Not so long ago I did a research on how people perceive virtual communication, to be precise concentrating on what impact that the youtube vlogs have on their audience, whether the clip culture pretends to be real when it is not really the whole picture about a person's life. My findings from that research was the fans of the famous youtubers who I might call here as the 'Youtube celebrities' knew that they were subjected to a hyper real or environment but most of the time the content produced tends to blur the lines between reality and hyperreality.
To explain it with an example that I have quoted in my research where I concentrated on Bethany Mota's vlogs, who is a Youtube teen who produces content on makeup and some parts of her life that she likes to share with the people around the world. Talking about both the ends, starting with the Youtuber's end, most of the vlogs are filmed in their bedroom,car, or even on a picnic. What this exactly does is create an artificial environment which undergoes a lot of editing, lighting and we see just the best bits, which is critical and is not easy to comprehend the difference between what is produced and what happens in reality.
To be fair to the Youtubers part who are similar to any other individuals who deserve privacy and also the same treatment everyone needs. The exact problem arises when they produce a content that looks like it is going to showcase most of there life when we leave out the other part. So, the audience of these celebrities are trying to take more advantage/ which naturally happens when we tend to consider someone very close to us, when we really cross the border and are not able to take in any other flaw about them even if the YouTubers themselves tend to agree. (Of course, to Err is human). The strong cult that they have grown over years make it difficult for them when there happens a sudden change in there life which they don't want to take in as a part of the youtubers life.
But we cannot forgot, what they do is also a business and they can very well take advantage of their audience and play a part of manipulating there mind. It's the human nature that when I strongly believe in a person whatever they tell to me is going to be true and also If they recommend me something, then my mind insists me to go out and buy them if it is a product or use them if it is a service. This is none less than a celebrity endorsement that we see on TV. There is more sense of endorsed content when we watch it on the television, because it definitely strikes our mind that happens on TV is edited.
When we see the problem of blurred lines between the content that doesn't seem like a content but looks like an interactive venture (hyper realism). Ofcourse, I truly support YouTube on providing a platform for a lot of people in connecting the world which was not made possible before Youtube. There are many many advantages of youtube as it helps in crowdfunding, connecting the two worlds, a great platform for exhibiting the new talent and projecting them, some errors like this can be avoided by just changing the perspective and the way the content is perceived by both the producers of content and also the audiences/fans of the content.
Here is a link to the research report on how people perceive virtual communication and the impact of vlogs on the audience.
That awesome feel you get, when you blog after a long time!
Drizzly mornings, hot coffee with still the steam rushing out of the mug, sitting by the window, inhaling the fresh air with the mild tinge of mud breezing in through my window, listening to The Fault in Our Stars from which every sentence lingers in your mind with the spatter of the rain on my sunshade can be quoted as a blissful morning. At last its time to relax after all the night time studies, pulling through an all nighter (Which I wouldn't recommend! seriously my eyes hurt even now! lol, just kidding), delusional sleeps, exams are finally over. I went to a lot of places as soon as my holidays started.
This time in my holidays I was a little confused on what was I doing all my life, and what I really want and wish to do. This confusion broke out as I try to convince myself what I was dealing with was the right way. But, Convince is the key there, I wish to do what my heart wants to do and I live by that. So, this time convincing it to do something was never a choice for me. What I wanted to do this time in my holidays was to go out and feel the nature. It had different choices, as I was going with my family. The last call was Wayanad and Coorg. Coorg is a kind of place that one will fall in love with at first sight. It is a bliss to be at the top of Talakavery which is one of the remarkable places, and to be there for the second time without the rush is totally a magic. All you can see from the top is the mountain ranges and clouds which give you chills midst the really cold climate that one can die for. (And from chennai though, you can understand! :p)
So, why I felt the need to explain about my trip here is that, I recently checked out the video that literally answered all my querries on what I was feeling. Liked the way that my mind kindoff alerted me to do the right thing at the right time.
Really do you think your 800 friends are just waiting for
you to say Good morning to them?
Click the Unfollow post button
One comment I make and receive a thousand notifications the
next time I login, essentially missing out my important notifications. Damn,
Thanks for the unfollow post button.
Oh! The new page
Please like my page, seriously do you think I am going to
like a page of yours that just consists of random pictures and some of your
thoughtful good morning friends, please share this page with your friends. (P.S. Genuine pages are really interesting, I love them)
Another game invite, yay!
The candy crush invites. I played frigging 120 levels at a
stretch and even have had times when I was waiting for an extra life every twenty minutes. Thanks for that!
(Finally it got deleted and yet again, so and so invites to play candy crush, WAIT!
WHAT?!)
The unknown status
The facebook statuses probably poiting at a enemy but then You
decide to make it your Facebook status,
Some people are annoying. Cried all night.
so you think they would atleast see that and know what that
exactly means with your 300 other friends who are literally confused and
comment WHAT HAPPENED?
Obviously you would never want to reply!
Out of the world requests
The unknown friend request. You live somewhere, do whatever,
have no mutual friends, no connection and you suddenly want to be my friend out
of somewhere. A moment of silence for your effort to find me from all over the
world.
You will die if you don’t share this
And can we forget the creepy chain messages,
‘If you’re reading this, then you’ve already started the
chain reaction and there’s no going back. The events I am about to warn you
about will definitely unfold, even if you close this email now. The best thing
you can do now is read on and carefully follow my instructions.
It is said that the damned soul of the tormented electrician
escaped Jessica’s home that night and seeks nothing but to torment the living
souls of this world he is trapped in.
If you do not pass this letter along to 5 other people in
the next 24 hours, your home will be plagued and you too will have to be
untangled from the wiring.’
P.S. Thank you for forwarding this essential piece of
information and I am sure am going to share it.
So, should I
post it on twitter/fb?
Cross-Posting From Twitter
Do you really want me to read this reply that you have sent
to someone that reads,
RT @randomstranger is it at 2? #cray #overwhelmed #thanks #noonecares
#itsannoying #please stop.
Liking your own status and posts?
P.S. Because others liking it is too mainstream.
The 1000 likes
Watching an episode, and you like that so much that you
ended up liking every page that is vaguely related. If you like New Girl,
New girl – Like
New – like
Girl – like
Series – like
Episodes – like
Jess – Like
Zooey Deschenel -
Like
Nick Miller – like
Schmidt – like
Really?
P.S.
STATUS I have made
1000 likes in facebook until now! Having a great life, so happy.
COMMENT Congratulations….I am soo happy for you.
#crying #happytears #wootwoot #waytogo #bestie.