with him. "Oh my god, you tried to trick a straight man into thinking he's gay, yet again. And somehow, you're the victim. It's really disgusting to manipulate someone's sexuality especially when they're emerging into adulthood and don't quite have everything figured out," she says, recalling a phone call of theirs where he shared details.” [23]Tati also mentions that he used his fame and money to threaten and ruin men who didn’t reciprocate his advances.

Since the video was posted, the video has gain 25 million videos, and James Charles lost millions of subscribers on his YouTube channel. Many influencers got involved in the drama backing up James or backing up Tati. Jeffree Star, a popular beauty vlogger, mentions in a now deleted tweet “There is a reason that Nathan banned James Charles from ever coming over to our home again,” Jeffree tweeted. “There’s a reason why I haven’t seen him since @GlamLifeGuru’s birthday in February. He is a danger to society. Everything Tati said is 100% true.” [24]Celebrities such as the entire Kardashian family has unfollowed James Charles, Demi Lovato, Ariana Grande, Miley Cyrus, Katy Perry, Shane Sawson, and Shawn Mendes. James’ Friend Nikita Dragun posted screenshots on her twitter to defend Charles. She screenshots text messages between her and James of that Coachella night to prove that James’s intentions were not premeditated and did not plan to boost the rival supplement. [25]

James Charles posted a video on May 10th, 2019, mentioning that the video was for Tati and James Westbrook. He apologizes for everything that has happened goes on to explain that he doesn’t want to have to show receipts or screenshots because he’s genuinely sorry and doesn’t want to play victim. He talks about how boys have always been a topic that he kept open on social media and it’s a topic he now wishes he hasn’t. He’s been in a lot of unique situations that have left people confused and upset and he has learned the hard way about boys that he’s interested in. On Many 18th, 2019, James posts another video called “No More Lies” this time more detailed and addresses every single claim Tati makes in her video with screenshots of messages. He says that Tati publicly humiliated him and now he has serious allegations against him that’s ruining his career. The video goes on to mention that Tati and him are planning to have a meeting with a mutual YouTube representative that they know. James goes on to mention that the past three weeks have been the most difficult time for him because all he wanted to do was communicate with these people and he didn’t get to. So at the end, he declined the meeting because he thought it was unfair that he didn’t get to address it publicly as well before the meeting. [26] After that video went up, Tati mentions on Twitter that she stood by what she said in the video and through closed doors her and James decided it was best to no longer talk about it. She eventually takes down the videos and content that has to deal with the drama. [27]

Sam Pepper

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Sam Pepper posted a YouTube prank video where a young man believed that he and his best friend were kidnapped and his best friend gets murdered by a masked man. The young man being pranked was a Vine user, Sam Golbach. Pepper gets his best friend on the prank and they do it together. The prank starts off by Golbach and his best friend, Colby Brock driving down a road where the car stops. After investigating the car, a masked man approaches the car, approached Golbach, throws a hood over his head, ties him up, and throws him in the trunk. After getting to the rooftop, Golbah and Brock are tied up in chairs. The masked man points a gun at Brock’s head and Golbach pleads for his friend’s life. Then the masked man fires the gun and Golbach is seen crying and screaming in distress. After the prank is revealed, Brock gets up and assures his friend that he’s okay but Golbach is clearly still shaken. By the end of the video, Golbach mentions that was insane. [28]

This video received so much backlash. Celebrities and fans took to twitter to mention how cruel and disgusting the video was. The Vamp’s James McVey tweeted ” I once thought Sam Pepper was alright, however, his recent video disgusts me. Nobody should ever exploit absolute desperation and terror...” [29] The twitter user @imablexbluenow wrote “This is the darkest thing I've seen in a while. Cried real tears. This is not okay. Let Youtube know #SamPepper”

The YouTube video was uploaded on Sunday and by Wednesday afternoon the video was at 4 million views. A change.org petition has been signed by over 153 thousand people who wanted YouTube to deactivate Sam Pepper’s channel because of the video. The video even gained the attention of the hacker group Anonymous. Who claimed to have posted Sam’s home address, IP address, email address, and phone number online after the incident. [30]

Besides this prank, Sam Pepper had already been the center of scandals before. His pranks are often controversial, including a prank where he appeared to pinch women from the behind with a fake hand. Six women have also accused him of sexual assault and the video received lots of backlash. Pepper defending himself, mentions that it was part of a social experiment.

After people complained to YouTube, YouTube responds that the video does not violate the site’s community guidelines, so the video will stay up. Pepper also started a GoFundMe campaign stating that he would delete his YouTube channel is $1.5 million dollars were pledged to him. The campaign was removed shortly afterwards along with the video. The campaign was taken down because it didn’t meet GoFundMe’s requirements. [31]


Vlog Popularity

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In recent years, vlogs have become increasingly popular because, just like blogs, they are fairly free and easy to use and they are also an open-ended form of entertainment where users with very little technical skills can upload vlogs on any video supported platforms.[32] The upside to vlogging is that anyone can create vlogs with a personal smartphone, but the downside comes in when vloggers decide to purchase professional video recording equipment, editing software and other equipment which can be pricey.

According to YouGov Omnibus's Vlog study in 2018, showed that 52% of Americans watched Vlog and 72% of millennials like to be Vlog viewers.[33] This data can show that more people started to adopt this new type of social and start to enjoy it. Especially to the millennials who born in the age of higher technology and used new media more often. Vlog, as a new type of video, they are more likely to watch vlog more often or try to do vlogging themselves.

Vlogging Cameras

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There are many different types of vloggers ranging from the day to day to traveling. Certain vlogs require a special camera depending on the location in which they're used. The most common vloggers travel a lot and use waterproof cameras. The equipment you use can make or break your content. Cameras are a huge investment and research is a big factor when it comes to choosing the right one. The Canon G7x is well known in the camera and vlogging community. The Canon G7 is multifaceted and remains one of the most popular cameras due to its light weight, versatilely and quality. It is very touch enabled in concerns of focusing on a certain subject. The lens are pretty good when it comes to filming and also contains many video features. Vlogging is full time commitment and cameras are one of main components to its potential success.

Other Vlogging Platforms

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However, there are also other different vlogging platforms that vloggers can utilize to post and share their content and even though YouTube is the more popular and well known of them all, there are also other alternative formats that are gaining popularity such as Facebook and Facebook live; Instagram, Insta live, stories and IGTV; Twitch IRL; DailyMotion; Vimeo; Flickr; D.Tube; Patreon; Viddler; and Veoh to name just a few.[34]

Vlogging categories

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There are several types of vlogs that cater to different kinds of audiences.[35] However, the more popular vlogs are Reviews and Unboxing Products; Prank, Skits and Comedy; Beauty; Fashion; Fitness; How to and Educational; Lifestyle; Gaming; Movies, TV shows and Book Reviews; Travel; Pop Culture and Gossip; Conspiracy; Animation; Cooking; Sports; DIY; Tech; Music and many more.[36]

YouGov Omnibus Popular Video Type

According to YouGov Omnibus's study about vlog in 2018, one of the data showed the popular vlog types that the audiences most liked base on the percentage of 616 US adults who watch vlogs. The most top two popular types are educational vlogs in the form of how-to videos (85%) and product reviews (67%). And travel (56%), beauty and fitness (53%), and lifestyle (51%) were the vlog types that over 50% of 616 US adults like to watch. [37]

Vlogmas is a yearly tradition in which almost anybody who has a YouTube channel partakes in consistently uploading vlogs all the way to December 25. Youtubers of different fields such as beauty, lifestyle, and more participate in this tradition. Vlogmas was started by an American YouTuber named Ingrid Nilsen who published her first vlogmas December 1st, 2011. Vlogmas is one of the most pleasant times of the year to watch YouTube or post content because it gets everyone into the holiday spirit. Vlogmas can be centered around tree decorating, shopping, gift wrapping and giving back. It is also a time where content creators host giveaways to give back to their subscribers during the holiday season.

References

  1. https://www.lifewire.com/what-is-a-vlog-3476285/
  2. https://influencermarketinghub.com/top-10-vloggers-to-follow-right-now/
  3. https://influencermarketinghub.com/top-10-vloggers-to-follow-right-now/
  4. https://www.motionsource.com/blog/the-vlog-blog-history-of-vlogging/
  5. https://www.mnn.com/green-tech/research-innovations/questions/what-on-earth-is-vlogging
  6. https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB116014813857884917/
  7. https://www.dreamgrow.com/top-15-most-popular-social-networking-sites/
  8. http://blogs.brighton.ac.uk/georgeday/2018/02/23/how-to-effectively-use-vlogger-endorsement-in-social-media-marketing-and-the-risks-it-brings/
  9. https://www.lifewire.com/what-is-a-vlog-3476285/
  10. https://mediakix.com/blog/most-popular-youtube-videos/
  11. http://vloggergear.com/what-is-a-vlog/
  12. http://vloggergear.com/what-is-a-vlog/
  13. https://www.businessinsider.com/most-popular-youtubers-with-most-subscribers-2018-2/
  14. https://www.businessinsider.com/most-popular-youtubers-with-most-subscribers-2018-2/
  15. https://www.businessinsider.com/most-popular-youtubers-with-most-subscribers-2018-2/
  16. https://www.forbes.com/sites/natalierobehmed/2018/12/03/highest-paid-youtube-stars-2018-markiplier-jake-paul-pewdiepie-and-more/#13c096b6909a/
  17. https://www.forbes.com/sites/natalierobehmed/2018/12/03/highest-paid-youtube-stars-2018-markiplier-jake-paul-pewdiepie-and-more/#13c096b6909a/
  18. https://www.youtube.com/user/caseyneistat/
  19. https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2018/01/logan-paul-suicide-forest-video-youtube.html
  20. https://twitter.com/LoganPaul/status/948026294066864128
  21. https://digg.com/2018/logan-paul-offensive-japan-video
  22. https://www.thecut.com/2019/05/what-to-know-about-the-james-charles-and-tati-westbrook-feud.html
  23. https://www.elle.com/beauty/makeup-skin-care/a27453234/james-charles-tati-westbrook-youtube-drama-timeline/
  24. https://twitter.com/senpaiya_/status/1127792734209658880?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1127792734209658880&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thecut.com%2F2019%2F05%2Fwhat-to-know-about-the-james-charles-and-tati-westbrook-feud.html
  25. https://twitter.com/NikitaDragun/status/1128154690825244672
  26. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFvtCUzfyL4
  27. https://twitter.com/GlamLifeGuru/status/1130259755111346176?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1130259755111346176&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.elle.com%2Fbeauty%2Fmakeup-skin-care%2Fa27453234%2Fjames-charles-tati-westbrook-youtube-drama-timeline%2F
  28. https://www.businessinsider.com/sam-pepper-killing-best-friend-youtube-prank-incites-outrage-2015-12
  29. https://twitter.com/TheVampsJames/status/671352646775762945
  30. https://twitter.com/rdclrprt/status/671977155048280068
  31. https://www.dailydot.com/upstream/sam-pepper-delete-youtube-gofundme/
  32. from https://m.wikihow.com/Be-a-Vlogger/
  33. Vlog watching is especially popular among minorities
  34. https://www.mnn.com/green-tech/research-innovations/questions/what-on-earth-is-vlogging/
  35. https://mediakix.com/blog/most-popular-types-of-youtubers/
  36. https://mediakix.com/blog/most-popular-youtube-videos/
  37. Vlog watching is especially popular among minorities