How YouTube and TikTok Have Influenced My Life

I love both YouTube and TikTok as forms of entertainment. YouTube has been a part of my life for a long time, and while TikTok is a newer platform, it has become a huge part of my daily life as well. I wanted to share my thoughts and experiences with both platforms and how they have have a role in my everyday life.

My Favorite Things About YouTube

Let's start by talking about YouTube. I have to say that YouTube has been a huge part of my childhood. I grew up watching funny video compilations on YouTube on my parents' old desktop (because I didn't have my own technology yet). My family and I would also watch 30 minute "fail" compilations on YouTube and laugh so hard we were crying. I learned how to do makeup from YouTube when I was in high school. I followed so many different makeup YouTubers that I learned so many new skills and bought new products just because of these influencers. I used to (and still do) watch female lifestyle YouTubers' content such as shopping haul videos, morning/night routine videos, travel videos, etc. I used to watch book review/recommendation videos on YouTube to figure out which books I wanted to read next. All in all, YouTube has had such a huge role in the entertainment side of my life. In fact, there are multiple YouTubers that I still keep up with and watch their videos to this day. It's almost a comforting feeling for me to follow the journey with them as we both grow.

My favorite genre of YouTube videos right now is lifestyle vlogging. There are several creators that I have practically grown up with because they are around the same age as me and now live these extravagant influencer lives that I love getting to watch. Their platforms have grown from hundreds of thousands of subscribers to millions of subscribers, and it's been special to see them and their platforms grow over time. The reason I love lifestyle vlogs so much is because they're so relaxing to watch. I honestly live a pretty average life being a college student in Texas, but these creators get to travel to dreamy places and make their lives seem so exciting all the time. I feel like I'm living through them when I watch their videos, which adds to the comforting feeling I get when I watch them. On the flip side, there's also something so endearing about watching these successful YouTubers have ordinary days just like me, and face similar struggles and insecurities as I do. Watching my favorite influencers vlog themselves running errands, cleaning, shopping, etc. makes them relatable to the point where they inspire me to work on a better daily routine and have a more positive outlook on my ordinary life.

My Comfort YouTubers

Pictured above are 3 of my favorite lifestyle YouTubers who I have watched for years and admire greatly. On the left is Ava Jules, a 22 year old influencer located in Hawaii that mostly posts relatable, day-in-the-life type content. She spreads positive messages but also documents the hard days and the relatability of figuring out life. In the middle is 21 year old Emma Chamberlain, located in Los Angeles, who posts lifestyle videos and aesthetic travel videos such as the ones at the top of her channel in the image above. She is my all time favorite YouTuber ever, and I have loved seeing her grow from a homeschooled high schooler to a model, podcast host, and partner with Vogue and Louis Vitton. She even got to interview major celebrities at the Met Gala this year (2022) for Vogue, which is just insane to think about. Lastly, on the right is Hannah Meloche, a 21 year old lifestyle influencer from Michigan who relocated to Hawaii. She posts lifestyle videos including beach days, morning routines, and positive affirmations.

Now, you may have noticed a trend in these YouTubers: They're all in their early 20's just like me (I'm 22). I feel like I can relate to the ups and downs Ava, Emma, and Hannah face because I'm in the same stage of life as them. Because I have been watching their videos since high school, I feel like I can chase my dreams too because I have seen them transform from normal teenagers to influential people who are living out their biggest dreams. I guess you could call these three women my "comfort creators". In a New York Times article entitled "What Is a 'Comfort Creator'?", author Ezra Marcus finds that "The term is used by fans to describe the video makers and channels they seek out when they're in need of familiar content, the kind that is soothing enough to leave on in the background while cooking, or to play while falling asleep", which is pretty much exactly what I do (Marcus, 2021). All three of these YouTubers have made positive impacts on my life in different ways, and I feel connected to them because of our age and the way they portray themselves in their videos, which is simply relatable.

How YouTubers Make A Connection

The thing with YouTube that I love is that you get to watch longer videos of whatever genre you're interested in as if it's a TV show episode. I will watch 20 minute YouTube videos while I'm getting ready in the morning and evening or while I have downtime to sit back and watch. When it's a lifestyle YouTuber, you feel like you get a VIP glimpse into their lives because they post 20-30 minute vlogs, rather than a 20 second video on TikTok. Although there's a whole new wave of influencers on TikTok (which I will get into later) that post several short videos daily, I still prefer the connectedness I feel with longer form videos from YouTubers. To me, these vlog- style YouTube videos feel like I'm on FaceTime with a good friend. It feels like the creator is speaking directly to me, as if we've known each other our whole lives. It's the relatability and the personal feeling the videos portray that really suck you in. In an article from Vox entitled "This Week in TikTok: Emma Chamberlain and the business of being relatable", author Rebecca Jennings unpacks why Emma Chamberlain (mentioned earlier) is so "relatable" and popular. Jennings explains this sense of relatability well when she writes "She treats the camera, and thereby the viewer, as if it is her best friend, a permanent fourth wall off which to bounce asides and throwaway jokes. Viewers feel as if they know her"(Jennings, 2020). This quote perfectly encompasses why I love the lifestyle side of YouTube so much. These influencers, especially Emma, make you feel like you're their best friend and talk to you as if you're in the room there with them (and it really does feel that way).

My Favorite Parts About TikTok

Now that I've gone on about why I love YouTube, I now want to talk about TikTok. I fell victim to getting hooked on the app at some point during 2019 as it started to get popular. Looking back now, it's insane how much TikTok has taken over our society and how influential it has been. I remember it used to be mostly dancing videos, but now it's an endless source of entertainment, news, education, life hacks, true crime, humor, beauty, etc. I know that when I open TikTok and go to my "For You Page", that's curated to my liking, I will find hours of content to keep me entertained. The main reason I love TikTok as a platform is due to the wide variety of content I find on my feed every day. It takes me a while to get bored on the app because every video is completely different.

The second main reason I love TikTok is the social aspect. I love getting to message videos back and forth to my friends, and my friends always send me the funniest/ most relatable videos. My roommate could be in the room next to me laughing and then sending me a video she finds funny just to end in me laughing 2 minutes later once I watch it. On the flip side , I also send videos to friends that I think they would be entertained by or that would make them happy (Taylor Swift videos sent to my 'Swiftie' friends). One of the beautiful parts of TikTok is being able to connect with others over shared interests or passions, and the messaging feature has truly served as a way to connect with my friends even when we can't be together. I think I also I enjoy the shorter videos because I swear my attention span has shrunk as I've gotten older. As I mentioned earlier, I still watch longer videos on YouTube because I love the comfort they bring me, but some days I get bored 2 minutes in to a long video and prefer the short TikToks to keep me entertained. But there have also been times where I'm scrolling through TikTok and I end up just scrolling (not watching) for 10 minutes because none of the videos I'm seeing sound good to watch at the time (ridiculous, I know).

Why is TikTok so Addicting?

It is the very act of scrolling and staring at my phone screen that has become muscle memory when I'm not doing anything. I also find myself struggling to complete school or work assignments as quickly because I constantly get distracted by TikTok the second I pick up my phone. That's probably why TikTok is so easy to get "addicted" to, because it's an easy way to avoid tasks and obligations. I did some research on TikTok (ironic) to find why we enjoy these shorter videos, and I found this video that explains the concept well.

After watching this video, I realized that I totally tricked my brain into thinking scrolling through TikTok is "always what I want to do". When I can't fall asleep I scroll through TikTok, when I'm on the bus on the way to class I scroll through TikTok, when I feel awkward in a social situation I scroll through TikTok, and the list could go on. Sometimes when I unlock my phone, I subconsciously open TikTok and begin watching videos, even if that's not what I had initially intended to do when going on my phone. Scrolling on TikTok when I don't know what to do is like putting a bandaid on a deep wound: It will temporarily help it, but in the long run it needs more attention than just a band aid. Like when I'm stressed out doing homework, sure TikTok will temporarily distract me and maybe ease my stress, but it's not going to complete my assignments for me. This is why TikTok has become such a big part of my daily life; because I use it as a way to get through the dull moments of my day without even realizing that's what I'm doing. In an article from Brown University entitled "What Makes TikTok so addictive?: An Analysis of the Mechanisms Underlying the World's Latest Social Media Craze", Sophia Petrillo hits the nail on the head when she explains that "Like other social media platforms the infinite scroll and variable reward pattern of TikTok likely increase the addictive quality of the app as they may induce a flow-like state for users that is characterized by a high degree of focus and productivity at the task at hand" (Petrillo, 2021). I get so sucked into the content on my TikTok feed that it's all i can focus on while I'm using it! I still love the app and have found valuable information and entertainment from it, but I wonder if I need to take more control of my habits.

My Favorite Kinds of TikToks

My 3 favorite kinds of TikToks I see on my For You Page frequently are makeup videos, funny videos, and pop culture videos. Each of these types of videos serve a different purpose in my life. Makeup videos have become highly popular on TikTok and have taken elements from YouTube "beauty gurus" but implemented in short videos. Half of my For You Page includes women getting ready and either talking about their life or talking about the different products used while doing their makeup.

I find these videos highly satisfying because I enjoy hearing people talk while doing makeup, and I get to hear about new makeup products that I 'need to try' because I can visually see how good they are from the video.

I can't sit here and say I haven't been influenced to buy some makeup products just because a TikTok makeup influencer told me to, because I definitely have. There's something so soothing about watching people do their makeup and learning new tips and tricks from them at the same time.

As for the funny videos, I can't really contextualize them because they all depend on the TikTok trends at the time (funny audios, trending challenges, etc.), but these videos make me laugh harder than anything else. I swear there's nothing better than getting a funny video on my feed that relates to either me or a friend I know, and I just sit there cackling at my phone and/ or sending the video to friends who I know would also find it funny. Like I mentioned earlier, TikTok allows for people to connect over mutual interests, and by sharing funny videos that I know will make specific people laugh, I get to feel connected to that friend by sharing our humor.

Lastly, pop culture TikToks are some of my favorite videos because I find everything pop culture related highly entertaining. I love watching reality TV (I keep up with the Kardashians *pun intended*), I love analyzing celebrity relationships, learning about scandals, and more. I think pop culture is one of the easiest ways to be entertained because it feels like these celebrities are not even real people but rather characters in a big plot, and the drama never ends. Why read the online news when TikTok can just tell you all the drama going on in the celebrity world at the time? There's also so many videos on crazy celebrity conspiracy theories and predictions for the next steps of celebrities, both examples shown below.

Celebrity Predictions

Celebrity Conspiracy Theory

How YouTube and TikTok Both Serve As a Soundtrack to My Daily Life

To end this blog post, I wanted to dive into why I spend so much time on YouTube and TikTok while doing everyday tasks like laundry or cooking. I am 100% the type of person who cannot do anything without background noise. Whether I'm brushing my teeth, eating lunch, going on a walk, doing homework, or sitting in the living room, I always have some form of video or podcast playing on my phone to keep me entertained. In fact, I sat here wondering why the heck I can't function without some sort of stimulation or noise, and it's even sort of embarrassing that I can't sit in silence as a 22 year old adult. So I did what anyone my age would do and I googled "Why can't I function without background noise". What I found in an article from Stylist entitled "Why are we so scared of silence", written by Lauren Bravo, is:

Sometimes, I think silence isn’t so much an enemy as a boring, bog-standard default. It’s vanilla – and who wants vanilla when you could have the aural equivalent of triple chocolate fudge brownie with marshmallow swirls? In our privileged, hyper-stimulated, multiple choice world, we’re so used to upgrading life with bonus extras that settling for silence has begun to feel more unnatural than wearing earbuds in the swimming pool (Bravo, 2019).

When I read this quote, I immediately was thinking how true that statement is. The part that really spoke to me was when Bravo said "...settling for silence has begun to feel more unnatural than wearing earbuds in the swimming pool" (Bravo, 2019). Like why can't I just brush my teeth in silence or eat my meals without watching a video? It's because I have become conditioned to having this entertainment accessible at all times of the day for when I want to escape reality and receive stimulation.

Exposing My Screen Time for Youtube and TikTok

For me, YouTube and TikTok videos are comforting, and therefore when I feel uncomfortable in silence or I am bored out of my mind, I choose to watch these videos as a way to "upgrade" the boring parts of my daily life. Although this may be an unhealthy habit of mine, it is also another reason why I love the platforms so much. When I don't know what show to watch or what music to play, I know I can always find entertainment on either YouTube or TikTok to satisfy my desires.

If you made it this far, I just wanted to say thank you for reading this post! I hope you enjoyed reading my thoughts on YouTube and TikTok and literally exposing myself for being addicted to social media. Bye for now!

Citations

Bravo, L. (2019, March 28). Fear of silence: why do we need constant noise? Stylist. Retrieved November 29, 2022, from https://www.stylist.co.uk/long-reads/hate-awkward-silences-fear-of-silence-in-conversation/258870

Jennings, R. (2020, September 29). Emma Chamberlain and the business of being relatable. Vox. Retrieved November 29, 2022, from https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2020/9/29/21492270/emma-chamberlain-youtube-coffee

Marcus, E. (2021, November 29). What Is a 'Comfort Creator'? The New York Times. Retrieved November 29, 2022, from https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/29/style/what-is-a-comfort-creator.html

Petrillo, S. (2021, December 13). What Makes TikTok so Addictive?: An Analysis of the Mechanisms Underlying the World's Latest Social Media Craze. Retrieved November 29, 2022, from https://sites.brown.edu/publichealthjournal/2021/12/13/tiktok/