Eight years and over 7,000 videos later, the Vlogbrothers have become the godfathers of YouTube. Together, this dynamic pair has founded VidCon; revolutionized online education with their channels Crash Course, SciShow, The Art Assignment, Sexplanations, and Brainscoop; created and signed countless artists to their record label Don’t Forget to Be Awesome; interviewed the President of the United States; and inspired a loyal base of “Nerdfighters” -- aka Vlogbrothers fans.
Vloggers have played a significant role in the formation of YouTube’s personality and culture. Over the past decade, tens of millions of vlogging videos have been uploaded to the site, with vloggers like the Shaytards, Fun for Louis, Charles Trippy, Alfie Deyes, and Sacconejolys uploading videos everyday for years. And more recently, creators such as Zoella, Jim Chapman, Phil DeFranco, SprinkleofGlitter, BubzBeauty, Marcus Butler, and hundreds more have expanded beyond their original channels, starting secondary channels to share even more of their lives with their fans.
Just like YouTube, vlogging is an ever-evolving form that’s taken in different directions by different creators. Jack and Finn Harries (JacksGap) have transformed their vlogs into travelogs with footage of their adventures around the world. Grace Helbig has become so popular she now hosts “The Grace Helbig Show” on E!, in which she regularly engages her loyal fans and fellow YouTube creators. But it’s the ever-inventive Casey Neistat that might depict this evolution best. Neistat sees his daily vlogs as “short films” being created every 24 hours. In his video “What’s Your Motivation,” Neistat addresses the comment -- “You’re a filmmaker, stop vlogging” -- with this insight:
“Creating a new movie every 24 hours and releasing that movie to an audience of hundreds of thousands of people is an evolution in filmmaking. Our job as creators is to further define any medium, our job is to create the new cliches, not to adhere to those defined by generations past.”
From Jenna Marbles to Akilah Hughes, vlogging continues to make YouTube the unique destination it is today. Click below for a playlist featuring some of the most influential vloggers in the past 10 years.
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