YouTube conquered the world in the 2010s – where does it go from here?

Ten years ago, YouTubers, vloggers and influencers didn’t exist. Less than a month into the 2020s, these careers are continuing to shape the online entertainment industry. But in the midst of fierce competition, feuds and scandals, what does the future hold for YouTube, asks Sirena Bergman

Monday 27 January 2020 14:40 GMT
Comments
To cancel or not to cancel: James Charles has been one of the community’s most controversial members. Will he land in hot water again in 2020?
To cancel or not to cancel: James Charles has been one of the community’s most controversial members. Will he land in hot water again in 2020?

At the turn of the last decade, YouTube was four years and 10 months old. “YouTuber” wasn’t a word. Neither was “influencer”. There was no such thing as a “beauty guru” or a “daily vlogger”. Viral videos were grainy images of cats play-fighting, cute toddlers whining “Charlie bit me” and Lonely Island parody videos.

When Forbes published a list of the most influential internet celebrities in February 2010, the only YouTuber on it was Shane Dawson, who had been creating videos for around two years. At the time, his channel had 1.2 million subscribers and he was earning $315,000 (£240,000) a year from ad revenue.

He is a perfect illustration of how the platform (and the internet at large) has transformed through the decade. In 2010, Robert J Thompson, founding director of the Bleier Centre for Television and Popular Culture at Syracuse University, told The New York Times that Dawson “is kind of a cross between Ernie Kovacs and the most potty-mouthed kid in the eighth grade”. Now, he’s more likely to be described as the Louis Theroux of YouTube.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in