The Epitome of Entitlement

[GuestUser450]

Get Rich or Die Vlogging: The Sad Economics of Internet Fame

I honestly thought this was parody.

Incredibly tone deaf and depressing. The inability to distinguish between reality and fantasy is frightening, much less basic supply and demand, value and noise or work and play.

At no point does she wonder if there's an better way to make a living.

Cringey excerpts:

"Many famous social media stars are too visible to have “real” jobs, but too broke not to."

"Why would someone with 90,000 Instagram followers be serving brunch?"

"As I started having more visibility on the internet, I had to scale back on serving people.”

"What if people assume you’re too successful to need money, and you’re too proud to tell them otherwise?"

“This is making me sad,” she said as she took stock of her future job options at a Starbucks in Sherman Oaks. “I have to do YouTube at this point. Shit. I have to succeed.”

 

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[MJ DeMarco]

Sad.

Good thing these kids don't have to worry about getting a bullet to the head while storming Normandy beach, but have to deal with the emotional trauma and ego-blow of serving drinks to make ends meet.

 

[G-Man]

@TeveTorbes If I'm not mistaken I just read an article that includes people complaining about how hard it is to make money with a "social justice" youtube channel. Thanks for the daily twilight zone, pal.

 

[GuestUser450]

Thanks for the daily twilight zone, pal.

It's victimhood all the way down. Food for thought as I see these neurodevelopmental disorders infecting/creating many markets.

 

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[KSR]

I genuinely think it's a mental disorder that these people have. Their thought pattern can't be well intact with that bullshit thinking.

They'll never be successful because it's all about them, them, them. F*ck them.

 

[Scot]

What it boils down to is "I think I'm a celebrity, shouldn't I get to be rich like one"

No one hands you anything in life. Do you think the successful celebrities that actually hold onto wealth are rich just because people recognize them?

I'd know who MC Hammer is if I saw him on the street. Think he's rich? Big fat NO.

But do you think P Diddy (or whatever his name is now) is rich just from being famous? Hell no.

Look at guys like Michael Jordan, Ashton Kutcher, and Oprah, they're rich because they made themselves that way.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

It's victimhood all the way down. Food for thought as I see these neurodevelopmental disorders infecting/creating many markets.

You mean if I make the best burrito on the planet, I can't sell it unless I'm of Latin descent? Otherwise the social justice mob will come calling with their homemade posters and bullhorns?

 

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[Invictus]

What it boils down to is "I think I'm a celebrity, shouldn't I get to be rich like one"

No one hands you anything in life. Do you think the successful celebrities that actually hold onto wealth are rich just because people recognize them?

I'd know who MC Hammer is if I saw him on the street. Think he's rich? Big fat NO.

But do you think P Diddy (or whatever his name is now) is rich just from being famous? Hell no.

Look at guys like Michael Jordan, Ashton Kutcher, and Oprah, they're rich because they made themselves that way.

They see some Youtube stars making bank and think, "Well, I have a third of their subscribers, so I should have a third of their income. Right?"

They're trying to have their cake and eat it too. They want as many fans as possible, but they also want to make money. Well, a lot of people don't like when you advertise. These people want free content with no strings attached. (They also want their cake and to eat it too).

Frankly, most of these 'Youtube stars' could benefit from a nice dose of capitalism and elbow grease. Most of the Youtubers that are making good money are also working F*cking grueling hours to pump out finished content every single day. They also 'shill', sell products, etc.

This a response to "Capitalism is evil." Unfortunately, their fans that agree with them aren't interested in paying their rent.

Hey, at least they got the moral high ground.

-

I also despise this comment. "Countless artists from Van Gogh to Modigliani never got to enjoy their legacy’s fame and fortune. But thankfully, Van Gogh didn’t have to shill for Audible.com to pissed-off fans of his art."

Sistine Chapel was commissioned.
Mona Lisa was commissioned.
Last Supper was commissioned.

Lots and lots and lots of art was paid for. Van Gogh was also an alcoholic with possible mental conditions, so maybe that had more to do with it.


Hell, you can still make amusing content while 'shilling' (Look up "Trapped in a Commercial" for an example). Do stuff like that and throw up a video saying, "Look guys, I make my income by sponsoring because I wasn't receiving enough donations to support this channel. As much as I would love to, I can't devote myself to this and somehow still pay my rent."

Bam. Every time someone complains, you link the video. You lose subscribers, but you can eat now.


Ugh, sorry I'm so long-winded and all over the place. I think this is a berserk button for me.

 

[ZF Lee]

You mean if I make the best burrito on the planet, I can't sell it unless I'm of Latin descent? Otherwise the social justice mob will come calling with their homemade posters and bullhorns?

Not to mention that their posters and bullhorns probably got made in by a Faber Castle or some big corporate office supplies distributor, which are most probably made by non-Latins....
What goes around comes around.

I don't think hands make a difference anymore for food recipes once you get the ingredients right. That's the same way with business. It's about ingredients, the substance of the process, not merely your intrinsic talent!

 

[GuestUser450]

You mean if I make the best burrito on the planet, I can't sell it unless I'm of Latin descent? Otherwise the social justice mob will come calling with their homemade posters and bullhorns?

Great point.

 

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[Alxander]

I watch a vlogger on youtube who dropped out of NYU to pursue filmmaking (don't know if he wants to become a full-time vlogger or just work for companies, probably both).
He delivers food for Postmates and uploads a vlog everyday, he posted more than 500 of them in total.

He has a little more than 4000 subscribers and has the same daily routine since starting the channel.

But Jake Paul (a vlogger with 3.5+ million subs and 2 million views per vlog) invited him to his house lately, though he doesn't plug him really yet.

So you can see it kinda works, IF you are willing to put incredible amounts of work in while expecting to fail and hustle for YEARS. (so don't complain if you want something that is "unrealistic")

 

[CycleGuy]

I'm not sure if you all heard about the youtube ad boycott and youtube demonetization that happened recently.
Companies ads were showing up on hate videos and mature content videos. The market corrected itself by the youtube advertiser boycott and the following youtube demonetization. It's nice to know that these drama infested click bait vloggers who contribute nothing to society were finally getting a reality check.

Youtube started as just a simple way to share content with people online. It was nice to upload something to show your online community or friends on sometime of social media. The started advertising to monetize and content was flooded with nothing but click baiting producers who weren't experts in their fields or just wanted to start click baiting drama for ad views.

I hope the youtube community starts to resemble a youtube community from 10 years ago.

As far as the e-fame. Some people measure their personal success with their personal follower base. That's not a metric I care to pursue. I would rather be the ghost running large business pages that have actual products than to sell some type of online persona.

 

[SquatchMan]

I used to make YouTube videos about 5 years ago and made a little money, nothing life changing but I did get a check from Google. Had a couple hundred thousand views total on my videos probably more than the losers in the article, so I can offer a different perspective.

Even back then, my viewers would bitch at me for monetizing my videos, "You're only doing this for the money and not because you just love doing it. WAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"

Really? You're gonna complain about me making money from spending my valuable time producing content that makes you laugh?

Fine. I'll just do something else because I don't feel like listening to ya'll complain about me trying to make some beer money and have fun... there were other reasons too. That was one of them.

Who is John Galt?

So I can relate to the frustration of the producers... a little bit. But at the end of the day if you're pissed about having to "sell out", then quit.

Or work a normal job and make videos with no compensation...

Passion doesn't pay the bills.

 

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[hellolin]

Sad.

Good thing these kids don't have to worry about getting a bullet to the head while storming Normandy beach, but have to deal with the emotional trauma and ego-blow of serving drinks to make ends meet.

Revolution of high expectations, just like Tocqueville predicted, the question is, can everyone have the expectation of living like a rich guy without actually paying the process of being one eventually?

 

[Choate]

I think the article was a fair analysis of both sides on the YouTube economy, the "starving artist" concept, and the importance of having control. Some of the quotes in the original post were pulled straight out of context though.

"Many famous social media stars are too visible to have “real” jobs, but too broke not to."

This was not referring to entitlement, but rather that these people have such a wide audience that they often run into problems during their day jobs. One woman in the article ran a beauty and sexuality blog and was forced to quit Starbucks due to stalkers and people memorizing her schedule. So rather, this puts them in an difficult position where they need to maintain a job because what they do online isn't paying the bills, but having a real job can be either difficult or downright dangerous. Who's to say Big Bob isn't waiting for her to end her shift at 11pm and walk out to the car? That's the downside of internet "fame" this article was trying to convey.

The overall notion I got from the article is that being a YouTube personality is an over-saturated market; the fans are entitled (the second you do a paid ad sponsorship there is outrage); and it doesn't seem to pay a living wage for most of the people doing it.

At the end of the day, the vast majority of them suffer because they fail to treat it like a business - they fill no specific need, they don't have a target audience (it is whoever will watch the damn video, aka throwing shit at the wall and hoping it sticks with someone), they lack control as everything is owned by YouTube, and whatever entertainment value they do create can't be directly monetized.

I give kudos to someone like the author who had worked for 10 years, endured due process, had 300,000 subscribers, and it just wasn't working out. Sure, they lack business sense, but I'm not going to demonize them because they aren't following the 5 commandments. But if that wasn't paying the bills yet they didn't want to get a job because of their "fame", then by all means that is entitled and full sidewalk. But I don't think that was the majority of people the article was trying to convey.

 

[lowtek]

it's a long article, so let me summarize it:

Internet wannabe whines that pimping out your life to the masses isn't sufficient to make money. Learns that you have to provide a product or service of value in exchange for currency.

It amazes me how many people think that starting a youtube channel is a business in and of itself, rather than a marketing arm for a business.

 

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[loop101]

You mean if I make the best burrito on the planet, I can't sell it unless I'm of Latin descent? Otherwise the social justice mob will come calling with their homemade posters and bullhorns?

You are correct.

Portland burrito shop forced to close amid accusations of cultural appropriation, stealing recipes

"Though the eatery had been open for several months, the owners of Kooks were only recently accused of cultural appropriation by The Portland Mercury and Mic.com based on Connelly’s revelations.

"Because of Portland’s underlying racism, the people who rightly own these traditions and cultures that exist are already treated poorly," The Portland Mercury said, calling the closure of Kooks a "victory."

The article continues,"These appropriating businesses are erasing and exploiting their already marginalized identities for the purpose of profit and praise.""

 

[mike24601]

TLDR;


Title of article should be changed to 'Rants and hissyfits from the narcissitic suckhole that is Instagram and YouTube'

I will enjoy selling things to people like them soon.

 

[Xavier X]

it's a long article, so let me summarize it:

Internet wannabe whines that pimping out your life to the masses isn't sufficient to make money. Learns that you have to provide a product or service of value in exchange for currency.

It amazes me how many people think that starting a youtube channel is a business in and of itself, rather than a marketing arm for a business.

I didn't bother reading the article, so my comment isn't related to it, but to the bold part of your comment.

Starting a YouTube channel could be a business in and of itself, IF packaged right.
The same way a movie or TV show can be a business in and of itself.

What do all three have in common? Monetization by ads, direct sales and content rentals.
It's all packaging.

If a content producer has useful enough, or interesting enough material, they can build a business around it.
No shill activity, no "sponsored" content. Just their own content.

While it might be imperfect from a control standpoint, that's no different from the majority of businesses.
My only point being, quality content produced and packaged professionally is viable as a business, even on YouTube.

 

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[rollerskates]

I can't even....

I don't understand wanting to be famous. At all. Not even for money. These are like the follow your passion people that Mike Rowe has mentioned--there's a gap between their abilities and reality, reality being that they have no value creation skills. Granted, some internet famous people make money for being famous on the internet, but mostly, that kind of social media is the world's biggest circle jerk, with no attached value.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

being that they have no value creation skills

Well I somewhat disagree here. If a YTuber has 300,000 subscribers, the value is entertainment. There's just no way to monetize that value, or at least, they haven't discovered it.

 

[Supa]

Well I somewhat disagree here. If a YTuber has 300,000 subscribers, the value is entertainment. There's just no way to monetize that value, or at least, they haven't discovered it.

Here in Germany we have one YouTuber, who has a few million subscribers. 1-4 million views per video.
Not sure how much money she gets from advertising on YouTube.
But what I know is, that she put out her own beauty and hygiene product line.
My sister in law works at a drug store. She tells me, people are going crazy about that stuff.
Talk about value here.
Her videos entertain her market group (young teens to young adults, mostly female probably).
Her videos make people like her.
She created a brand out of that likeability.
Her videos created a huge follower base (all potential customers).
She puts out beauty products.
Her followers buy those products.

That's how far entertainment can take you.
Value can come in a lot of ways.

 

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[GuestUser450]

@JScott Rep+ for providing an alternative.

...pointing out the irony that not only do consumers assume that fame translates into money, but producers do as well.

It's not irony, it's delusion. The assumption is very lazy, based on the existence of others who make money without trying to understand the value those few create, e.g., "PewDiePie and his 8MM/year exists, therefore, my makeup tutorials and IG lunch photos should net me 6 figures." This is worse than the fallacy of "The market is worth 6 billion, if I can just get 1%..." because they don't think they can have it, they think they should have it.

Until they realize it doesn't, and then are unable to educate their audience to this fact for fear of alienating them.

But it's worse than that; they don't realize it. They assume it's true even when they fail but are so self-involved they think it's by chance and that everyone else is merely falling into it. They don't share their day jobs because of shame not fear of alienating fans.

I meet people of all ages and all business enterprises who can't figure out how to get their income to exceed their expenses.

Is there a bigger cause than lack of skills?

...why all the bashing?

1. The idea that people see platforms existing solely for them, as public services instead of companies, is grating.
2. The idea that many believe so whole-heartedly that they deserve a gold star for showing up, that they're stricken with depression, shame and subsequent confusion when they're not praised for powering through another day of social media.
3. The biggest reason is that she never mentioned solving anyone's problem or providing real value to any market. It was purely self-indulgent.

 

[rollerskates]

Well I somewhat disagree here. If a YTuber has 300,000 subscribers, the value is entertainment. There's just no way to monetize that value, or at least, they haven't discovered it.

True, although I was thinking more that it proves there's at least 300,000 people with poor taste in entertainment.

 

[Invictus]

TLDR;
View attachment 15047

Title of article should be changed to 'Rants and hissyfits from the narcissitic suckhole that is Instagram and YouTube'

I will enjoy selling things to people like them soon.

"The customer is not a moron. She's your wife." - David Ogilvy

 

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[MJ DeMarco]

but they can't get their heads around the other half of the process -- figuring out a business model for the product.

Definitely part of the problem but another resides in their beliefs and anti-capitalist cultural conditioning.

For some of them, they believe there is SHAME in monetizing their audience.

The minute they start hawking something, or perhaps their own product, they fear they will be called "sell-outs" or socially shunned by their audience. So they're stuck in their own little mental Catch-22, hmmm, continue providing value for free, or alienate my audience by monetizing.

Reminds me of this paradox...

 

[AubreyJ]

I think there is a lot of people who unjustly bash Youtube Vloggers. Now there are A LOT of trash vloggers out there who I can't stand, but there are also a handful of really good ones I watch on a pretty regular basis. But, you can always separate the sharp/entrepreneurial minded youtube stars from the ones who just got lucky.

I watch 3 main youtube channels consistently and all three of these guys seem to have been able to create a legitimate brand around their channels. Being internet "famous" can be a legit business, but I think nowadays it's so difficult to make real money because it's so oversaturated. It's just so easy for kids to say "I want to be famous, so I am going to start a Youtube Channel"...my step-brother is unfortunately one of those teenagers