THE YOUTUBE PHENOMENA: PEOPLE WATCHING AND PROUD // ALYSSA REAPE

It's another breezy, blustery day in Brighton, England. The sounds of seagulls squawking and water lapping along the stony shore serve as the soundtrack for the seaside town's inhabitants. It's 8:30 AM and Zoe Sugg has just begun to start her day. She makes a bowl of her favorite Greek yogurt with honey and granola on top, chops up some celery and carrots for her guinea pigs, Pippin and Percy, and sits down on her large gray sofa to enjoy the peace and quiet of morning that comes with living alone in your own flat. The only thing wrong with this picture is that Zoe is not alone, not really. She's having breakfast with her six million subscribers. She's been carrying her camera around with her documenting her morning routine for millions of people all over the world to see. Zoe will sit down in her office chair and edit the footage into a ten to fifteen sometimes even twenty-minute video to post online. Why does she do this? Because people keep watching, and her views keep increasing.

Zoe Sugg, or Zoella as she's known on the internet, is a twenty-four year old English fashion and beauty video blogger, or "vlogger," and internet personality. As of August 2014, Zoe's main YouTube channel, "Zoella," had over six million subscribers, over 260 million video views, and is the 68th most subscribed channel on the website. Her second channel "MoreZoella" has over two million subscribers and over 125 million video views. She has over two million Twitter followers and over three million Instagram followers. She has become one of the most influential people under the age of twenty-five and she earned this title simply by making videos in her bedroom.

Zoe is just one of many "Youtubers" (as they have come to be called) who exists on Youtube's site. These people post videos every week, sometimes every day, with all sorts of content. There are other female Youtubers like Zoe who post beauty tutorials and fashion hauls. There are other people who post videos of themselves travelling to countries like Italy, Australia, and Japan, people who post videos of them playing different kinds of video and computer games, videos of them getting tipsy while attempting to prepare a meal, and people who just need to rant about the ten things you shouldn't do in a movie theater. Why are people so drawn to these YouTube celebrities? Well, they can relate to them. They feel like they know them.

In a Variety survey, researchers found that teens and young adults enjoy watching the lives of these internet entities because they have an intimate and authentic experience with them. These YouTube celebrities do not have handlers or publicists telling them what they can or cannot say. These people are not filtered. That is what their subscribers love most about them. They are not being "lied" to. They feel like they really know these people because they are genuine and sincere in their thoughts and ideas. They feel like you know these people because they spend every day with them listening to them talk about the new products they've been loving or watching them grocery shop. They do not have the same responsibility as mainstream celebrities to embody a certain persona in the public eye. They are simply people who decided to film themselves talking about what they're passionate about in their office or bedroom. These individuals did this without knowing that other people in the world would want to sit and listen to them talk about their likes and dislikes and watch them do ordinary, everyday things.

Our world's fascination with "Youtubers" suggests that society has become obsessed with the mundane. We are fascinated by the lives of others because they are different from our own. It's like going to a restaurant and people-watching, only the people you are watching have given you permission to do so. Is it narcissistic for someone to think that their life is interesting enough that they can post a fifteen minute video of them going out to lunch, feeding their pets, and shopping for homeware essentials? Millions of subscribers don't seem to think so; they are legitimately disappointed if their favorite vlogger misses a day of posting their daily video diary.

This Youtuber phenomena has really gone viral in the past two years. Zoe started her internet career back in 2009 when she first started publishing her written beauty blog online. She then expanded her blog into a YouTube channel with videos instead of written blog posts. She began to build a steady following and more web content over the next six years, but her channel skyrocketed this past year. In three months flat, Zoe went from having four million subscribers (April 2014) to having six million (August 2014). People love her, and she loves them right back. Zoe said in an interview with The Times that sharing her life with so many people almost feels normal now. She said, "After you go shopping and you discuss what you got with your friends - it's like that, but millions of people watch you doing it." Her subscribers are like friends she hasn't met in person who happen to live all over the world.

Zoe doesn't just make videos talking about beauty products she loves. She recently launched her own line of beauty and bath products entitled "Zoella Beauty." The collection includes different bath products like shower gels and bath fizzers, body creams and perfumes with coordinating scents, candles and custom Zoella makeup bags. In addition to her beauty products, Zoe's fiction novel is set to be released at the end of November. Youtube has served as a gateway for her to accomplish dreams she's had her entire life. It has also introduced her to the love of her life.

Zoe has been dating another Youtuber, Alfie Deyes, for over a year now; he's known on the internet for his "PointlessBlog." Not only is Zoe's boyfriend a Youtuber, her little brother Joe is one, too. Joe was inspired by Zoe's success with Youtube to create his own channel with comedic videos, and he's made quite a name for himself. This Youtuber sensation has made connections not only between the people who are making these videos and the people who are watching them but also interpersonal connections between Youtubers all over the world from the UK, to the United States and Australia, too. The coolest thing about these Youtuber friendships is that we, as subscribers, have watched how these connections have been made. From watching daily vlogs of Youtubers meeting at conventions and filming funny challenge collaboration videos, to seeing them fall in love and move in together, it's like we've been a part of it too in some way.

I've been watching Zoe, and countless other Youtubers as well, for almost two years now. I was on Tumblr, a blogging website, and other bloggers had been posting links to different videos and I clicked on one. I know it sounds kind of lame, but Zoe has had a big impact on me on the things I'm passionate about. I have fallen in love with beauty and pampering products. I love trying new things with my makeup and getting different products to use in the bath that allow me to have some relaxing "me" time. Zoe emphasizes making time for yourself and taking care of yourself in her videos. It's something I've started doing a lot more of since watching her videos. I've learned how to put on makeup correctly, and I've also learned how to embrace and enhance my favorite features. Zoe encourages her viewers to be brave and bold and to try new things. I've certainly embraced being bold with my makeup. If you ask anyone who knows me they'll tell you I won't be caught dead without some vibrant shade of lipstick on.

I spend my Sundays with my YouTube family. I'll watch both main channel and second channel videos from over a dozen different Youtubers. Why do I do this? It's fun. It's exciting to see how other people live their lives and spend their days. It's my "me" time, and like Zoe always says, there's nothing more important than remembering to spend some time on yourself.