Local YouTubers are of the view that substandard clips created by celebrities garner more views than creative content hampering the growth of talented bloggers thereby.
BHUBANESWAR: When a viewer surfs YouTube for his daily dose of Internet these days, he no longer expects clips of creative content makers like Bhuvan Bam or Asish Chanchlani. His screen is flooded with ‘daily life videos’ of celebrities like Disha Patani, Will Smith, Dwayne Johnson or Alia Bhatt.
This sort of content has come to dominate YouTube, the channel which was originally created to give a platform to independent content creators. The video streaming giant seems to be abandoning them now. Small content creators have already seen this shift affect their channels and the site as a whole.
Actors and celebrities from Hindi and Odia languages and from abroad are using YouTube to connect with their fans. Take for example actor Jacqueline Fernandez, who had created a channel July 23, 2019. Till now, she has created only two videos, but has garnered 2,25,070 subscribers which is unthinkable for any YouTube fresher.
Jayanta Rout, a city-based YouTuber, said, “The platform was built on the backs of independent content creators, but now YouTube is abandoning them for nonsensical content. I and my team used to create Odia content for our YouTube channel Odisha Pictures. But nowadays, a lot of Odia actors and actresses have started their own YouTube channels and are also getting popular using substandard content as people are crazy about them. Innovative contents are struggling for views.”
Rahul Kumar of OYE TV said, “In other countries, YouTube stars like Pewdiepie and Lilly Singh, Lilly Singh, who started via YouTube, have now become global icon, wield more influence compared to mainstream household names. But in India we still believe that big stars are more entertaining than YouTubers.”
JustVish who makes food vlogs on his YouTube channel said Content is ultimately bigger than any star. “The essence of YouTube is ‘YOU’ or the individual. Celebrities approach this platform with professional production teams. An individual cannot match their clips in terms of quality. It has been proven time and again that a genuine effort can garner more appreciation than such videos. In the future, some other video streaming platform might cater to our needs.”
Pranab Prasanna Rath Bhai, another YouTuber said, “I don’t think you can control anything in the globalised world. At first YouTube might have been a platform for new content makers, but now it is a platform which anybody can use.”
Asambhava Shubha, a food video blogger, and YouTube channel owner Zaikaana said, “YouTube is a platform for bringing your passion to life. The audience makes it worth it. It’s actually a smart move for celebrities to attract fans through their work, and then step into YouTube where they directly convey what they want to.”
“It is an extension of their personality, and I see no harm in it. If I am making travel stories, I get genuine inspiration from other YouTubers to understand what is different and more creative. The same is with film stars. The audience is smart today and content is king. I see this as a positive sign for everybody,” he added.
Arindam Ganguly, OP