This document discusses how YouTube and viral videos have created a new form of celebrity. Ordinary people can now become famous online by gaining millions of subscribers on their YouTube channels. Individuals like Jenna Marbles and PewDiePie found fame through their hilarious and entertaining viral videos, amassing over a billion views and millions of subscribers. Their popularity online has led to lucrative careers through brand endorsements and sponsorships, allowing some YouTubers to earn over $1 million per year. This represents a shift to more niche online celebrities rather than traditional actors and singers, as the internet and YouTube have provided a platform for regular people to access global audiences from their homes.

1. From Funny to famous
HOW VIRAL YOUTUBE VIDEOS TURNED into POPULAR CHANNELS and
CREATED A NEW FORM OF CELEBRITY
IMAGE FROM: LarimdaME/Flickr
By Kelsey Bellringer

2. It used to be usual to find that celebrities were those beautifulpeople…
Ones who appeared on our televisions and sang songs on our radios
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3. Ordinary people can become celebrities if they have enough
subscribers
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4. more appealing than the shows on our television sets?
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5. Individuals or groups can access it whenever they want; and with the use of internet-
available devices such as smartphones, they can access it wherever they want
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6. For modern day people, a quick source of entertainment is easier
to obtain than sitting down to watch a 30 or 60-minute
television show
It is also cheaper than a visit to the
movie theater
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7. They can choose exactly what they want to watch that day
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8. IMAGE FROM: Phil Dragash/Flickr

9. Without any professional help from a manager or record label
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10. Justin Bieber
Gained fame after being signed to a record label
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11. “Earning a living out of your bedroom seems to be
something these people have perfected ”-Samuel Scott
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12. has one of the most subscribed-to channels
on the site, originally finding fame with her viral
videos that parodied makeup tutorials
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13. Her videos have been viewed over a billion times
and she has more Facebook fans and Twitter followers than some of the
biggest Hollywood celebrities
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14. Why are
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15. In Jenna Marbles’ case
“
”-Rachel Quigley
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16. For videos that range from tutorials to commentaries to reviews…
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17. [Stats taken from YouTube]
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18. The web site and the channels
makes money through
endorsements, Adsense, etc.
$$$!
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19. IMAGE FROM: Indy Trendy/Flickr

20. All from making videos at home
and posting them online!IMAGE FROM: ZardozSpeaks/Flickr

21. that rival second- and third-tier cable networks!
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22. “ This is a microcosm of what’s going on in the overall media landscape.
We’re moving from a scaled mass media to more hyper-local, niche media.
”-David Cohen
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23. IMAGE FROM: Slick Vic/Flickr

24. Psy’s ‘Pony Dance’ from his music video for “Gangnam Style” has been featured
in advertisements for products such as M&M’s and Wonderful Pistachios
IMAGE FROM: KOREA.NET/Flickr

25. Popular YouTuber iJustine
is the world shifting to a state where
celebrities are the makers of those
viral videos and insanely popular
channels, rather than the “professional”
actors and singers that currently flood
the tabloids?
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26. If so- what happens to all the mainstream media!
that generations have lived with !
for so many years?!

27. References
• Bates, Daniel (2 February 2012). How a little‐known comedian makes $1million a year from YouTube
videos. Daily Mail. Retrieved May 15th, 2013 from: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article‐2095563/
Comedian‐makes‐1million‐month‐YouTube‐videos.html
• BuzzTube (3 March 2013). PewDiePie Net Worth. Multi‐Millionaire. Retrieved May 16th, 2013 from: http://
www.buzztubeonline.com/2013/03/03/pewdiepie‐net‐worth‐multi‐millionaire/
• Lewis, Tim (7 April 2013). YouTube superstars: the generation taking on TV‐ and winning. The Guardian.
Retrieved May 15th, 2013 from: http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2013/apr/07/youtube‐superstars‐
new‐generation‐bloggers
• Quigley, Rachel (14 April 2013). YouTube star who rose to fame after hilarious drunk makeup tutorial now
has more than one billion hits and 8.2 million subscribers. Daily Mail. Retrieved May 15th, 2013 from:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article‐2308780/Jenna‐Marbles‐YouTube‐star‐rose‐fame‐hilarious‐
drunk‐makeup‐tutorial‐billion‐hits‐8‐2‐million‐subscribers.html
• Scott, Samuel (11 December 2013). YouTube: The New Kingmaker for Celebrities. App Storm web.
Retrieved May 15th, 2013 from: http://web.appstorm.net/general/opinion/opinion‐has‐youtube‐helped‐
turn‐the‐average‐joe‐into‐a‐modern‐day‐celebrity/
• Tesseras, Lucy (11 April 2013). Gangnam Style Marketing. Marketing Week. Retrieved May 16th, 2013 from:
http://www.marketingweek.co.uk/trends/gangnam‐style‐marketing/4006173.article

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