Re: Open letter to youtube- my only vlog (by the very intelligent squash)

This video is dedicated to the memory of joelsa (Joel).

After 4 months of immersion, here's my take on youtube culture. I promise I will go back to doing music in my next video. I just really needed to get this stuff off my squash.

If you're interested in discussing this further, please let me know. I don't think I have all the answers by any means.

Thanks to all the people who have helped me (intentionally or otherwise) as I tried to make sense of the chaos that is youtube.

Channels in this video

joelsa
http://www.youtube.com/user/joelsa

theheyway
http://www.youtube.com/user/theheyway

tulae101
http://www.youtube.com/user/tulae101

ausernameisuseless
http://www.youtube.com/user/ausernameisuseless

honestovlog
http://www.youtube.com/user/honestovlog

sistersalad
http://www.youtube.com/user/sistersalad

jpmetz
http://www.youtube.com/user/jpmetz

jojo20to1
http://www.youtube.com/user/jojo20to1

charlieisagirl
http://www.youtube.com/user/charlieisagirl

sidney38SNJ
http://www.youtube.com/user/sidney38SNJ

nannirk
http://www.youtube.com/user/nannirk

elmify
http://www.youtube.com/user/elmify

corymoody77
http://www.youtube.com/user/CoryMoody77

cookie4monster4 (esther)
http://www.youtube.com/user/cookie4monster4

bleachloverapril
http://www.youtube.com/user/BleachLoverApril

agentspeedy
http://www.youtube.com/user/agentspeedy

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• youtube
• culture
• communication
• listening
• joelsa
• theheyway
• tulae101
• ausernameisuseless
• honestovlog
• elmify
• jpmetz
• jojo20to1
• esther
• cookie4moster4
• blkfrhwk
• jude and the magic computer
• vlog
• squash

[skidwilldanceforyou]

cheers to this video. featured on my channel this squash is now. I value honesty and realness and intelligence. This video is beautiful. Thanks and cheers.

[blkfrhwk]

@skidwilldanceforyou the squash and i appreciate your kind words. thank you.

[jsutkissmyfrog]

you know, sometimes I trawl through my subscription box wandering if what I'm watching is really helping or harming me. Thankyou so much for making this log in worth it :) this was very honest and inspiring, I'm not sure which more!

[blkfrhwk]

@jsutkissmyfrog i am very grateful for your kind words.

[elmify]

I think there are some really interesting and astute observations in this vlog. Thanks so much for sharing!! (and thank you for speaking so kindly of my videos!)

[sistersalad]

That is one intelligent squash.

Lovely video! I really enjoyed it.  (Also, I know I've got a few messages from you to respond to, full of additional insightful observations, and I'm very excited to share my thoughts on your thoughts, but I'm in the midst of a crazy summer of nomaderie, so just a warning that it may be a little while longer before I can.)

[Tiwaking]

Your channel is 2008? You must have missed TheBoringDispatcher. To me, he was YouTube. One guy. A camera. 10 hours of videos a day.

I liked this video, though, it is a bit cynical. I like cynical!

[blkfrhwk]

@StorytimewithAlex my family strongly encourages me to find ways to make money from my music, but for me, it just doesn't feel right. i love sharing the music and the ideas and making people happy. but there's so much "real work" that needs to be done in the world. at the same time, my health continues to decline and i may need to find a way to work from home. would i still refuse? i have no answers. just lots of questions.

the one thing that i do believe is that all voices deserve to be heard.

[blkfrhwk]

@StorytimewithAlex this is a really beautiful response and i am very grateful to you for sharing your ideas. i don't know about your final question. it's a debate i have with myself regularly- if i could get paid to do music, would i?

[StorytimewithAlex]

but it seems like when these real youtubers reach critical mass, we then ask them to step up a notch and be entertaining at all times. The culture in the US (and possibly Europe) seems to take an enormous amount of pleasure in placing people on very high pedestals and then doing their damnedest to knock them off.

At the end of the day, who wouldn't want to get paid for talking into a camera?

[StorytimewithAlex]

This video took me by surprise. I came to your channel from Elmify through your amazing and very entertaining remix of "Elmify after dark" and clicked through several vids. ( I may be the only person on youtube who found Wheezywaiter after watching your mixes.) *shrug* The last thing I expected when I clicked play was a sincere monologue questioning what youtube is really about.

I think we are drawn to the people we perceive as being "real people."

[Nolitakitty]

@blkfrhwk I was watching esther's video about her feelings and some others after learning that she passed and it actually made me cry. She was so genuine in sharing her life and thoughts and feelings with us and letting us know that she is normal that i was overwhelmed. RIA Esther and Joel (Even though I did not know them.)