The Internet has helped with the mass increase in the amount of life narratives. However, it’s not just distant faces of asylum seekers, movie stars, or politicians anymore. Now, almost everyone posts their own life narrative through status updates on Facebook or Twitter. However, one of the most popular modes that people use now, is YouTube.
Part of the reason that YouTube is so popular is because it allows people to express themselves freely, with no censorship and a supportive community. It makes people feel secure and safe, as if they were speaking to a diary. This leads Youtubers to become so popular because those who YouTube are, like with Humans of New York, are just normal people, so it’s easier for people to identify with the YouTube host. In addition, the Youtubers often have the same common interests as their viewers so that further increases the sense of community.
However, because the Youtubers become so popular they become mini celebrities themselves. In a way, although they are not traditional celebrities, YouTube helps to make a new platform that makes ordinary people famous. A lot of the most successful Youtubers can be inspirations to other people who share the same fate. This is why people often request “Draw My Life” videos so they can learn how they dealt with their obstacles in their lives. For example, Martina Stawski, who is one of the stars of Eatyourkimchi, which explores daily life in South Korea from a Canadian perspective, posted one about her life after she discovered she had chronic pain and EDS (Martina’s Draw My Life). By posting her story she was able to encourage with similar problems to follow their dreams and stay positive. Also, with her popularity, she was able to inform a wider amount of people, about it because she knew they would listen. In fact, like with other life narratives, a lot of important YouTubers have had obstacles to overcome, whether it be having to live with chronic pain or maybe having people around them be having difficulty accepting their sexuality. Their famousness also helps to bring greater awareness than those with less influence.
Another life narrative that is posted on YouTube are “A Day In My Life” vlogs. These videos help others navigate a different experience, such as living in another country, by looking through the YouTuber’s life. An example would be Grace Mineta’s popular series, which depicts her daily life in Japan (Grace’s Day In My Life). This helps people understand what to expect if or when they decided to go through this similar experience. For example, we can see the culture norms and how to handle them, in addition to learning about what are the best spots. The viewer also gets to know more about the YouTuber’s life as well, as you can see how they interact with other people and what their lives are actually like, because they usually act more like their normal selves than they would in another video.
However, even without those specific types of lie narrative videos, the YouTubers often have little life narratives in their normal videos as well, like in their makeup tutorials or video game “Let’s play” as they mention something they did, bring in their boyfriend and talk, or just express themselves naturally. And the mediums for life narratives are continuing to grow, not just with YouTube, but outside with well. Snapchat is an increasingly popular one, and others are continuing to grow. Who knows what will emerge next as the next best life narrative sharing place.
Works Cited
“Draw My Life-Martina’s Story.” Eatyourkimchi. YouTube. 25 April 2015. http://youtu.be/dvtDWssF-Wg. 7 November 2015.
“A Day in My Life (Episode 1): As a Texan in Tokyo.” Texan in Tokyo. YouTube. 3 Feb 2015. http://youtu.be/k1r14ylQer4. 7 November 2015
