Why Now Might Actually be the Best Time to Start a YouTube Channel
The thing people adore the most about YouTubers is fresh content and relatability.
It’s no secret that “cancel culture” is becoming an enormous enigma in the social media space. While I can certainly merit the “cancellation” of someone and their content for saying racist, inappropriate or vastly incorrect things, I can sympathize for those being cancelled for small mistakes which can certainly be learned from. I almost feel as though people may feel discouraged to learn and improve themselves if they are immediately being “cancelled”. While I am not saying we should forgive inexcusable mistakes, we need to open up the floor of discussion for people to learn and grow.
Something I have noticed over the years of being an avid YouTube consumer is the need to connect and feel like I can relate to the people I am watching. Many of the YouTubers I loved 5–10 years ago have become insanely successful, which is magnificent for them, but it does leave me feeling disconnected from their content. While they’re out purchasing expensive cars, homes and living a relatively bougie lifestyle, I am left feeling inadequate and unable to relate. While I am certainly proud and happy for them to have achieved so much with their many years of hard work, there really is nothing quite like the relatability of someone new to the scene. I have started to find myself leaning more towards content from really fresh and new YouTubers who have only just begun their journey. Their content is relatable, their lifestyle is achievable and they still have that spark and excitement for creating videos. This got me thinking… Is now the best time to become a YouTuber?
YouTube seems to be a very overpopulated space and every man and their dog has a video or two on the platform, but I get a feeling a shift for more relatable people on the platform is starting to be desired. I have so much respect for the YouTubers who really paved the way in this platform. They set standards, made insanely creative content, and made this space into what it is today, but unfortunately with success becomes scrutiny. I have seen, especially recently, a lot of YouTubers stop posting content on the platform for fear of being exposed, saying the wrong thing or having to lie because they aren’t relatable anymore. With over 1,300,000,000 people using the platform, surely there is a large percentage of them who feel the same about wanting some fresh perspectives. A statistic which really got me thinking about this was the fact that “the number of hours people spend watching videos (aka watch time) on YouTube is up 60% year-over-year, the fastest growth seen in 2 years” (MerchDope, 2020), which makes me believe people are looking to absorb more YouTube content, rather than looking for alternative sources.
With YouTube continuing to grow as a platform, it could be the perfect time to start putting that fresh content out there for people like myself, who desire a fresh perspective. The good thing about YouTube is there is space for everyone. Just because we start to watch someone new, doesn’t mean we will forget about the veterans of the platform. I am excited to see this space open up and to be able to watch some truly relatable content. As new discussions emerge in our society and we are looking for ways to understand other people on a deeper level, what better way than by subscribing and consuming someone’s content.
With this year really opening up conversations about personal wellbeing, I feel like it is my duty to stop watching content that makes me feel poorly about myself. Playing the comparison game with people who clearly earn much more and live a very different lifestyle to me is never going to end well, and that’s why I think now more than ever, we can begin to appreciate the newcomers onto the platform who have fresh faces, fresh voices and fresh perspectives. If this is the sign you were looking for to post your first video on YouTube, then do it! If you are making content that you see can add value to those who are watching it, whether that be in the form of education or entertainment, then I encourage you to just give it a go!
If not now then when, and if not you then who?
