YouTube Academy: What is Vlogging?

Welcome back, loyal readers, to another edition of YouTube Academy. This month we’re talking about a huge part of the YouTube community; the original YouTuber’s video form to skyrocket early online creators’ starts: vlogs.

Hannah Monson
Columnist, The Friday Flyer

Vlogs, or video blogs, showcase the daily lives and occasions of the vlogger, usually going through daily routines and schedules. As I’ve said before, many beauty gurus can also be classified as vloggers. Vlogging is one of the biggest genres of YouTube due to how easy it is to vlog. Many gamers, pranksters, beauty gurus and musicians have made separate accounts just for vlogging, though you don’t need to have an existing online presence to begin vlogging.

Just like any other genre, there are several different types of vloggers. “Daily” vloggers are the most frequent to post videos. These usually contain simple routines and anecdotes from the creator’s day. They aren’t always daily, unlike the title explains, and some of the videos are story-based videos from different experiences in the vlogger’s life. Most of the time these vlogs have comedic elements, making for a funny, entertaining video that can more times than not be very relatable. Some popular daily vloggers that I recommend include Dan “danisnotonfire” Howell, with more than 6.3 million subscribers; Phil ‘AmazingPhil’ Lester, with more than 4 million subscribers; and Shane Dawson, with more than 9.3 million subscribers. Parents, please be aware that some vloggers use curse words and are not family friendly.

Travel vlogs are very popular, showcasing a foreign country or area the vlogger themselves have been to. These videos show you around, allowing you to see different excursions and fun places to perhaps visit yourself someday. Some travel vlogs are done by couples or groups of people, while others are done by one person. Some of these vloggers include Louis “FunForLouis” Cole, with almost 2 million subscribers; Aspyn and Parker Ferris, with about 1.5 million subscribers; and Ben “MrBenBrown” Brown, with almost 700,000 subscribers.

A smaller part of the vlogging world are the musical vloggers. Many times, musical vloggers post videos that are more intimate than their normal music videos, and sometimes you get behind-the-scenes looks at different parts of the music industry and writing process. Some of my favorite musical vloggers are Dodie “doddlevloggle” Clark, with about 550,000 subscribers and Jon “paintchips” Cozart, with 516,000 subscribers.

The vlogging community not only entertains, but also started a trend that has helped spread awareness and love throughout the LGBT community. The art of “coming out” videos— videos of people disclosing the fact that they are gay, transgender, or others— has helped millions of people become content and accept themselves and others around them. Awareness around these issues has allowed for so many conversations to flesh out and be heard; love has spread so far due to these simple videos, giving others the courage to live as themselves rather than live in fear. Some of the advocates of the LGBT include Tyler Oakley, with almost 8 million subscribers, Gigi Gorgeous, with almost 2.6 million subscribers; Connor Franta with 5.6 million subscribers; Miles “MilesChronicles” McKenna, with about 870,000 subscribers; and many, many more.

Vloggers have created a community of love, respect, and exploration. It’s never been easier to escape reality and live vicariously. Many view vloggers for life advice and ideas, while others look for support or even just a laugh. Whatever it is you’re looking for, YouTube is the place to look for it.

Have fun exploring the world of vloggers, dear readers. From prints on paper to musings in your mind, my name’s Hannah. Thanks for reading.