Film yourself complaining and you could get internet famous
YouTube has hosted viral videos over the years and generated many one-time stars. Videos have skyrocketed to the top charts without competition, only to be forgotten about mere days later. A rise without warning and a quick fade of a similar fashion: such is the life of internet fame.
So, this poses a question, “What makes a video go viral?”
In reality, nobody really knows the answer. Despite this fact, however, there is one concept that people have been able to grasp as a result of this occurrence; it only takes one viral video to create a popular genre. Sometimes the video is new and innovative, other times it’s a video about something so natural and common you’d think it boring and uninteresting, yet somehow it intrigues and entertains countless individuals beyond their own belief.
Interestingly enough, one of the biggest upcoming genres of 2016 seems to have spawned from one of the internet’s favourite pastimes: complaining. And thus the rant video was born.
Crazy, I know. Who would have thought that all you needed to do to achieve fame on the internet today would be to simply yell into a microphone about something you’re unhappy with? Just throw in some sort of animation or simple background video and you’ve created modern art.
Despite the consistent use of profane language, crude and unattractive art styles, and often controversial topics and opinions, rant videos have seen an increase in views and supporters over the course of this year. Some of this newfound popularity can be attributed to famous ranters GradeAUnderA and LeafyIsHere, especially due to their recent involvement in YouTube drama, including the battles between these YouTube channels and DramaAlert, in which they each tried to expose and eliminate the opposing team from YouTube. The two YouTubers were also involved in the outcry around the platform’s ever-changing terms of service and issues surrounding copyright laws over the past year.
Though these rants have yielded mixed results, overall the support has noticeably worked in these YouTubers’ favour. It can also be said that another reason for this new found popularity can be attributed to the positive impact made on the YouTube community through the #MakeYouTubeGreatAgain campaign, where GradeAUnderA worked to point out and find a solution to flaws in the copyright system of the website.
However simple the concept and however crude the delivery, the numbers don’t lie. The internet has clearly demonstrated the type of entertainment they seek these days based on view counts alone. Oddly enough and, as simple as it may be, having a strong uncensored opinion and an entertaining way of putting it into words is all that it takes to go viral these days. The internet sure does love to complain.
Photo courtesy of George Hodan.