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YouTube stars heading for burnout

theguardian.com

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Re: YouTube stars heading for burnout

#51

Post by madeuptempacct »

fragsworth wrote: post #49
api wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How many of the Nazis and other super divisive youtubers do you think are faking it or hamming it up for clicks? I do sometimes wonder "do these people actually believe this crap?" Same goes for totally outlandish conspiracy theories. Controversy has always sold, but never before has the feedback loop been so tight.

Not believing what you speak is a huge enthusiasm killer, and enthusiasm is most of what makes a good video. I'd guess almost all of the people with growing channels believe what they speak, and anyone on the fence might even subconsciously start believe what their audience wants.

Except I can fake enthusiasm easily. I don't because it's deceptive. I feel like I am lying to someone when I fake enthusiasm. Doesn't go over all that well in most settings, since most people do fake it.

Re: YouTube stars heading for burnout

#52

Post by xabuq »

qubax wrote: post #33
sidstling wrote: post #11

I respect people who have the ability to entertain thousands of viewers, I really do. At the same time I’m really happy that wasn’t even an option when I was young. I’m sure I would have spent even more time playing video games if esports, twitch and YouTube had been a thing in the 90ies. I know, I know, not everyone is alike, but at age 35 I’m really happy that my job involves serious adult challenges, and that my s…

> but at age 35 I’m really happy that my job involves serious adult challenges Highly doubt that if you are commenting on a social media platform. What's an "adult" challenge? > and that my success in life isn’t depending on thousands of teenagers pushing a like button. Sure it does. From journalist to software programmers and everyone in between.

I came here to say that my success in life does not depend on anyone pushing a like button. Please connect the dots for me, and tell me why I am wrong about that.

Re: YouTube stars heading for burnout

#53

Post by mancerayder »

The anxieties are tied up with the relentless nature of their work. Tyler Blevins, AKA Ninja, makes an estimated $500,000 (£384,000) every month via live broadcasts of him playing the video game Fortnite on Twitch, a service for livestreaming video games that is owned by Amazon. Most of Blevins’ revenue comes from Twitch subscribers or viewers who provide one-off donations (often in the hope that he will thank them by name “on air”). Blevins recently took to Twitter to complain that he didn’t feel he could stop streaming. “Wanna know the struggles of streaming over other jobs?” he wrote, perhaps ill-advisedly for someone with such a stratospheric income. “I left for less than 48 hours and lost 40,000 subscribers on Twitch. I’ll be back today… grinding again.”

This fits into the stereotype of Millennials as entitled. He makes 500k a month, but can't get off the hamster wheel? Poor soul.

Re: YouTube stars heading for burnout

#54

Post by y2bd »

madeuptempacct wrote: post #51
fragsworth wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not believing what you speak is a huge enthusiasm killer, and enthusiasm is most of what makes a good video. I'd guess almost all of the people with growing channels believe what they speak, and anyone on the fence might even subconsciously start believe what their audience wants.

Except I can fake enthusiasm easily. I don't because it's deceptive. I feel like I am lying to someone when I fake enthusiasm. Doesn't go over all that well in most settings, since most people do fake it.

I think OP means more personal enthusiasm, as in being driven to make videos at all. No benefit in being able to fake a smile if you never end up recording yourself in the first place.

...at the same time though, a ton of money and attention might be enough to get over making personally uninteresting content. I guess that's pretty much how careers are for most people.

Re: YouTube stars heading for burnout

#55

Post by da02 »

mancerayder wrote: post #50

The anxieties are tied up with the relentless nature of their work. Tyler Blevins, AKA Ninja, makes an estimated $500,000 (£384,000) every month via live broadcasts of him playing the video game Fortnite on Twitch, a service for livestreaming video games that is owned by Amazon. Most of Blevins’ revenue comes from Twitch subscribers or viewers who provide one-off donations (often in the hope that he will thank them b…

Is that after or before taxes?

Re: YouTube stars heading for burnout

#56

Post by xabuq »

wybiral wrote: post #19
sidstling wrote: post #11

I respect people who have the ability to entertain thousands of viewers, I really do. At the same time I’m really happy that wasn’t even an option when I was young. I’m sure I would have spent even more time playing video games if esports, twitch and YouTube had been a thing in the 90ies. I know, I know, not everyone is alike, but at age 35 I’m really happy that my job involves serious adult challenges, and that my s…

> my success in life isn’t depending on thousands of teenagers pushing a like button In a certain sense, though, most serious adult business still boils down to people seeing an ad, installing an app, buying a product, attracting investors, or teenagers clicking a like button. Edit: The YouTubers who go on to do it at a more serious capacity will also learn valuable first-hand lessons in dealing with partnerships, sp…

Ads drive less than 10% of all revenue. Ads make a difference in competitor market share, when saturated, tipping swing votes in a deadlock. In many other scenarios, ad exposure has no measurable effect of success or failure.

Re: YouTube stars heading for burnout

#58

Post by wgerard »

JumpCrisscross wrote: post #26
wgerard wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> stop making videos for awhile It has a huge detrimental effect. Each day you take a break can set you back by several. From the article: >> “I left for less than 48 hours and lost 40,000 subscribers on Twitch. I’ll be back today… grinding again.” > move on to doing something else There's not a clear career path to anything else. Many of them have spent their formative adult years streaming, and transitioning to ano…

> There's not a clear career path to anything else If you’re making $6 million / year, you have the resources with which to take time off and reconsider your choices.

> If you’re making $6 million / year, you have the resources with which to take time off and reconsider your choices.

> > Sure, there are the mega-streamers who have (hopefully) saved enough money that they could absorb that gigantic setback, or have enough celebrity that they can transition to something else, but I doubt the majority of them have earned enough to support a major life transition - like, say, going back to school full-time.

Re: YouTube stars heading for burnout

#59

Post by wgerard »

anonymous5133 wrote: post #21
wgerard wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> stop making videos for awhile It has a huge detrimental effect. Each day you take a break can set you back by several. From the article: >> “I left for less than 48 hours and lost 40,000 subscribers on Twitch. I’ll be back today… grinding again.” > move on to doing something else There's not a clear career path to anything else. Many of them have spent their formative adult years streaming, and transitioning to ano…

Umm yeah, I still think they should move on. If you hate doing something then why continue doing it? Best to shift into an occupation you enjoy. I don't really think youtube or twitch were even meant to be full-time occupations to begin with.

> If you hate doing something then why continue doing it? Best to shift into an occupation you enjoy

This describes, likely, a large portion of the workforce in general and isn't specific to streamers.

The answer, of course, is that it pays the bills and it's really hard to:

1) Figure out what it is that you'd actually enjoy

2) Figure out how to make money doing that

Re: YouTube stars heading for burnout

#60

Post by mancerayder »

da02 wrote: post #55
mancerayder wrote: post #50

The anxieties are tied up with the relentless nature of their work. Tyler Blevins, AKA Ninja, makes an estimated $500,000 (£384,000) every month via live broadcasts of him playing the video game Fortnite on Twitch, a service for livestreaming video games that is owned by Amazon. Most of Blevins’ revenue comes from Twitch subscribers or viewers who provide one-off donations (often in the hope that he will thank them b…

Is that after or before taxes?

Before, no doubt. After, his existential travails only take more toll on his smug fatigue level.
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