Someone stopped me on the street the other day to tell me he recognized me from my painting exhibition last year; he told me one of my paintings was emotionally impactful and showed me a picture on his phone. I've never gotten a million likes on insta, so I don't know how that feels, but that interaction with one single person in real life was worth all the hours in the studio.
Once upon a time, the internet was full of interesting things and occasionally something would go viral. Today everything is viral, and occasionally something will be interesting.
Nope there are still such content available ... I would say plenty of them ..... but they doesn't often of viral because the hard truth is majority of the humans are trend chases and want to watch what's popular / their friends are into . So if you want to REALLY find them actively go looking you for it .... use mutiple accounts with dedicated search histories ..... I didn't say it will be easy but they are out their. I have found channel in the 10k - 70k to be the most in depth . I can rarely relate to channels with 5mil + subs . Its about setting priorities. Its a real shame for creatives to chase just after the money while letting their passion die in the way. We as humans must take a moment and reflect what's truly important to us in this short life.
I think it says a lot that very long form videos (two hours plus) are becoming more popular and, not only that, they're actually garnering amazing views. The amount of people that I've subscribed to because I saw ONE good, movie length video about some niche subject that I didn't even care that much about but still found interesting, and they're at 20k subs and the video has got over a million views and they've apparently only just hit that 20k milestone... I keep seeing it, and every time I subscribe again because I trust that if they put this much thought and care into one video, I don't mind if I don't see another one for like 6 months. I know the next one will be quality as well, and I'll make time for it.
@@Sarah-wp9ss Jenny Nicholson put out an amazing video almost 4 hrs long about a wannabe theme park in Utah called Evermore. I watched because background - then I sat down and actually watched it. Great stuff. Emily D Baker is a lawyer who puts out 3-4 hr long podcasts - right now she's covering an absolutely bonkers trial happening in SC. Enjoy! :)
I still like short form content as well, though. I appreciate creators who do both - one subject can be an hour long, but sometimes you should make videos that are 10-15 minutes.
It takes a lot of hard work to create and if you're doing it for the wrong reasons, you'll either experience burn out or get frustrated that people aren't "liking" what you're offering.☠️
Drew Gooden is such a good example of this. I've been a fan of his absurdist humor since Vine and I followed him onto UA-cam once Vine died. He posts twice a month and they're always about whatever random thing he's passionate about that month and I LOVE IT. He's so naturally funny and creative and it shows in his account. It's so rare to find a content creator like him and I don't know what I'll do if he ever decides to stop making videos
I have a bachelor's degree in art and the realisation that as an artist i had to cater to a brand was one major reason to slowly walk away from creating art. One thing that has really worked for me recent years is working alongside with other two other artist and that's how we issued one small zine book and are at the final run of printing the second issue.
It's weird because even though everyone is "creating", creativity is getting more and more limited. People see what's working for others and start imitating them in a way. We're all trying to tap into our creativity yet we are losing what makes us unique because of this so called "algorithm". Love conversations like this, thank you! :)
the point of monay people's creativity is often to be heard or seen by others, so it's a natural desire to try to tailor your "content" to reach more people. I think the healthiest thing to do is back up and create something that we enjoy MAKING rather than caring whether we are heard/seen
Yes, it is exactly as you describe. Very recently I started to unsubscribe from a lot of vloggers who made me feel like I was watching the same content but with different people on camera. The same thing with tiktok, someone starts a trend and soon your feed is full of tons of people doing the same stuff over and over. Gets tiring very fast.
Yes. Is it really 'creativity' if it's just repeating a trend that thousands of other people have already done? Obviously, all art is inspired by others/outside sources, but not literally the same 30 sec clip to a music grab over and over and over...
@@dalton-at-work Ooh didn't even think of it like that. You're right, it stems from wanting to be seen and we are seeking validation from an audience so we end up focusing on their likes/dislikes more than our own.
I was just yesterday thinking about how much I hate the usage of that word, "content". It sounds so corporate, so lifeless and mechanical. Everytime I hear the terms "content creators", I just translate that as "cogs in the machine".
the word content sounds like idk, really dense cornbread, if that makes sense or livestock feed it's a pile of dense nothing that's meant to just fill a hole without really doing anything else
The word "content" has become the replacement for "product". Artists back in the 80s and 90s used to rebel against the very idea of just creating a "product" for the masses to consume, something that corporations could use to fill their pockets with. Now, under this new term, folks have yet to realize or really even care that they've played right into the hands of the system yet again. But hey, might as well keep going, gotta make a living, keep creating more, even if it has little to no artistic soul, gotta have something for the consumers.
That's somehow just like another term I strongly dislike and avoid using: music production and music producer. It just sounds wrong to me, implying that the end result, the music, is not art, but merely just a (industrial) product and the creator is not an artist, but just a, well, producer, an engineer, a factory in person and often a salesman, everything, but not an artist. The art is getting removed from the art and that thing is somehow saddening me. For some weird reason, everybody wants to be a producer, but just calling oneself a musician happens less often, that's at least my personal impression.
The amount of amazing artists I've seen making absolutely awesome content, and yet getting no attention.. it really saddens me. Much creativity is just lost to trying to appeal to the algorithm. The internet really needs this video! Thank you!
that appeals a lot to myself. I've been making music for some years now, but i never liked tiktok or instagram,so i dont use them to promote my music. and i see a lot of artists that rise from those social media platforms,( and not trying to be an asshole ) are not as interesting as mine. and it makes me sad cuz it feels like no matter how great i do my stuff, it will never be bigger than those who follow the algorithm
When I was younger I never understood how older musicians could be happy just playing local pub gigs. But now that Im in my 30s and Im looking at how you to need to be a "content creator" to "make it" and play the larger shows and get a following, Im now understanding why those old blokes did what they did. Its pure. Its just music being played to an audience, even though its small, its valued. Im pretty much done with the music scene now and going to start just playing jam nights and the like.
Pretty much this. I have the feeling that the less "serious going" a musician is creating their work, the better it gets. I've seen so with many bands and indies and am so glad that they did, otherwise I would've probably never found them. I remember watching that guy playing his ukulele in a clothes store singing happily "I've got no f's to give" and up till today, I consider it a masterpiece 😂
There are some good bands playing in local pubs. The size of the audience doesn't change the quality of the music. Is WAP by Cardi B a great song because it's popular? I believe it hit number 1 in the US at one stage. There are probably millions of songs on Spotify with less than a handful of listens that are a hundred times better.
@@nicerides9224 I never said there wasn't. I was speaking from a performing point of view. Generally, especially when you younger, you want to play to big crowds. Then as you get older, the appeal of just playing to a handful of people starts to sound not so bad.
@@davidlisteresq I get the attraction of the big crowds but I think smaller venues have a more involved feel with the audience. Even as just someone watching I like the atmosphere of a huge crowd but in a smaller place you're much closer and it's a different vibe. Both have their good points. I think without the atmosphere of a big crowd it focuses more on the music.
I remember in the old days, Artists used to complain about record labels forcing them to kill their soul. But now it's like they do the same thing to themselves without realizing it because they are presented with numbers and have to draw their own conclusions about how they should react. There's no longer a separate marketing person or record label to rebel against, because now you are given everything you need to do to your own creativity what you used to need them to do to your creativity. You are just given the raw facts of how people are reacting to what you are making and the pressure associated with them is implied.
I think this is where 'cancel culture' comes from too. Pre-internet there would still be celebrity/ media controversies, but the artists in question could easily put themselves at a distance from it. Their agent maybe would tell them ' that song you put out pissed people off' and so they would know in some vague way that people were 'pissed off', and pretty much shrug it off. Now you can see the dislikes mounting, the thousands of hate comments, the angry videos--more of it than you could reasonably get through. Once again is that effect of being your own self-censoring agent.
The problem is obviously capitalism. Most people don't have the time and resources to make art or entertainment unless they can make money with it, which kills any genuinity or creativity because your art can be either consistently novel and interesting or consistently lucrative, but never both at the same time
@@DaveGrean "never both at the same time" The beatles, pink Floyd, Queen, LED Zeppelin, even Beethoven in his day, want to have a word with you. It's completely possible. But few will achieve it. It takes something special that only few people have, and it takes a lot of luck.
Oh so you are telling me that the soul-wrenching void I've been feeling this last 3 years is because I've been a slave to the algorithm so I got burnt-out due to lack of self expression and the anxious thought that nobody will watch me if I make something different so I keep pushing what works in the short term because now I'm financially dependent on that? I thought I was just hungry
When I was a kid our version of TikTok and UA-cam were shows like That's Incredible, Real People, America's Funniest Videos etc. You got just the right amount of cheaply produced stupidity in a half hour per week. After you watched your "curated content" you went on with your week and that was that. If you wanted to see that spread out over the week, Late Night with David Letterman had his segments like "stupid pet tricks" and Johnny Carson brought on acts like the Omaha Birdsong Club or Jimmy Pickle and his Knife Throwing Wife. Now it's just an endless firehose of stupidity.
Yup. And now, apparently you just have to say you're an artist and you are without any work. People even just say they are a carpenter, plumber etc. and then you see the results of the work when you take them to task. They literally have no idea how to use a hammer, paint brush, screw driver etc. And they clearly are never going to be masters at any trade or art. But, of course, in the artworld stupid people just have to copy paste and AI generate someone else's work with a tiny shred of intellectual labour. FORGERS suck. Lol. Especially AI FORGERS. Lol. But some are amazing. Sadly. Ah well. All this AI stuff is fascinating and it's cool. Just don't forge without permission or try and sell as your own. Eek.
This couldnt have come at a better time. I have been so tripped up over this whole “content creator” world and I haven’t known how to word why it disturbs me so much without just sounding like some out of touch 30 year old who isn’t adopting to new technology. I don’t want to be a content creator, but I feel like I have to be to be an artist. Oh and now all my friends are becoming twitch streamers so now it’s even encroaching into personal relationships. I am so tired.
The struggle of being an artist and making a living is real. I don't know what twitch is. And really I find the social media aspect of posting my art so exhausting aswell that I have actually just stopped doing it altogether!
Reducing art and creative endeavors to 'content' has annoyed me for so long. Glad it didn't go unnoticed for you either. Another insightful vid. Great job, Campbell.
It has reduced art to mere entertainment (nothing wrong with entertainment, it's just not art and does not have its depth), and we have an overabundance of it. Fueling, and fueled by, consumerism. And it's not just in art, but almost all aspects of life.
@@quixoticindiscipline9524 Do a live painting session and take subject suggestions. Give the end result away to an audience member. Is it art or entertainment?
@@dopaminecloud A good answer would require more context, like the type of videos they upload as a whole, the quality of their art work, the personality or "vibe" of their videos, their business practices etc. You cannot really have a sound opinion off of one video. Let alone from a vague description like the one you gave. The livestreams of YT painters I've seen, definitely fall into the category of entertainment. Painting is an art, but not all paintings are art. The same applies for music, film, literature etc. Besides, a work of art that has depth and quality, is developed through weeks or months, not a couple of hours.
@@quixoticindiscipline9524 My question needs no further context and served its purpose by making you expand on this clear line you have drawn between art and entertainment. "Besides, a work of art that has depth and quality, is developed through weeks or months, not a couple of hours." Boggles the mind how people will put a term on such a pedestal because they liked a work. Here's an easy concept-shattering for you: Under your definition of art, no live band can make art because they only perform for a few hours at most. This is obviously a ridiculous thing to say. You've warped the meaning of art for the sake of seeing it as something more than it is. Most commonly this happens because you care about certain things that you want to call art and you don't care about other things and so you want them to be separated in your mind by not considering them art. This is not how it works, any actual artist will be able to tell you this. I encourage you to seek out creative endeavors of your own, so you can familiarize yourself with the creative process and come to understand art a little better with a little less arbitrary posturing.
@@dopaminecloud You are confusing the PERFORMATIVE aspect of music with the COMPOSITIONAL aspect in your "concept-shattering" example. High quality music is not written in a couple of hours, not to mention the years of study and practice it requires. I'm a visual artist and a musician, I follow several other creative interests, as well as intellectual, physical and spiritual pursuits. I understand how the creative process works and how it relates amd runs through the whole spectrum of human activity and understanding, I don't reserve the label of art to the typical creative activities. Please, control your ego and do not assume you can read other people's minds. Your initial question is as simplistic as your music example. It does require more context, no two artists are the same. Like I said before not all painting is art, and all painters I've seen streaming like that, are more entertainers than artists.
You've described the problem very well. I've made a handful of Adobe Illustrator tutorials. One of them has 1.4 million views, 17k likes and over 2000 comments. People keep asking me to make more tutorials. But I don't want to. I made those tutorials because I was trying to share useful information that would add the pool of knowledge. My intentions were pure and I had a good time making them. Fortunately, I'm also middle aged, grew up before computers and the internet, and was a seasoned professional in my field. So I quickly recognized the trap of creating content just to feed the beast. Of always trying to create a "viral" video. It sounded like a miserable experience chasing likes and engagement instead of pursuing my passions.
There's something refreshingly wholesome about you - I hope more of this 'content' full of authenticity becomes mainstream and sustainable to produce. It's nice not to feel exploited as a viewer and to feel part of the discussion
I literally had this conversation with my friend last night. We both got lost in our art trying to please the people and the algorithm that we stopped studying art for what it is. Ive realized Id rather make work thats more meaningful even though it takes longer to make. I recently deleted instagram and tikotok and I found I have way more mental real estate. Enough to finally get a script done that Ive been putting off for months. Great message as always man!
The effects of capitalism on creativity. Like in many other areas, it makes people produce so much redundancy and superficial things. As much as possible and as quickly as possible, no matter the quality or the waste it might create.
Congrats on starting your script! I've been playing with the idea of taking a social media break and studying art for my own sake instead of others. It's nice to hear others have been feeling the same
i dont even use social media at all outside of being able to communicate with some friends ive made online, and even then its just Discord really and i still bearly use it. i havnt been into social media much since i was pretty young and i feel like i dodged a bullet avoiding it as i got older.
Besides UA-cam, this happens in other levels I'm an embroiderer. I make (made) fabric jewellery. People didn't appreciate it, they thought it was expensive. Had no Facebook followers. Put hours embroidering. Years of learning. People said that I should lower the cost, and another insult: that I should make on demand whatever they wish for. How could I know how to name a price for something that I didn't know how many time I would be working on? And people are insane: they will want modifications, and more stuff being made, and then they think it is expensive. So no. I stopped all together. Stop trying.
This EXACT thing happened to me and I didn't even realise when I went from being a musician to a content creator and it genuinely feels like months since I've properly sat to make a song. Sessions always feel half assed, and I'm disinterested cause at the back of my head the constant thought is, 'will it work? Will people like it?' Instead of 'Do I like it' ... Thanks a ton man, this is genuinely your best video. Im going to make myself remember this every time I start going down that spiral.
The word content has always left a gross feeling in my stomach, and now you've helped me describe why. The other side of the coin for me is the idea of "consumption." It's the new vernacular to say that you're consuming content, or bingeing shows, etc, but that makes it seem like it's a one way, passive street. If you are only consuming content, you're not engaging with it. It implies a passivity or disconnection from the artist if you merely "consume" the "content." Maybe that's my tinfoil hat, but I think read, watch, or listen to implies more action than consumption. Consumption just gives me Spirited Away vibes.
cause you want to believe all "content" is bad and the world is full of dumb idiots that consume that garbage, when reality they exist but they are not close to be the majority neither you have to relate to them, just like the food there's people that eat sugar all the time, and there's a lot of fat people, but that doesn't mean there only fat people neither that eating a candy time to time is gonna make you fat...
I totally agree with this. On top of what you've already said, saying that we "consume" art doesn't even make sense, strictly speaking. Once you're done watching or listening or reading or whatever, it's still there. It's not like food or water, which you literally consume.
@@evandempsey6479 anthropologist David Graeber wrote a quite good article on the contemporary use of the word "consumption", you can read it for free in the webpage of the anarchist library.
Yes, because even the term "content" is so generalized, generic, NON-specific, it mostly gets forgotten... even 5-10 minutes later, when you're mindlessly watching yet another ultimately "forgettable", (but yet "interesting" in the moment of watching), video on whatever platform you wanna mention, (including here on UA-cam), therefore subconsciously further perpetuating the "numbing" of the term "content" in the back of your mind! Lol! (Funny, but not really funny when you think about it... more like just plain SAD!)
This is genuinely so well put together and explained! It really helped me realize some of the things I’ve been trying to wrap my head around as an artist. Not only do you explain the reality of the situation and how it can makes things difficult, but you also gave a realistic solution for individuals that can be done without any huge system changes, and shows that there’s still a positive side. I especially like how you mentioned breaks becoming more normalized in the future and having seasons rather than a constant flow. I often feel pressure to create, but because of that pressures I end up getting less done. But when I focus on doing art for my own enjoyment and hopefully others enjoyment, its a lot easier and more fun to create that art, and that’s when I’m the most productive. Art takes time- even if you’re in a grove, it’s not something that should be rushed. Sometimes life gets in the way; I’ve had times when I’m unable to draw for weeks due to my chronic illness or whatever else may be happening. As much as I want to draw during those times, it’s better for my health to take a break until I can start again. Reasons like these are why it’s so important that breaks and slow periods are normalized.
It's gonna take a full circle, think about the patterns that existed 20-30 years ago. And still today in the movie industry, people will start releasing weekly content or even monthly episodes that go along with a series. Very interesting how we will create more intricate seasons filled with more unique moments
The internet has managed to commodify the very thing that makes us human: our creativity and inventiveness. This was a great video, man. Thanks, as always.
Those that entertain and educate, fuse those 2 things together, are truly the Future. Just like Oversimplified does: let's all learn while having fun. Thats why i recommend-around, even when no one asks, Hbomberguy, Sci Man Dan, Tier Zoo, Sci Show, Joe Scott and so many others.
I absolutely love this video. Thank you for drawing attention to this trend on the internet that is sucking away the potential for artists to make truly deep, resonant art in favor of just keeping eyeballs on a screen. I decided to retire from being a content creator after 9 years of doing so for the reasons you mentioned, and it's honestly felt fantastic to not feel the need to be "on" all the time. Now I'm searching and working for those "big" projects to keep working on the 1000 true fans. Thank you for this :)
I think you'll find you have more than just 1,000 true fans, Carlos. Not to mention the fact that just about everything you made while you were a "content creator" was true, inspired art (at least in my book). That being said, I'm excited that you're moving on to different things. I really want to ditch UA-cam since it's pretty much the only thing keeping me on the internet at all these days, and having one less of my favorite musicians using the platform as their primary means of getting their music out there will help me a lot with that lol.
It’s almost like in creating this video full of depth, research, and passion about the topic, he is proving his point about how I enjoyed this much more than any of the thousands of short videos that I can’t remember
I think this is why I may not burn out so badly. One, I’m tiny and no one sees my stuff. 😅 Two, I’m documenting the evolution of getting my voice back after being bed bound for three years, “100% disabled,” for about eight, and chronically ill for 18. I’m finally bouncing back, but it’s a long road to get back to the level I was at when I went to nationals. Because I’m really just documenting how I sound on a given day, with one take, no audio adjustments, I’m going to see how my voice changes over time and can revisit songs and give them another go when I’m stronger. I can see what improves naturally and what I may need more help on. And since it’s just plopping down, warming up, and then recording a one take of a song, it’s not like I’m expending a ton of energy on it. I may time certain songs being used to correlate with an artist releasing new music, but given how tiny my channel is, even that only results in maybe 5-10 more views on a video. I may feel more pressure if more people actually watch, but for now, I’m just doing my thing and if people want to follow the ride, they can. If it’s not their thing, also cool with me. 😅 Since I want to see how I change and evolve over time, the only way to fail is to just stop trying and recording myself. 🤷🏻♀️
I am in tears right now, I needed to hear this. I am on the brink of having to give up art full time from the amount of pressure from "content creation" culture, and trying to keep up as a traditional artist. Such a much needed reminder to just stay true, and let that be what stands out.
*Hold on sending this to every content creator friend I know.* This was such a well thought out video. The whole 'one for them, one for me', is so true! I would also say when you're not even at a point where you have a solid "them /1000 fans" it's best to have a couple videos that does go with the algorithm or what is trending in your niche. I didn't "grow" as fast as I could have on YT bc I was sticking to my guns as to what I wanted to create. Although I am so proud of my earlier work, I think adding in more of what was trending during the time for my niche or just showing more of vlogs of me living in SK, I could have reached more viewers back then. Thanks for you work Campbell!
It’s super disheartening when your new content is doing great but nobody cares to watch/look at your old content. Like, it’s there(!) I don’t delete it because I WANT you to watch it lol
I think taking break from internet is so important and necessary cos it’s the more energy you put in using internet the more energy it will consume from you
13:00 I just want to add a word of warning to this part about fostering that community "too much", if that makes sense. Basically have a healthy dose of caution in regards to parasocial relationships and accidentally emotionally manipulating those true fans. Great vid otherwise, very well articulated and had a good flow/tempo to it all.
@@OTea There is currently what could be described as an epidemic of loneliness for many people and some of them use the internet to try and fill that need. People who are lonely are vulnerable to emotional manipulation, they can be weak to a simple compliment, or just a small 'memorable one on one interaction'. As a creator of content(in this case music) you can't be a friend to every single one of your fans, not a real friend anyways. By engaging too much and being too personal its possible for a creator to give an illusion of friendship towards some of those vulranble fans which can(and has in many cases) result in the person becoming dependent on the creator to fulfill their social/friendship needs as a human being. As I said before a creator cant actually fulfill that role for every person, so by giving that illusion without actual fulfillment all they do is end up harming those specific people, and when the purpose of cultivating that relationship is to get them to give you money, it can get toxic pretty quick. Im not causing anyone of wrong doing here, its just a facet of the technology of social media that humans haven't quite figured out yet. I'm also not sure exactly where the line is or how to find it, but I think plenty of people are starting to figure it out, Ludwig is a good example.
Love this. As an artist I have been struggling with this for a while now. To the point where I burned out and had to rebuild myself in private. Trying to keep up and pushing all of the time is not good for us and has deep consequences. Thanks for your perspective and predictions. Everyting comes in cycles, right? Here is to hoping that the doom scrolling for viral hits cycles out sometime soon :) -John (edited for punctuation)
Those that entertain and educate, fuse those 2 things together, are truly the Future. Just like Oversimplified does: let's all learn while having fun. Thats why i recommend-around, even when no one asks, Hbomberguy, Sci Man Dan, Tier Zoo, Sci Show, Joe Scott and so many others.
This unexpectedly hit home for me. I've been feeling rather lost in the mass content today, and as much as it gets me by every day, it totally fails to give me the satisfaction that older UA-cam communities did, and I found myself just scrolling through the youtube feed, uninterested in most things. It definitely has something to do with me becoming depressed, that I do not deny, but I think this.. reels, shorts, tiktoks stuff really made it difficult for me to find someone or some form of art I truly resonate with. I mean don't get me wrong, I do occasionally fall in love with viral content and stay with it even after the popularity has washed away, but for some indescribable way, I feel so much more empty than I used to. I see the benefits of short videos. I mean like a 30 secs to 1 min "did you know" kinda video it expands my horizon, but much of it is just the same trend being repeated over and over again. I just don't really.. get that. I still stick with UA-camrs that I've been following for years, as long as they are posting, no matter how long the intervals between each post, and I genuinely hope that things will go the way you predict in this video.
This just helped me realize that for a while now, I've felt that social media content is somewhat haphazard. I've been constantly frustrated by the feeling of wanting to learn a skill from a specific person or channel - because they genuinely explain very well - but finding little to no structure. I feel like I don't know where to begin, where to jump in from and where I'm going. It's like ... a really big POT of food, but I can't make out what exactly the rice grain or the veggie or the piece of meat is. I want my creations and my documentation of my creative journey, to be somewhat … not somewhat … to be clearly structured. Clear topics. Clear questions. Clear resolutions. Clear chapters or seasons. I wonder if there's anyone else here like this. Thanks for the vid. Super valuable Instant converted subscribe.
Can we just appreciate how well this video is made and how much effort went into it and how good the studio looks now?? The editing is so good and the history research and the actual message, damn. Also, I bought the Your head is a houseboat few weeks ago and I’m loving it so far (I’ve read like a bit over half). Thank you for the work you do
I haven't noticed when media on the Internet has become ''content'' but I did notice a long time ago the trend for websites turning to shit as soon as advertisements make it to the platform because the incentive of making money becomes more important than their initial vision. Now it's simply happening on an individual level with everyone who either already has a lot of attention or to people superficial and gullible enough to believe that receiving attention is a be-all end-all. As much as I respect passionate people, pro or hobbyists, sharing their knowledge and passion on the Internet, the ''Influencer'' culture is probably some of the worst metastatic activity I've seen in this cancer that's quickly consuming all. I simply don't understand why anyone would give any minute of their attention to people who have nothing interesting to say, have no authority in anything whatsoever and only have clickbait tactics or good looks going on for themselves. It really does tell a lot about the preoccupations of the average person though and it makes me hopeless for the future.
This. When you put money into the equation, everything becomes click bait. Becomes what earns money is clicks, not quality. Especially because you can use quantity of click-bait for less effort and more reward than taking the time to do quality. The broader internet audience needs to figure out how to reward the creative, quality work better. 100% agree with your last two sentences.
@@edgarsilva9048 that’s actually my favorite thing about him, especially when he shares his struggles. We all have a past, struggles and trauma. We’re all human and feel pain. But he’s still able to push forward and help us go forward too it’s inspiring.
Ahh, now you jinxed it. These type of comments never age well, so by definition I'm expecting this guy to make an apology video within the next 2 years for doing something horrendous.
As someone who got the privilege of doing creativity as a hobby, the tiktok effect just made me rethink about the length of the videos i already made, but got ignored for that. I am in a break right now because i have some personal things to resolve, and people are waiting, genuinely. I can go viral when i want, i know what great majority of the mainstream wants from me, but i also do what i want. Win win situation for me. But then again, i work in a flexible job, with good payment, so i have the privilege of being creative as a hobby
There's fundamentally something wrong with this Some kids making some lame UA-cam shorts in 8-9 channels earns 10K $ per month... While actual meaningful jobs doesn't. Our economy is notional and fake
this is so incredibly relatable. as someone who started "content creation" in hopes to gain a platform in which i could share my art on, it has become so incredibly taxing. i desperately want to put some of my art out, yet i feel pressured to keep up with social media trends just for my art to have a slight chance of being seen. i realized that i started posting things that i myself was not proud of/did not like just because they were "trendy" and would bring in more views. thank you so much for this :)
honestly this video really made me realize why I don’t like posting my art on the internet, because I’d rather be making more art. I don’t need an audience for my work.
100% agree. I’ve found that depth “content” keeps me going, motivated, and creative at a steady pace. When I focus on making every piece of content viral and posting multiple times a day, I face burn out so quickly. Perhaps we will see a “mass burnout” soon from all of the push for hustle and grind.
Those that entertain and educate, fuse those 2 things together, are truly the Future. Just like Oversimplified does: let's all learn while having fun. Thats why i recommend-around; even when no one asks; Hbomberguy, Sci Man Dan, Tier Zoo, Sci Show, Joe Scott and so many others.
The problem is, the algorithm wont' care. No matter how many creators burn out and drop off the various platforms, there are thousands more ready to take their place. The system has no motivation to change, and a lot of motivation to continue as it is.
its okay to fade into obscurity until you are ready to release more good music or videos or whatever it is you make. people will remember you on their own without the algorithm if your stuff was ever that good to begin with.
I think you're spot on. I'm seeing creators that I follow start to take breaks and put out videos less frequently and I actually prefer that. I'd rather them do a really awesome video that took them a few weeks then watch these weekly videos where it looks like they're just trying to churn out stuff for people to watch. And I see a lot of these creators start to Branch off and create products for their core fans.
One of the reasons UA-cam was so great it was because it truly captured the human spirit and authentic moments in human time. They weren’t so scripted, so formulaic, and they weren’t so scrubbed clean. One of the perils of going viral is that when you create a video that is a authentic, human moment in time and then people keep expecting you to create those same moments and it just doesn’t work. Some of the funniest and long lasting videos that people keep going back to on UA-cam are the ones from the early days where people just did things to make themselves laugh or to have a good time. UA-cam is like talking to a third friend while you and another friend laugh. When the third friend asks “what’s so funny?” you both say “you just had to be there.” There are no more ‘you just had to be there’ moments left on UA-cam.
As a full-time freelance illustrator, virality has definitely hurt my creativity a bit. I didn't feel comfortable taking days away from my socials to create more in-depth pieces or even creating the ideas I had at all. If the illustration didn't get 1000+ likes like so most of my peers' work does then I was more likely to just draw eye candy.
The fact that 3 minutes in I’m having to force my brain to keep attention because although it’s an interesting topic, you’ve introduced it well, and I know your videos are good (so should/do want to keep watching), my brain also knows there’s faster shinier newer things on the next app over
I understand what you mean as I sometimes go through this myself. Some days, I take it as an indication I need to slow down my social media consumption and inject a daily mindfulness practice to slow down - meditation, yoga, breath work, or just listening to music eyes closed. Some other day, I just indulge in that fast pace binging 🤷🏻♀️ it's all about being conscious of what's going on inside your head!
Calling art "content" is one of those ways they devalue your creative work. Anyone can make "content" -- it's just churned out all day every day. I make stupid videos. I write books and a lot of other stuff. I don't let people call my work "content". Glad you covered this because I have this same conversation all the time.
Thanks for holding my attention. As an “artist”, who doesn’t have the time or energy to keep up with algorithms, I’ve been feeling disheartened about the whole prospect for a long time. So, thank you for the history lesson and the encouragement.
This resonates on such a deep level. Until recently, I always struggled to start working on projects because I'd be paranoid about how it would fit in the UA-cam landscape. "Does this fit my brand?" "Will this rock the boat too much and make me lose subscribers?" "Is my online persona consistent and predictable?" Without realizing it, I let UA-cam's obsession with content generation poison my creativity and sabotage my identity as an artist. It got so bad I plummeted into a crippling identity crisis - not even knowing who I was as an artist anymore. I had no idea where the real me began and the algorithm ended. The algorithm took years of meaningful creativity away from me. Over the past few months, I started becoming more conscious about the insane amount of -- to put it bluntly -- garbage online. Whether it's the new shitty trends on Tik Tok, unfunny, overused memes, freaking 10-second-long UA-cam videos that don't improve my life one bit, the internet as a whole is trying really hard to push this "mental junk food" into our media diets. I eventually started connecting the dots and started to see some issues with my own approach to my work. This video couldn't have come at a better time.
If you do, good luck to you. But do advertise your site via tiktok and UA-cam shorts, to drive people to your site - then you're not paying the big companies for advertising.
I'm glad to be old enough to still be considered "young" but remember life before social media AND the internet. I remember finding artists at conventions and street corners, art festivals, etc. I plan to do it that way. I make what makes me happy and it comes through in my work.
i would like to say a few things: - i watched this twice today - goddamn u have made feel so much less alone with your videos about the burdens of society and how it impacts creativity - its pretty cool to watch your thesis play out in real time as you have made 3 long form video essays that took lots of work that have converted me for life. shit makes me inspired and feel like i dont need to ruin my life w instagram to connect with people.
This right here is something he could have addressed, but that would have made it too long for the algorithm. Another aspect of all of this is that _AMOUNTS_ of things available make it worse. Studies show that when workplaces had those programs where they put in as much $ as you did towards your retirement package, if they offered enough packages, most people would simply not make a choice... to have their boss fund half their retirement. Makes no logical sense, right? Wrong. _*You FEEL AS IF_ there is only One Right group of people for you. Now the internet has exposed you to more _wrong_ ones than you knew existed. All of this creates alienation. I could expand upon this nearly indefinitely. That mindless video didn't appeal to me. But it appeals to all my friends let's say. Now I feel pressured to like something that I don't, or be left out. Even for a few seconds. So the choice isn't _about_ the content, is it? Are you loyal to Pfizer or Monsanto? So you have no problem joining an anti-GMO protest or desiring that Pfizer correct whatever caused duckduckgo.com/?q=maddie+de+garay&t=newext&atb=v290-1&ia=web. But when politicians speak on the behalf _of_ either one, then people feel as if they're *questioning Government Itself,* which also feels, to most people, like standing up to your own father at about age seven. Feel like wetting yourself yet? Everything said here, in the comments etc. is so glaringly obvious to me, & more. But this _could be_ a video that helps change things, when people stop searching their own inner "fearful of not belonging" algorithms & start seeing the Bigger Picture.
I've been stuck in this content creation loop for a while that I stopped posting because everything I like to make is ignored on social media and vice versa 😂 I'm currently making art & learning new skills in silence, in hope to chase my own 1000 fans, i needed this video today 100%. This was one if your most entertaining videos 👌👏
Judging by the success of your latest video it seems there is actually a market for content like that. Actually inspired long-form and in-depth content. As opposed to mass produced 1 minute short videos.
This topic makes me think about when "reality" shows invaded television. Quick and cheap to make, vapid junk food. My life is limited by a chronic medical condition and I spend hours knitting and watching youtube, searching for quality, thought provoking, educational content and when I find it, I'm a thousand fans subscriber. You tick all the boxes and are very much appreciated!
This was really well thought out! I don’t typically watch video essay “content” (haha, get it) like this because it often feels undirected, unresolved, or obvious, but you overcame all 3 issues! Great video, great editing, and excellent discussion in my opinion. This was a good first video to find.
This, as a cosplayer on tiktok and a twitch streamer, was exactly what I needed to hear today. I keep pushing myself harder and harder to make daily content, to stream on a schedule, and I got so burnt out that I hadnt cosplayed in half a year. It took until now to realize I needed to do my own thing and not create every single day just for the sake of content. Thank you for this incredible analysis vid!!
This was really nice to hear cause I am constantly burnt out by trying to make art for other people to consume. As a traditional artist, my art takes a really long time (8-30 hours per piece normally). Trying to keep up with making consistent content while dealing with life, mental health, and a job is kind of insane. But I feel like our society has a big pressure on sticking to a grind because we are told repeatedly that hard work will make you famous/wealthy. When in reality a constant grind to make content comes at the cost of long term burnouts.
There is still a lot of feudalism in the basic structure of our society, and I'm not just talking about the obvious, plutocratic/neo-aristocratic part, but how rote and obedience are rewarded, how most of us are essentially glorified farmers. We're peasants with modern creature comforts, and many of us even stand in defense of it, and not just at the ballot box: It's in our cultures, in the way we shame and socialize, the ideas we spread and the jokes we make. It's ritualistic, creates in- and out groups and reinforces pre-existing structures and dynamics.
One of the things I recently noticed on youtube is that I am getting videos recommended by channels with a max of sometimes 2 or 10 subs. Because the algorithm sees that their content matches my current interests. And honestly? I absolutely love that. Knowing UA-cam is showing me small creators who probably just created this out of love for the game/show/whatever makes me happy.
This problem finds it's peak with "Reaction"-Videos and Channels completely dedicated to it, because it's not the popularity of the "artist" that makes the art(because it's not even theirs) more valuable, the only factor they contribute is their popularity. Great Video, as always!
My hot take for social media is that unless youre seeking out the cycle of content creation you described, it should be used exclusively for advertising your other work. A lot of people including myself for a long time dont consider the purpose of posting their art to social media. Once I started getting freelance work in art that i enjoyed, the need to post on social media completely went away because now my art had a tangible purpose. I think the best thing anyone can do for themself is to ask why they make art and what purpose it can have.
Needed this today. I’ve been considering sharing my crafting online in an already over saturated scene, and I don’t want to leave my day job, so remembering that I don’t have to have a crazy release schedule or be creative all the time is great. Not just a pretty face, you’re one smart cookie.
This “video essay” is definitely speaking to my sensibilities and observations about this aspect of modern life, and it was articulated so well. I’m looking forward to “Your Head is a Houseboat.” :) Thank you!
Quality over quantity, always. Lately there is just so much NOISE, random 'content' all the time, lacking depth. We must focus more. By the way, the issue of variability an noise is discussed in the book Noise: A Flaw in Human Judgment, which has really interesting ideas.
I have always felt gross about the "strategies" for success on social media because of this I have stayed away. Struthless, you sir have given me a new perspective on what social media could be. I am now going to put your words of advise and predictions to use and see what happens. Thank you
I used to work with public art as my summer job, it was one of the most giving experiences I had because the art was something that came from the community. It doesn't get more alive than that to compose ideas and illustrations from different walks of life.
I really needed this today. The advice at the end is so powerful and exactly what I needed to hear. As someone who wants a creative career I always feel like I’m too late or I have to be trendy
Holy crap. This is my life. My day job is for an influencer marketing company and my night job is artist/designer for our small business. This hit me on so many levels. The best part??? This wasn't all doom and gloom... there's advice and a realistic outlook on the state of 'content'. Thank you soooo much for this (unintentional?) pep talk.
I’ve binged all your videos the past few weeks, and lately every day begins with a rewatch with one of your videos in order to start the day off a little less lonely and a little more positive. I’m so glad to see you making a video about this issue! As a freelance writer who gets paid per view, I feel this to my CORE. I’m in the spiral now. Thank you for this video to start my day.
Just finished! I definitely agree with content becoming deeper, almost like having a catalog. I fell into writing and “content creation” after finding a small community on Reddit who, no matter what I was experimenting on whether it was videos, photography, writing, supported and enjoyed what I was doing! This allowed me the freedom to post what I want, and not worry too much about how it was perceived “quality” wise. Then, as I began to actually build a catalog & community on an outside (paying) platform (Medium) is where I began to feel the actual pressure- because the algorithm on Medium pushed certain topics. Obviously Reddit is still a platform, but since the idea is about posting on multiple communities , while building a follower ship, it doesn’t all come from a “niche” like how UA-cam, TikTok, NewsBreak, and Medium seem to work. For example, here on UA-cam my dog videos can get 30k views, but my hospital Vlog only got 2k. The algorithm decides what to push, and once it knows you’re “known” for something, it wants to push that. I’m just ranting now bc the more I think about it I get worked up, but this video truly spoke to me!!
I am so glad to hear you talking about this, it has been bothering me for years, hearing everyone start referring to their wonderfully varied creative output as "content" it feels like it just completely devalues it.
you explained it perfectly honestly. "content" as a term really just commodifies people's art and work creating this like, *expectation* that an artist is gonna be constantly pumping things out and that's an issue. early 2020 i had half an album's worth of songs, mid 2020 i absolutely could've straight up recorded aforementioned album had circumstances been different and i were able to find other musicians to play with. but anyway at some point that year i finally downloaded tiktok and that's one thing i absolutely noticed about the musicians that do a lot there. mind you, they definitely have something special but that constant pumping out videos is no joke. it really just doesn't feel healthy.
I do not think the switch from quantity to quality will happen soon. Simply because, deep down, we all understand the message of this video, but a good majority of people do not see an "easy fix" to this problem. The problem, as I see it, stays the same. "How do I find something good in a sea of garbage?" And a much larger problem would be that someone's garbage is another's treasure - Art is subjective and we cannot be certain that we will find a work of quality by taking a risk. That is why brands are still a big thing, they offer you assurance of quality - or that is how it is supposed to be... Then again, I might be just rambling and all of this is just thoughts of a madman. All in all, a great video, worth both the time and attention!
I’ve had this exact dilemma for years. I want my film career to grow into its full potential, but I was creating videos that I thought would do well which led to a huge burnout. This year I made the switch to create films, not content. My first film “Pandemonium”, a self COVID documentary, ironically did extremely well. My second “Running Away To Los Angeles” did even better. Making the switch from pleasing an algorithm to my artistic integrity was the best decision I ever made and ironically has grown my channel a great amount within the past 2 months. So happy to see other creators speak their truth on this subject because it’s a hell to get out of
I love the idea of 1000 true fans. It really puts into perspective the scale of building a successful online community. Anything over that seems like it's overwhelming from hearing what influencers/celebrities/public figures go through trying to please everyone.
I've honestly started doing the break method with my own work, though I'm not much of a content creator, I'm a writer by heart. And I thought writing and releasing a new chapter every two weeks was a smart thing, but quickly fell short of it as burnout was, and is an inevitability. So now I've been trying to lean into a "by the novel" mentality, where no matter how long it takes me, I'm only going to start releasing things when I've fully completed them.
As an artist i have to say, this video is refreshing. The idea that we need a massive social media following in order to be an actual professional is just not real. I know a lot of people with big accounts that don't make much money on it and i also know people who almost never post online and are always booked. The idea that "if you're not online then you don't exist" is a very convenient lie from people who need you to be online in order to make money. As a dancer and performer i have to say, even tho I also make content for internet, the real art happens on the streets, happens on meetings and happens when you're face to face with your audience.
I just really appreciate all of this. The changes of the art world have been so fast, overwhelming and disheartening, it’s nice to hear a balanced and honest view of it all.
This video talked about a silent fear I had for a while. The fear of finally being able to work with what I love but losing it because needing to constantly please an audience/algorithm/whatever. But I think you showed an compelling perspective and good practical advice. Those predictions are quite interesting, specially the one about taking breaks becoming common. I think if that happens while in general we will have seasons with more content, there will be plenty of creators that will have a different season.
This genuinely helped me thank you. I’ve been trying to put my finger on why I’ve fallen apart trying to juggle continuous content alongside writing my own music to the point I’ve stopped releasing material. This video puts things into perspective really well and has given me a much clearer focus on what’s important to concentrate on. Much appreciated!
Fantastic video. I was someone who achieved 15 Minutes of Fame focusing on videos with Width. Tops 10s, mass appeal, etc - which of course didn't last. And so, a few years ago I went back to the drawing board and came to the same conclusion you did - to focus on videos with depth. Things I actually really wanted to make, rather than content to please the algorithm. So to any prospective 12-year-olds with the dream of being a UA-camr, save yourself the trouble I went through and take it from me - this guy is absolutely speaking the truth.
Hey thanks for making this! I come from a very different creative community, that pretty much acts in a similar manner. Many artist where I'm from tend to stick to fan art for exposure, follow trends and memes and create content to outreach their vision. Though, oddly enough, the biggest artists in our community don't really do that. They simply just create pieces of art that are 100% self-indulgent; this even includes commissioned works (because their only choosing clients whose themes and fantasies align with what speaks best to their muse). My work always silently get's tucked back only because I behave like these artist and don't pander to anything that might be 'trendable.' Not because I think that's 'bad' or whatever, but because my muse just doesn't speak to any of those things. I could make tons of fan art, tons of memes, just to be seen more frequently, just so i can quickly get up in the ladder. Although, I just don't want to. Some people's hearts are in these trends. Being align with pop-culture is what shines some muses true and benefits them greatly. I can clearly see when an artist's passion is interacting with pop-culture and I'm super happy for them. Hell, some people in our community PREFER their interpretation of a character everyone loves. My passion however, isn't in pop-culture, it isn't in trends, so I'm just not going to make art that does any of that. You're not going to get a full glass of orange juice from a small orange, and if you keep picking all of the fruits off the tree, it's gonna be left barren. It might not be the smartest thing when trying to make a career out of it, but it makes the artistic process much more fun. I much prefer content that is self-indulgent, long awaited and cared for immensely. Though there are others who don't prefer that, not saying it's wrong, but just saying if you're an artist you need to figure out what rings truest to your vision.
As I've gotten older, I feel like I appreciate the creators that prioritize length much more than those that are still producing content in the usual sense. There's much more rich and thoughtful work to enjoy and discuss. This was a great breakdown bro!
This actually makes a ton of sense. Reminds me of a few content creators out there. People who post maybe once every two months or so, people who don't really have a niche. When I had tiktok, my friends thought I bought my followers because I had 67k, but most videos only got maybe 200~ plus algorithmic views. Those 200 were there every time, consistently. the majority of my followers were from the odd viral video, but I knew who the real ones were.
Mannn, while I'm waiting on the rest of the video to load (our internet connection is only a notch above dial-up, LOL) I wanted to go ahead and comment how much this resonates. Also, EXCELLENT work - research, delivery, editing, etc.!
The solution is going to be taking the power out of the hands of the algorithm at the local level. It's going to be the ability to pull people's attention away from their screens and into the real world that is happening around them. Displaying real art in public places. Acts of rebellion with large murals and paint walls (and no, I'm not talking about politically correct propaganda that people pass as "art", but REAL art that comes from a human soul rather than a robot of the State) where people paint their wildest fantasies, dreams and *true, personal expression.* To beat this is going to take a mass, voluntary unplugging.
Ten years ago I was really concerned about smart phone and social media addiction, but few people seemed to agree -- everyone around me was just jumping in with no restraint. I underestimated society -- concern about this phenomenon is now widespread. I think that in the next 10-20 years, society will develop a noticeable class divide over their relationship to attention-sucking technology, and many people, especially more educated people, will seek to "unplug." This will become more pronounced with the rise of a new generation yet to be born, whose parents specifically decided to distance their new family from constant internet media usage. I feel pretty strongly about this prediction, but I don't know what it will look like -- would it be more of a shift to less-addictive internet technology? Or would it be something more radical like what you're describing? I am less afraid of what's to come than I used to be -- after all, if I don't like a trend, I can ignore it and live my life.
@@mslvc2011 I would really love a future with less addictive media platforms. Because the internet is already sooo integrated into everyone’s lives, I can’t see large amounts of people going without it, but maybe it’ll be more like people getting off of media platforms.
Someone should finally teach the grafiti people that scribbles on the wall ain't pretty, and they should do actual art on the walls (some do but it's a minority).
This is an excellent comment, but it could do without the detour to complain about "politically correct" stuff. It sounds like you want real art, "real" being art that only aligns with your beliefs and worldview. I haven't seen an example of the "robot of the state" murals you've described.
@@cryandruboneout7133 Oh no it couldn't. A cross in a jar of urine isn't art. A woman covering herself in her own blood and laying naked on a sidewalk/floor is not art. There are plenty of examples of these displays of vulgarity and shame that are dismissed as "art." Art is a technical skill, combined with an iterative thought process. These things I've mentioned are mere shock value and attention-seeking. People lately have been whining about "gatekeeping" art. You know what? If it preserves the purity and integrity of the human creative process, and throws out vulgar shock value meant to cause strife, *I say make it so.*
I like this, I'm currently someone who's still deciding whether to make UA-cam a future job or go to college to get into concept art for video games(I'm still in highschool). But this makes me realize that it's not all about the publicity and more about sticking truthful to your work and fans who truly care.
First off, don't bet anything on becoming a big, self-sufficient youtuber; having UA-cam as a job is an unlikely opportunity that can appear after an undeterminable about of time and effort into your channel. Favoring truth and honesty to yourself also doesn't go hand and hand with channel growth Secondly, don't commit yourself to a field simply because you enjoy it; it's understandable that you want to have a job you enjoy, but you might grow tired of art after drawing for an extensively long period of time with no real time to heal from any burnouts you'll inevitably face. Drawing as a hobby where you get to choose when you start, when you stop, what you draw (and possibly where you are, depending on your setup) and drawing as a job where none of the aforementioned is something you control is a massive shift in environment that you can't fully evaluate when it comes to your enjoyment. After those problems, you have to consider that artistic based jobs often don't pay too well and aren't as hirable, you're pushing aside tons of money and options that could greatly improve your life on the chance that you won't grow out of your geekiness, that despite the massive shift in environment; you'll still enjoy making art on a professional level, even if just that much more than other work Encouraging people to do great things despite risk has allowed some people to reach places they thought they never could, but it makes some people numb to the danger; and when things don't work out as they hoped, they often aren't ready I don't think the gravity of all these issues have fully affected you; do heavy research on other people's experiences and then decide if this is really something you are ready for
Those that entertain and educate, fuse those 2 things together, are truly the Future. Just like Oversimplified does: let's all learn while having fun. Thats why i recommend-around, even when no one asks, Hbomberguy, Sci Man Dan, Tier Zoo, Sci Show, Joe Scott and so many others.
Someone stopped me on the street the other day to tell me he recognized me from my painting exhibition last year; he told me one of my paintings was emotionally impactful and showed me a picture on his phone. I've never gotten a million likes on insta, so I don't know how that feels, but that interaction with one single person in real life was worth all the hours in the studio.
I'm the guy who saw her painting
Edit: I'm her boyfriend now
@@BenDover-st6gb hi the guy, I’m dad
What was your painting? Where can I see it?
@@toasteduranium It was a beautiful painting of herself... Very hot
@@BenDover-st6gb small child
as somebody once said, “The internet used to be an escape from the world, now it is the world”
👆🎁👆 Thank you for watching…..you have been selected among the shortlisted winners for the ongoing PS5/PC/IPhone13 giveaway….message me now
I have literally found myself on it almost every hour I'm not working, particularly now it's winter in Canada and there's nothing I wanna do outside
Now we use the world is an escape from the internet
@@raph2550 shit bro that's deep
Who said that?
Once upon a time, the internet was full of interesting things and occasionally something would go viral. Today everything is viral, and occasionally something will be interesting.
Nope there are still such content available ... I would say plenty of them ..... but they doesn't often of viral because the hard truth is majority of the humans are trend chases and want to watch what's popular / their friends are into . So if you want to REALLY find them actively go looking you for it .... use mutiple accounts with dedicated search histories ..... I didn't say it will be easy but they are out their. I have found channel in the 10k - 70k to be the most in depth . I can rarely relate to channels with 5mil + subs . Its about setting priorities.
Its a real shame for creatives to chase just after the money while letting their passion die in the way. We as humans must take a moment and reflect what's truly important to us in this short life.
@@zotac1018 Like I said, occasionally something will be interesting.
Oooh, I like this. And it's so true too.
@@DarthShadie Thanks. And it's not copypasted. They're my own words, not a viral thing I copied from somewhere else. :)
@@andybaldman That's the sense I got, that it was your genuine words. And it resonates so much.
I think it says a lot that very long form videos (two hours plus) are becoming more popular and, not only that, they're actually garnering amazing views. The amount of people that I've subscribed to because I saw ONE good, movie length video about some niche subject that I didn't even care that much about but still found interesting, and they're at 20k subs and the video has got over a million views and they've apparently only just hit that 20k milestone... I keep seeing it, and every time I subscribe again because I trust that if they put this much thought and care into one video, I don't mind if I don't see another one for like 6 months. I know the next one will be quality as well, and I'll make time for it.
any recommendations? :)
@@Sarah-wp9ss Folding Ideas
@@Sarah-wp9ss Jenny Nicholson put out an amazing video almost 4 hrs long about a wannabe theme park in Utah called Evermore. I watched because background - then I sat down and actually watched it. Great stuff. Emily D Baker is a lawyer who puts out 3-4 hr long podcasts - right now she's covering an absolutely bonkers trial happening in SC. Enjoy! :)
I still like short form content as well, though. I appreciate creators who do both - one subject can be an hour long, but sometimes you should make videos that are 10-15 minutes.
@@Sarah-wp9ss I would recommend Wendigoon, he makes long videos about a lot of different topics like weird conspiracy theories or analog horror series
we've gotten so used to the quickness of social media that we forgot the beauty of the time it takes to create a piece that actually represents you.
"we've" ... talk for yourself
@@Woodsaras rather odd statement, he's probably talking about the empirical data and overall statistics of human attention.
I’ve been saying this for awhile: Content creation is becoming the new 9-5 that people will come to resent
That is a brilliant assessment.
So true.
That's such an interesting thought it never occurred to me but now that you mentioned it I can totally see how things could go in that direction.
It’s literally a form of “mental slavery” to the algorithm …
It takes a lot of hard work to create and if you're doing it for the wrong reasons, you'll either experience burn out or get frustrated that people aren't "liking" what you're offering.☠️
Drew Gooden is such a good example of this. I've been a fan of his absurdist humor since Vine and I followed him onto UA-cam once Vine died. He posts twice a month and they're always about whatever random thing he's passionate about that month and I LOVE IT. He's so naturally funny and creative and it shows in his account. It's so rare to find a content creator like him and I don't know what I'll do if he ever decides to stop making videos
Agreed i love Drew!
Oh yeah Drew is great!! I’m glad you brought him up lol he’s a great example
and he has a serious anxiety problem,with all this pressure i can imagine it would be even more difficult
12:03
Drew and Danny are some of my favorite youtubers, hands down
I have a bachelor's degree in art and the realisation that as an artist i had to cater to a brand was one major reason to slowly walk away from creating art. One thing that has really worked for me recent years is working alongside with other two other artist and that's how we issued one small zine book and are at the final run of printing the second issue.
Everything is branded. All the music you like for example.
@@theboofinyes, that's what they implied...
It's weird because even though everyone is "creating", creativity is getting more and more limited. People see what's working for others and start imitating them in a way. We're all trying to tap into our creativity yet we are losing what makes us unique because of this so called "algorithm". Love conversations like this, thank you! :)
the point of monay people's creativity is often to be heard or seen by others, so it's a natural desire to try to tailor your "content" to reach more people. I think the healthiest thing to do is back up and create something that we enjoy MAKING rather than caring whether we are heard/seen
Yes, it is exactly as you describe. Very recently I started to unsubscribe from a lot of vloggers who made me feel like I was watching the same content but with different people on camera.
The same thing with tiktok, someone starts a trend and soon your feed is full of tons of people doing the same stuff over and over. Gets tiring very fast.
Yes. Is it really 'creativity' if it's just repeating a trend that thousands of other people have already done? Obviously, all art is inspired by others/outside sources, but not literally the same 30 sec clip to a music grab over and over and over...
@@dalton-at-work Ooh didn't even think of it like that. You're right, it stems from wanting to be seen and we are seeking validation from an audience so we end up focusing on their likes/dislikes more than our own.
@@mikinerey it definitely gets tiring when everyone tries to fit in instead of just expressing themselves and their own thoughts/feelings.
I was just yesterday thinking about how much I hate the usage of that word, "content". It sounds so corporate, so lifeless and mechanical. Everytime I hear the terms "content creators", I just translate that as "cogs in the machine".
the word content sounds like
idk, really dense cornbread, if that makes sense
or livestock feed
it's a pile of dense nothing that's meant to just fill a hole without really doing anything else
@@nicreven precisely. Tiktokers who do 10 second dance videos are called "content creators ". CONTENT??? REALLY???
Couldn't agree more, horrible word
If you don't content-create, how are you ever going to fulfill that grand aspiration.
INFLUENCER
Only then can one be content
The word "content" has become the replacement for "product". Artists back in the 80s and 90s used to rebel against the very idea of just creating a "product" for the masses to consume, something that corporations could use to fill their pockets with. Now, under this new term, folks have yet to realize or really even care that they've played right into the hands of the system yet again. But hey, might as well keep going, gotta make a living, keep creating more, even if it has little to no artistic soul, gotta have something for the consumers.
There is always some that protest... But this is nothing new, it has happened all throughout history.
Artists in the 80's and 90's also had the luxury of rent being twenty bucks a month so they were far less willing to comprimise
I feel like the way you're talking about "the system" implies that it's somehow alive and totally independent of the "folks falling into it".
That's somehow just like another term I strongly dislike and avoid using: music production and music producer. It just sounds wrong to me, implying that the end result, the music, is not art, but merely just a (industrial) product and the creator is not an artist, but just a, well, producer, an engineer, a factory in person and often a salesman, everything, but not an artist. The art is getting removed from the art and that thing is somehow saddening me.
For some weird reason, everybody wants to be a producer, but just calling oneself a musician happens less often, that's at least my personal impression.
@@thedoublek4816 Also, people being referred to as "consumers" instead of "citizens". Dehumanizing.
The amount of amazing artists I've seen making absolutely awesome content, and yet getting no attention.. it really saddens me. Much creativity is just lost to trying to appeal to the algorithm. The internet really needs this video! Thank you!
In that case they might as well just make art rather than content.
that appeals a lot to myself. I've been making music for some years now, but i never liked tiktok or instagram,so i dont use them to promote my music. and i see a lot of artists that rise from those social media platforms,( and not trying to be an asshole ) are not as interesting as mine. and it makes me sad cuz it feels like no matter how great i do my stuff, it will never be bigger than those who follow the algorithm
@@firewalk714 for REAL, man, I feel you..
When I was younger I never understood how older musicians could be happy just playing local pub gigs. But now that Im in my 30s and Im looking at how you to need to be a "content creator" to "make it" and play the larger shows and get a following, Im now understanding why those old blokes did what they did. Its pure. Its just music being played to an audience, even though its small, its valued.
Im pretty much done with the music scene now and going to start just playing jam nights and the like.
Pretty much this. I have the feeling that the less "serious going" a musician is creating their work, the better it gets. I've seen so with many bands and indies and am so glad that they did, otherwise I would've probably never found them. I remember watching that guy playing his ukulele in a clothes store singing happily "I've got no f's to give" and up till today, I consider it a masterpiece 😂
There are some good bands playing in local pubs. The size of the audience doesn't change the quality of the music. Is WAP by Cardi B a great song because it's popular? I believe it hit number 1 in the US at one stage. There are probably millions of songs on Spotify with less than a handful of listens that are a hundred times better.
@@nicerides9224 I never said there wasn't. I was speaking from a performing point of view. Generally, especially when you younger, you want to play to big crowds. Then as you get older, the appeal of just playing to a handful of people starts to sound not so bad.
@@davidlisteresq I get the attraction of the big crowds but I think smaller venues have a more involved feel with the audience. Even as just someone watching I like the atmosphere of a huge crowd but in a smaller place you're much closer and it's a different vibe. Both have their good points. I think without the atmosphere of a big crowd it focuses more on the music.
Same here man!
I remember in the old days, Artists used to complain about record labels forcing them to kill their soul. But now it's like they do the same thing to themselves without realizing it because they are presented with numbers and have to draw their own conclusions about how they should react. There's no longer a separate marketing person or record label to rebel against, because now you are given everything you need to do to your own creativity what you used to need them to do to your creativity. You are just given the raw facts of how people are reacting to what you are making and the pressure associated with them is implied.
I think this is where 'cancel culture' comes from too. Pre-internet there would still be celebrity/ media controversies, but the artists in question could easily put themselves at a distance from it. Their agent maybe would tell them ' that song you put out pissed people off' and so they would know in some vague way that people were 'pissed off', and pretty much shrug it off. Now you can see the dislikes mounting, the thousands of hate comments, the angry videos--more of it than you could reasonably get through. Once again is that effect of being your own self-censoring agent.
This is absolutely correct
The problem is obviously capitalism. Most people don't have the time and resources to make art or entertainment unless they can make money with it, which kills any genuinity or creativity because your art can be either consistently novel and interesting or consistently lucrative, but never both at the same time
@@DaveGrean "never both at the same time"
The beatles, pink Floyd, Queen, LED Zeppelin, even Beethoven in his day, want to have a word with you.
It's completely possible. But few will achieve it. It takes something special that only few people have, and it takes a lot of luck.
@@ignacioclerici5341 yeah okay i should have said seldom
Oh so you are telling me that the soul-wrenching void I've been feeling this last 3 years is because I've been a slave to the algorithm so I got burnt-out due to lack of self expression and the anxious thought that nobody will watch me if I make something different so I keep pushing what works in the short term because now I'm financially dependent on that? I thought I was just hungry
LMFAO
just checked out your work and it's awesome! Would love to hear originals from you someday ^-^
Well said
Love your music~!
Hahahha
When I was a kid our version of TikTok and UA-cam were shows like That's Incredible, Real People, America's Funniest Videos etc. You got just the right amount of cheaply produced stupidity in a half hour per week. After you watched your "curated content" you went on with your week and that was that. If you wanted to see that spread out over the week, Late Night with David Letterman had his segments like "stupid pet tricks" and Johnny Carson brought on acts like the Omaha Birdsong Club or Jimmy Pickle and his Knife Throwing Wife.
Now it's just an endless firehose of stupidity.
OMG!!! "Endless Firehose of Stupidity"! THE BEST PHRASE OF 2021! That exactly expresses my feelings about television.
Yup. And now, apparently you just have to say you're an artist and you are without any work. People even just say they are a carpenter, plumber etc. and then you see the results of the work when you take them to task. They literally have no idea how to use a hammer, paint brush, screw driver etc. And they clearly are never going to be masters at any trade or art.
But, of course, in the artworld stupid people just have to copy paste and AI generate someone else's work with a tiny shred of intellectual labour. FORGERS suck. Lol. Especially AI FORGERS. Lol.
But some are amazing. Sadly.
Ah well. All this AI stuff is fascinating and it's cool. Just don't forge without permission or try and sell as your own. Eek.
not to mention people now are ACTUALLY stupid
they blame white people for everything!
they think men can be women!
@@grittykitty50 Mate it's 2023
I know it feels like it was just yesterday, we all feel old, trust me
@@grittykitty50 except the OP was referring to online content, not television…
This couldnt have come at a better time. I have been so tripped up over this whole “content creator” world and I haven’t known how to word why it disturbs me so much without just sounding like some out of touch 30 year old who isn’t adopting to new technology. I don’t want to be a content creator, but I feel like I have to be to be an artist. Oh and now all my friends are becoming twitch streamers so now it’s even encroaching into personal relationships. I am so tired.
You are not alone in that feeling.
It's all just trends.
@LauraVSThePage I clicked through to your page and it literally says "This channel doesn't have any content". ha!
@@coreybarritt1706 I would like that as my epitaph 😂
The struggle of being an artist and making a living is real. I don't know what twitch is. And really I find the social media aspect of posting my art so exhausting aswell that I have actually just stopped doing it altogether!
Reducing art and creative endeavors to 'content' has annoyed me for so long. Glad it didn't go unnoticed for you either. Another insightful vid. Great job, Campbell.
It has reduced art to mere entertainment (nothing wrong with entertainment, it's just not art and does not have its depth), and we have an overabundance of it. Fueling, and fueled by, consumerism.
And it's not just in art, but almost all aspects of life.
@@quixoticindiscipline9524 Do a live painting session and take subject suggestions. Give the end result away to an audience member.
Is it art or entertainment?
@@dopaminecloud A good answer would require more context, like the type of videos they upload as a whole, the quality of their art work, the personality or "vibe" of their videos, their business practices etc. You cannot really have a sound opinion off of one video. Let alone from a vague description like the one you gave.
The livestreams of YT painters I've seen, definitely fall into the category of entertainment.
Painting is an art, but not all paintings are art. The same applies for music, film, literature etc.
Besides, a work of art that has depth and quality, is developed through weeks or months, not a couple of hours.
@@quixoticindiscipline9524 My question needs no further context and served its purpose by making you expand on this clear line you have drawn between art and entertainment.
"Besides, a work of art that has depth and quality, is developed through weeks or months, not a couple of hours." Boggles the mind how people will put a term on such a pedestal because they liked a work. Here's an easy concept-shattering for you:
Under your definition of art, no live band can make art because they only perform for a few hours at most. This is obviously a ridiculous thing to say. You've warped the meaning of art for the sake of seeing it as something more than it is. Most commonly this happens because you care about certain things that you want to call art and you don't care about other things and so you want them to be separated in your mind by not considering them art. This is not how it works, any actual artist will be able to tell you this. I encourage you to seek out creative endeavors of your own, so you can familiarize yourself with the creative process and come to understand art a little better with a little less arbitrary posturing.
@@dopaminecloud You are confusing the PERFORMATIVE aspect of music with the COMPOSITIONAL aspect in your "concept-shattering" example. High quality music is not written in a couple of hours, not to mention the years of study and practice it requires.
I'm a visual artist and a musician, I follow several other creative interests, as well as intellectual, physical and spiritual pursuits. I understand how the creative process works and how it relates amd runs through the whole spectrum of human activity and understanding, I don't reserve the label of art to the typical creative activities. Please, control your ego and do not assume you can read other people's minds.
Your initial question is as simplistic as your music example. It does require more context, no two artists are the same. Like I said before not all painting is art, and all painters I've seen streaming like that, are more entertainers than artists.
You've described the problem very well. I've made a handful of Adobe Illustrator tutorials. One of them has 1.4 million views, 17k likes and over 2000 comments. People keep asking me to make more tutorials. But I don't want to. I made those tutorials because I was trying to share useful information that would add the pool of knowledge. My intentions were pure and I had a good time making them. Fortunately, I'm also middle aged, grew up before computers and the internet, and was a seasoned professional in my field. So I quickly recognized the trap of creating content just to feed the beast. Of always trying to create a "viral" video. It sounded like a miserable experience chasing likes and engagement instead of pursuing my passions.
There's something refreshingly wholesome about you - I hope more of this 'content' full of authenticity becomes mainstream and sustainable to produce. It's nice not to feel exploited as a viewer and to feel part of the discussion
I literally had this conversation with my friend last night. We both got lost in our art trying to please the people and the algorithm that we stopped studying art for what it is. Ive realized Id rather make work thats more meaningful even though it takes longer to make. I recently deleted instagram and tikotok and I found I have way more mental real estate. Enough to finally get a script done that Ive been putting off for months. Great message as always man!
The effects of capitalism on creativity.
Like in many other areas, it makes people produce so much redundancy and superficial things. As much as possible and as quickly as possible, no matter the quality or the waste it might create.
Congrats on starting your script!
I've been playing with the idea of taking a social media break and studying art for my own sake instead of others. It's nice to hear others have been feeling the same
i dont even use social media at all outside of being able to communicate with some friends ive made online, and even then its just Discord really and i still bearly use it. i havnt been into social media much since i was pretty young and i feel like i dodged a bullet avoiding it as i got older.
Besides UA-cam, this happens in other levels
I'm an embroiderer. I make (made) fabric jewellery. People didn't appreciate it, they thought it was expensive. Had no Facebook followers. Put hours embroidering. Years of learning.
People said that I should lower the cost, and another insult: that I should make on demand whatever they wish for. How could I know how to name a price for something that I didn't know how many time I would be working on? And people are insane: they will want modifications, and more stuff being made, and then they think it is expensive.
So no. I stopped all together. Stop trying.
This EXACT thing happened to me and I didn't even realise when I went from being a musician to a content creator and it genuinely feels like months since I've properly sat to make a song. Sessions always feel half assed, and I'm disinterested cause at the back of my head the constant thought is, 'will it work? Will people like it?' Instead of 'Do I like it' ...
Thanks a ton man, this is genuinely your best video. Im going to make myself remember this every time I start going down that spiral.
The word content has always left a gross feeling in my stomach, and now you've helped me describe why. The other side of the coin for me is the idea of "consumption." It's the new vernacular to say that you're consuming content, or bingeing shows, etc, but that makes it seem like it's a one way, passive street. If you are only consuming content, you're not engaging with it. It implies a passivity or disconnection from the artist if you merely "consume" the "content." Maybe that's my tinfoil hat, but I think read, watch, or listen to implies more action than consumption. Consumption just gives me Spirited Away vibes.
cause you want to believe all "content" is bad and the world is full of dumb idiots that consume that garbage, when reality they exist but they are not close to be the majority neither you have to relate to them, just like the food there's people that eat sugar all the time, and there's a lot of fat people, but that doesn't mean there only fat people neither that eating a candy time to time is gonna make you fat...
The way we talk affects the way we think. Or the other way around. Or Both.
I totally agree with this. On top of what you've already said, saying that we "consume" art doesn't even make sense, strictly speaking. Once you're done watching or listening or reading or whatever, it's still there. It's not like food or water, which you literally consume.
@@evandempsey6479 anthropologist David Graeber wrote a quite good article on the contemporary use of the word "consumption", you can read it for free in the webpage of the anarchist library.
Yes, because even the term "content" is so generalized, generic, NON-specific, it mostly gets forgotten... even 5-10 minutes later, when you're mindlessly watching yet another ultimately "forgettable", (but yet "interesting" in the moment of watching), video on whatever platform you wanna mention, (including here on UA-cam), therefore subconsciously further perpetuating the "numbing" of the term "content" in the back of your mind! Lol! (Funny, but not really funny when you think about it... more like just plain SAD!)
This is genuinely so well put together and explained! It really helped me realize some of the things I’ve been trying to wrap my head around as an artist. Not only do you explain the reality of the situation and how it can makes things difficult, but you also gave a realistic solution for individuals that can be done without any huge system changes, and shows that there’s still a positive side.
I especially like how you mentioned breaks becoming more normalized in the future and having seasons rather than a constant flow. I often feel pressure to create, but because of that pressures I end up getting less done. But when I focus on doing art for my own enjoyment and hopefully others enjoyment, its a lot easier and more fun to create that art, and that’s when I’m the most productive.
Art takes time- even if you’re in a grove, it’s not something that should be rushed. Sometimes life gets in the way; I’ve had times when I’m unable to draw for weeks due to my chronic illness or whatever else may be happening. As much as I want to draw during those times, it’s better for my health to take a break until I can start again. Reasons like these are why it’s so important that breaks and slow periods are normalized.
It's gonna take a full circle, think about the patterns that existed 20-30 years ago. And still today in the movie industry, people will start releasing weekly content or even monthly episodes that go along with a series. Very interesting how we will create more intricate seasons filled with more unique moments
The internet has managed to commodify the very thing that makes us human: our creativity and inventiveness. This was a great video, man. Thanks, as always.
Those that entertain and educate, fuse those 2 things together,
are truly the Future.
Just like Oversimplified does: let's all learn while having fun.
Thats why i recommend-around, even when no one asks, Hbomberguy, Sci Man Dan,
Tier Zoo, Sci Show, Joe Scott and so many others.
very well said
I absolutely love this video. Thank you for drawing attention to this trend on the internet that is sucking away the potential for artists to make truly deep, resonant art in favor of just keeping eyeballs on a screen. I decided to retire from being a content creator after 9 years of doing so for the reasons you mentioned, and it's honestly felt fantastic to not feel the need to be "on" all the time. Now I'm searching and working for those "big" projects to keep working on the 1000 true fans. Thank you for this :)
yo its insaneintherain
Ah it's you! Thank you so much for all that you've shared with us :D . Wishing you all the best on your endeavors and hope that you're doing well!
I think you'll find you have more than just 1,000 true fans, Carlos. Not to mention the fact that just about everything you made while you were a "content creator" was true, inspired art (at least in my book).
That being said, I'm excited that you're moving on to different things. I really want to ditch UA-cam since it's pretty much the only thing keeping me on the internet at all these days, and having one less of my favorite musicians using the platform as their primary means of getting their music out there will help me a lot with that lol.
I was thinking about you while watching this :)
I think my brother's one of those fans.
It’s almost like in creating this video full of depth, research, and passion about the topic, he is proving his point about how I enjoyed this much more than any of the thousands of short videos that I can’t remember
@@MGSVxBreakpoint haha I actually do remember. Made quite an impact on me
Long form content is better than attention span destroying shorts.
I think this is why I may not burn out so badly. One, I’m tiny and no one sees my stuff. 😅 Two, I’m documenting the evolution of getting my voice back after being bed bound for three years, “100% disabled,” for about eight, and chronically ill for 18. I’m finally bouncing back, but it’s a long road to get back to the level I was at when I went to nationals.
Because I’m really just documenting how I sound on a given day, with one take, no audio adjustments, I’m going to see how my voice changes over time and can revisit songs and give them another go when I’m stronger. I can see what improves naturally and what I may need more help on.
And since it’s just plopping down, warming up, and then recording a one take of a song, it’s not like I’m expending a ton of energy on it. I may time certain songs being used to correlate with an artist releasing new music, but given how tiny my channel is, even that only results in maybe 5-10 more views on a video.
I may feel more pressure if more people actually watch, but for now, I’m just doing my thing and if people want to follow the ride, they can. If it’s not their thing, also cool with me. 😅
Since I want to see how I change and evolve over time, the only way to fail is to just stop trying and recording myself. 🤷🏻♀️
I am in tears right now, I needed to hear this. I am on the brink of having to give up art full time from the amount of pressure from "content creation" culture, and trying to keep up as a traditional artist. Such a much needed reminder to just stay true, and let that be what stands out.
That was some great content....
I'll show myself out.
Oh wow no replies to a check mark
@@solarwolf678 Well, at least I have yours.
@@Makebuildmodify and mine
And thyne
@@MTank7879 I thank you for your reply.
*Hold on sending this to every content creator friend I know.* This was such a well thought out video. The whole 'one for them, one for me', is so true! I would also say when you're not even at a point where you have a solid "them /1000 fans" it's best to have a couple videos that does go with the algorithm or what is trending in your niche. I didn't "grow" as fast as I could have on YT bc I was sticking to my guns as to what I wanted to create. Although I am so proud of my earlier work, I think adding in more of what was trending during the time for my niche or just showing more of vlogs of me living in SK, I could have reached more viewers back then. Thanks for you work Campbell!
really interesting!
69th like
106th like
It’s super disheartening when your new content is doing great but nobody cares to watch/look at your old content. Like, it’s there(!) I don’t delete it because I WANT you to watch it lol
Lovely to see you here!!
I think taking break from internet is so important and necessary cos it’s the more energy you put in using internet the more energy it will consume from you
13:00 I just want to add a word of warning to this part about fostering that community "too much", if that makes sense. Basically have a healthy dose of caution in regards to parasocial relationships and accidentally emotionally manipulating those true fans. Great vid otherwise, very well articulated and had a good flow/tempo to it all.
how do you mean?
@@OTea There is currently what could be described as an epidemic of loneliness for many people and some of them use the internet to try and fill that need. People who are lonely are vulnerable to emotional manipulation, they can be weak to a simple compliment, or just a small 'memorable one on one interaction'. As a creator of content(in this case music) you can't be a friend to every single one of your fans, not a real friend anyways. By engaging too much and being too personal its possible for a creator to give an illusion of friendship towards some of those vulranble fans which can(and has in many cases) result in the person becoming dependent on the creator to fulfill their social/friendship needs as a human being. As I said before a creator cant actually fulfill that role for every person, so by giving that illusion without actual fulfillment all they do is end up harming those specific people, and when the purpose of cultivating that relationship is to get them to give you money, it can get toxic pretty quick.
Im not causing anyone of wrong doing here, its just a facet of the technology of social media that humans haven't quite figured out yet.
I'm also not sure exactly where the line is or how to find it, but I think plenty of people are starting to figure it out, Ludwig is a good example.
@@dcgamer1027 ok I get it now
I love reading interactions like this in civilised comment sections. It goes a little way to restoring my hope for social media platforms.
@@armadillito UA-cam was rated the most positive for mental heath among all social media. Its not great but the best in the hellscape.
Love this. As an artist I have been struggling with this for a while now. To the point where I burned out and had to rebuild myself in private. Trying to keep up and pushing all of the time is not good for us and has deep consequences. Thanks for your perspective and predictions. Everyting comes in cycles, right? Here is to hoping that the doom scrolling for viral hits cycles out sometime soon :) -John (edited for punctuation)
Those that entertain and educate, fuse those 2 things together,
are truly the Future.
Just like Oversimplified does: let's all learn while having fun.
Thats why i recommend-around, even when no one asks, Hbomberguy, Sci Man Dan,
Tier Zoo, Sci Show, Joe Scott and so many others.
As a songwriter for over ten years who cares about the music over virality this was brilliant
👆🎁👆 Thank you for watching…..you have been selected among the shortlisted winners for the ongoing PS5/PC/IPhone13 giveaway….message me now
the scam comment above mine shows just the state of the internet today
This unexpectedly hit home for me. I've been feeling rather lost in the mass content today, and as much as it gets me by every day, it totally fails to give me the satisfaction that older UA-cam communities did, and I found myself just scrolling through the youtube feed, uninterested in most things. It definitely has something to do with me becoming depressed, that I do not deny, but I think this.. reels, shorts, tiktoks stuff really made it difficult for me to find someone or some form of art I truly resonate with. I mean don't get me wrong, I do occasionally fall in love with viral content and stay with it even after the popularity has washed away, but for some indescribable way, I feel so much more empty than I used to. I see the benefits of short videos. I mean like a 30 secs to 1 min "did you know" kinda video it expands my horizon, but much of it is just the same trend being repeated over and over again. I just don't really.. get that. I still stick with UA-camrs that I've been following for years, as long as they are posting, no matter how long the intervals between each post, and I genuinely hope that things will go the way you predict in this video.
content creation is the commodification of art
its not art.
@@Woodsaras Define "art". That term is very abstract, almost like the word art itself is art.
@@mattynek2 its not abstract, you just lack education.
@@Woodsaras Educate me then.
@@mattynek2 No. Educate yourself.
One thing I wish he brought up. Depth..... makes the world a better place.
Content is meant to be consumed. Art is meant to be experienced, shared, and celebrated.
Yes
This just helped me realize that for a while now,
I've felt that social media content is somewhat haphazard.
I've been constantly frustrated by the feeling of wanting to learn a skill from a specific person or channel - because they genuinely explain very well - but finding little to no structure.
I feel like I don't know where to begin, where to jump in from and where I'm going.
It's like ... a really big POT of food, but I can't make out what exactly the rice grain or the veggie or the piece of meat is.
I want my creations and my documentation of my creative journey, to be somewhat … not somewhat … to be clearly structured.
Clear topics.
Clear questions.
Clear resolutions.
Clear chapters or seasons.
I wonder if there's anyone else here like this.
Thanks for the vid. Super valuable
Instant converted subscribe.
Can we just appreciate how well this video is made and how much effort went into it and how good the studio looks now?? The editing is so good and the history research and the actual message, damn.
Also, I bought the Your head is a houseboat few weeks ago and I’m loving it so far (I’ve read like a bit over half). Thank you for the work you do
I haven't noticed when media on the Internet has become ''content'' but I did notice a long time ago the trend for websites turning to shit as soon as advertisements make it to the platform because the incentive of making money becomes more important than their initial vision. Now it's simply happening on an individual level with everyone who either already has a lot of attention or to people superficial and gullible enough to believe that receiving attention is a be-all end-all.
As much as I respect passionate people, pro or hobbyists, sharing their knowledge and passion on the Internet, the ''Influencer'' culture is probably some of the worst metastatic activity I've seen in this cancer that's quickly consuming all. I simply don't understand why anyone would give any minute of their attention to people who have nothing interesting to say, have no authority in anything whatsoever and only have clickbait tactics or good looks going on for themselves. It really does tell a lot about the preoccupations of the average person though and it makes me hopeless for the future.
This. When you put money into the equation, everything becomes click bait. Becomes what earns money is clicks, not quality. Especially because you can use quantity of click-bait for less effort and more reward than taking the time to do quality.
The broader internet audience needs to figure out how to reward the creative, quality work better.
100% agree with your last two sentences.
Yeah, that's late stage capitalism
The vibes you give are so friendly and genuine.
Dude yes!!!
Well what about the dark vibe under the smile?
@@edgarsilva9048 That's packed into the word genuine. imho
@@edgarsilva9048 that’s actually my favorite thing about him, especially when he shares his struggles. We all have a past, struggles and trauma. We’re all human and feel pain. But he’s still able to push forward and help us go forward too it’s inspiring.
Ahh, now you jinxed it. These type of comments never age well, so by definition I'm expecting this guy to make an apology video within the next 2 years for doing something horrendous.
As someone who got the privilege of doing creativity as a hobby, the tiktok effect just made me rethink about the length of the videos i already made, but got ignored for that. I am in a break right now because i have some personal things to resolve, and people are waiting, genuinely. I can go viral when i want, i know what great majority of the mainstream wants from me, but i also do what i want. Win win situation for me. But then again, i work in a flexible job, with good payment, so i have the privilege of being creative as a hobby
There's fundamentally something wrong with this
Some kids making some lame UA-cam shorts in 8-9 channels earns 10K $ per month... While actual meaningful jobs doesn't.
Our economy is notional and fake
this is so incredibly relatable. as someone who started "content creation" in hopes to gain a platform in which i could share my art on, it has become so incredibly taxing. i desperately want to put some of my art out, yet i feel pressured to keep up with social media trends just for my art to have a slight chance of being seen. i realized that i started posting things that i myself was not proud of/did not like just because they were "trendy" and would bring in more views. thank you so much for this :)
Remember authenticity is key. Don’t rely on trends too heavily bc that’s why everyone is making mediocre trendy shut on socials now
honestly this video really made me realize why I don’t like posting my art on the internet, because I’d rather be making more art. I don’t need an audience for my work.
Yeah some little shit will see it and just steal your idea too
100% agree. I’ve found that depth “content” keeps me going, motivated, and creative at a steady pace. When I focus on making every piece of content viral and posting multiple times a day, I face burn out so quickly. Perhaps we will see a “mass burnout” soon from all of the push for hustle and grind.
Those that entertain and educate, fuse those 2 things together,
are truly the Future.
Just like Oversimplified does: let's all learn while having fun. Thats why i recommend-around; even when no one asks; Hbomberguy, Sci Man Dan,
Tier Zoo, Sci Show, Joe Scott and so many others.
The problem is, the algorithm wont' care. No matter how many creators burn out and drop off the various platforms, there are thousands more ready to take their place. The system has no motivation to change, and a lot of motivation to continue as it is.
its okay to fade into obscurity until you are ready to release more good music or videos or whatever it is you make. people will remember you on their own without the algorithm if your stuff was ever that good to begin with.
I couldn't agree more. People who made good music or videos make their mark not because of this algorithm but because they are just really good.
Yep. If you put out one bad thing that’s what they’ll remember you by and never let you forget it
I think you're spot on. I'm seeing creators that I follow start to take breaks and put out videos less frequently and I actually prefer that. I'd rather them do a really awesome video that took them a few weeks then watch these weekly videos where it looks like they're just trying to churn out stuff for people to watch. And I see a lot of these creators start to Branch off and create products for their core fans.
This is so ridiculously insightful i was wide eyed the whole time and had to do many double takes. Thank you for this.
Hi, I was just listening to your music that's cool that you were here when I got here.
You do the depth thing pretty well 🤔
One of the reasons UA-cam was so great it was because it truly captured the human spirit and authentic moments in human time.
They weren’t so scripted, so formulaic, and they weren’t so scrubbed clean. One of the perils of going viral is that when you create a video that is a authentic, human moment in time and then people keep expecting you to create those same moments and it just doesn’t work.
Some of the funniest and long lasting videos that people keep going back to on UA-cam are the ones from the early days where people just did things to make themselves laugh or to have a good time.
UA-cam is like talking to a third friend while you and another friend laugh. When the third friend asks “what’s so funny?” you both say “you just had to be there.” There are no more ‘you just had to be there’ moments left on UA-cam.
As a full-time freelance illustrator, virality has definitely hurt my creativity a bit. I didn't feel comfortable taking days away from my socials to create more in-depth pieces or even creating the ideas I had at all. If the illustration didn't get 1000+ likes like so most of my peers' work does then I was more likely to just draw eye candy.
The fact that 3 minutes in I’m having to force my brain to keep attention because although it’s an interesting topic, you’ve introduced it well, and I know your videos are good (so should/do want to keep watching), my brain also knows there’s faster shinier newer things on the next app over
Read this right at the three minute mark.
@@infamousamazonian same
@@infamousamazonian same 😬
I understand what you mean as I sometimes go through this myself. Some days, I take it as an indication I need to slow down my social media consumption and inject a daily mindfulness practice to slow down - meditation, yoga, breath work, or just listening to music eyes closed. Some other day, I just indulge in that fast pace binging 🤷🏻♀️ it's all about being conscious of what's going on inside your head!
sheeeeeesh i feel sorry for every gen z with a phone and internet including me
Calling art "content" is one of those ways they devalue your creative work. Anyone can make "content" -- it's just churned out all day every day. I make stupid videos. I write books and a lot of other stuff. I don't let people call my work "content".
Glad you covered this because I have this same conversation all the time.
As a freelance artist starting out, this is MUCH more optimistic than I had expected. Thanks for the tips!
Thanks for holding my attention. As an “artist”, who doesn’t have the time or energy to keep up with algorithms, I’ve been feeling disheartened about the whole prospect for a long time. So, thank you for the history lesson and the encouragement.
This resonates on such a deep level. Until recently, I always struggled to start working on projects because I'd be paranoid about how it would fit in the UA-cam landscape. "Does this fit my brand?" "Will this rock the boat too much and make me lose subscribers?" "Is my online persona consistent and predictable?" Without realizing it, I let UA-cam's obsession with content generation poison my creativity and sabotage my identity as an artist. It got so bad I plummeted into a crippling identity crisis - not even knowing who I was as an artist anymore. I had no idea where the real me began and the algorithm ended. The algorithm took years of meaningful creativity away from me.
Over the past few months, I started becoming more conscious about the insane amount of -- to put it bluntly -- garbage online. Whether it's the new shitty trends on Tik Tok, unfunny, overused memes, freaking 10-second-long UA-cam videos that don't improve my life one bit, the internet as a whole is trying really hard to push this "mental junk food" into our media diets. I eventually started connecting the dots and started to see some issues with my own approach to my work. This video couldn't have come at a better time.
If you do, good luck to you. But do advertise your site via tiktok and UA-cam shorts, to drive people to your site - then you're not paying the big companies for advertising.
I'm glad to be old enough to still be considered "young" but remember life before social media AND the internet. I remember finding artists at conventions and street corners, art festivals, etc. I plan to do it that way. I make what makes me happy and it comes through in my work.
i would like to say a few things:
- i watched this twice today
- goddamn u have made feel so much less alone with your videos about the burdens of society and how it impacts creativity
- its pretty cool to watch your thesis play out in real time as you have made 3 long form video essays that took lots of work that have converted me for life. shit makes me inspired and feel like i dont need to ruin my life w instagram to connect with people.
This right here is something he could have addressed, but that would have made it too long for the algorithm. Another aspect of all of this is that _AMOUNTS_ of things available make it worse. Studies show that when workplaces had those programs where they put in as much $ as you did towards your retirement package, if they offered enough packages, most people would simply not make a choice... to have their boss fund half their retirement.
Makes no logical sense, right? Wrong. _*You FEEL AS IF_ there is only One Right group of people for you. Now the internet has exposed you to more _wrong_ ones than you knew existed.
All of this creates alienation.
I could expand upon this nearly indefinitely. That mindless video didn't appeal to me. But it appeals to all my friends let's say. Now I feel pressured to like something that I don't, or be left out. Even for a few seconds. So the choice isn't _about_ the content, is it?
Are you loyal to Pfizer or Monsanto? So you have no problem joining an anti-GMO protest or desiring that Pfizer correct whatever caused duckduckgo.com/?q=maddie+de+garay&t=newext&atb=v290-1&ia=web.
But when politicians speak on the behalf _of_ either one, then people feel as if they're *questioning Government Itself,* which also feels, to most people, like standing up to your own father at about age seven. Feel like wetting yourself yet?
Everything said here, in the comments etc. is so glaringly obvious to me, & more. But this _could be_ a video that helps change things, when people stop searching their own inner "fearful of not belonging" algorithms & start seeing the Bigger Picture.
ironic that this video about true art is art itself. one of the most useful/informative/entertaining videos ive consumed in a while. tysm struthless!
I've been stuck in this content creation loop for a while that I stopped posting because everything I like to make is ignored on social media and vice versa 😂
I'm currently making art & learning new skills in silence, in hope to chase my own 1000 fans, i needed this video today 100%. This was one if your most entertaining videos 👌👏
Outstanding storytelling I enjoy how in the end there is a silver lining
I've given up on producing more than 1 video a month and have started visualising my videos as series, so your predictions ring true for me!
Judging by the success of your latest video it seems there is actually a market for content like that. Actually inspired long-form and in-depth content. As opposed to mass produced 1 minute short videos.
Thanks for commenting, I found your art and subscribed
This topic makes me think about when "reality" shows invaded television. Quick and cheap to make, vapid junk food. My life is limited by a chronic medical condition and I spend hours knitting and watching youtube, searching for quality, thought provoking, educational content and when I find it, I'm a thousand fans subscriber. You tick all the boxes and are very much appreciated!
This was really well thought out! I don’t typically watch video essay “content” (haha, get it) like this because it often feels undirected, unresolved, or obvious, but you overcame all 3 issues!
Great video, great editing, and excellent discussion in my opinion. This was a good first video to find.
This, as a cosplayer on tiktok and a twitch streamer, was exactly what I needed to hear today. I keep pushing myself harder and harder to make daily content, to stream on a schedule, and I got so burnt out that I hadnt cosplayed in half a year. It took until now to realize I needed to do my own thing and not create every single day just for the sake of content. Thank you for this incredible analysis vid!!
This was really nice to hear cause I am constantly burnt out by trying to make art for other people to consume. As a traditional artist, my art takes a really long time (8-30 hours per piece normally). Trying to keep up with making consistent content while dealing with life, mental health, and a job is kind of insane. But I feel like our society has a big pressure on sticking to a grind because we are told repeatedly that hard work will make you famous/wealthy. When in reality a constant grind to make content comes at the cost of long term burnouts.
There is still a lot of feudalism in the basic structure of our society, and I'm not just talking about the obvious, plutocratic/neo-aristocratic part, but how rote and obedience are rewarded, how most of us are essentially glorified farmers. We're peasants with modern creature comforts, and many of us even stand in defense of it, and not just at the ballot box: It's in our cultures, in the way we shame and socialize, the ideas we spread and the jokes we make. It's ritualistic, creates in- and out groups and reinforces pre-existing structures and dynamics.
One of the things I recently noticed on youtube is that I am getting videos recommended by channels with a max of sometimes 2 or 10 subs. Because the algorithm sees that their content matches my current interests. And honestly? I absolutely love that. Knowing UA-cam is showing me small creators who probably just created this out of love for the game/show/whatever makes me happy.
This problem finds it's peak with "Reaction"-Videos and Channels completely dedicated to it,
because it's not the popularity of the "artist" that makes the art(because it's not even theirs) more valuable, the only factor they contribute is their popularity.
Great Video, as always!
My hot take for social media is that unless youre seeking out the cycle of content creation you described, it should be used exclusively for advertising your other work. A lot of people including myself for a long time dont consider the purpose of posting their art to social media. Once I started getting freelance work in art that i enjoyed, the need to post on social media completely went away because now my art had a tangible purpose. I think the best thing anyone can do for themself is to ask why they make art and what purpose it can have.
Needed this today. I’ve been considering sharing my crafting online in an already over saturated scene, and I don’t want to leave my day job, so remembering that I don’t have to have a crazy release schedule or be creative all the time is great. Not just a pretty face, you’re one smart cookie.
Loved the video, if you have a positive impact on at least one person then your art is relevant, even if this person is yourself.
That's a great message
This “video essay” is definitely speaking to my sensibilities and observations about this aspect of modern life, and it was articulated so well. I’m looking forward to “Your Head is a Houseboat.” :) Thank you!
Quality over quantity, always. Lately there is just so much NOISE, random 'content' all the time, lacking depth. We must focus more. By the way, the issue of variability an noise is discussed in the book Noise: A Flaw in Human Judgment, which has really interesting ideas.
I have always felt gross about the "strategies" for success on social media because of this I have stayed away.
Struthless, you sir have given me a new perspective on what social media could be.
I am now going to put your words of advise and predictions to use and see what happens.
Thank you
I used to work with public art as my summer job, it was one of the most giving experiences I had because the art was something that came from the community. It doesn't get more alive than that to compose ideas and illustrations from different walks of life.
Scrolling through UA-cam shorts is a quick way to feel like we’re living in a dystopia. Great job on this video
I really needed this today. The advice at the end is so powerful and exactly what I needed to hear. As someone who wants a creative career I always feel like I’m too late or I have to be trendy
Holy crap. This is my life. My day job is for an influencer marketing company and my night job is artist/designer for our small business. This hit me on so many levels. The best part??? This wasn't all doom and gloom... there's advice and a realistic outlook on the state of 'content'. Thank you soooo much for this (unintentional?) pep talk.
I’ve binged all your videos the past few weeks, and lately every day begins with a rewatch with one of your videos in order to start the day off a little less lonely and a little more positive.
I’m so glad to see you making a video about this issue! As a freelance writer who gets paid per view, I feel this to my CORE.
I’m in the spiral now. Thank you for this video to start my day.
Just finished! I definitely agree with content becoming deeper, almost like having a catalog.
I fell into writing and “content creation” after finding a small community on Reddit who, no matter what I was experimenting on whether it was videos, photography, writing, supported and enjoyed what I was doing!
This allowed me the freedom to post what I want, and not worry too much about how it was perceived “quality” wise.
Then, as I began to actually build a catalog & community on an outside (paying) platform (Medium) is where I began to feel the actual pressure- because the algorithm on Medium pushed certain topics.
Obviously Reddit is still a platform, but since the idea is about posting on multiple communities , while building a follower ship, it doesn’t all come from a “niche” like how UA-cam, TikTok, NewsBreak, and Medium seem to work.
For example, here on UA-cam my dog videos can get 30k views, but my hospital Vlog only got 2k. The algorithm decides what to push, and once it knows you’re “known” for something, it wants to push that.
I’m just ranting now bc the more I think about it I get worked up, but this video truly spoke to me!!
I am so glad to hear you talking about this, it has been bothering me for years, hearing everyone start referring to their wonderfully varied creative output as "content" it feels like it just completely devalues it.
you explained it perfectly honestly. "content" as a term really just commodifies people's art and work creating this like, *expectation* that an artist is gonna be constantly pumping things out and that's an issue. early 2020 i had half an album's worth of songs, mid 2020 i absolutely could've straight up recorded aforementioned album had circumstances been different and i were able to find other musicians to play with. but anyway at some point that year i finally downloaded tiktok and that's one thing i absolutely noticed about the musicians that do a lot there. mind you, they definitely have something special but that constant pumping out videos is no joke. it really just doesn't feel healthy.
I do not think the switch from quantity to quality will happen soon. Simply because, deep down, we all understand the message of this video, but a good majority of people do not see an "easy fix" to this problem.
The problem, as I see it, stays the same. "How do I find something good in a sea of garbage?" And a much larger problem would be that someone's garbage is another's treasure - Art is subjective and we cannot be certain that we will find a work of quality by taking a risk. That is why brands are still a big thing, they offer you assurance of quality - or that is how it is supposed to be...
Then again, I might be just rambling and all of this is just thoughts of a madman.
All in all, a great video, worth both the time and attention!
I’ve had this exact dilemma for years. I want my film career to grow into its full potential, but I was creating videos that I thought would do well which led to a huge burnout. This year I made the switch to create films, not content. My first film “Pandemonium”, a self COVID documentary, ironically did extremely well. My second “Running Away To Los Angeles” did even better. Making the switch from pleasing an algorithm to my artistic integrity was the best decision I ever made and ironically has grown my channel a great amount within the past 2 months. So happy to see other creators speak their truth on this subject because it’s a hell to get out of
I love the idea of 1000 true fans. It really puts into perspective the scale of building a successful online community. Anything over that seems like it's overwhelming from hearing what influencers/celebrities/public figures go through trying to please everyone.
I've honestly started doing the break method with my own work, though I'm not much of a content creator, I'm a writer by heart.
And I thought writing and releasing a new chapter every two weeks was a smart thing, but quickly fell short of it as burnout was, and is an inevitability. So now I've been trying to lean into a "by the novel" mentality, where no matter how long it takes me, I'm only going to start releasing things when I've fully completed them.
As an artist i have to say, this video is refreshing. The idea that we need a massive social media following in order to be an actual professional is just not real. I know a lot of people with big accounts that don't make much money on it and i also know people who almost never post online and are always booked.
The idea that "if you're not online then you don't exist" is a very convenient lie from people who need you to be online in order to make money.
As a dancer and performer i have to say, even tho I also make content for internet, the real art happens on the streets, happens on meetings and happens when you're face to face with your audience.
I just really appreciate all of this. The changes of the art world have been so fast, overwhelming and disheartening, it’s nice to hear a balanced and honest view of it all.
This video talked about a silent fear I had for a while. The fear of finally being able to work with what I love but losing it because needing to constantly please an audience/algorithm/whatever. But I think you showed an compelling perspective and good practical advice.
Those predictions are quite interesting, specially the one about taking breaks becoming common. I think if that happens while in general we will have seasons with more content, there will be plenty of creators that will have a different season.
This genuinely helped me thank you. I’ve been trying to put my finger on why I’ve fallen apart trying to juggle continuous content alongside writing my own music to the point I’ve stopped releasing material. This video puts things into perspective really well and has given me a much clearer focus on what’s important to concentrate on. Much appreciated!
This video is spot-on, you perfectly articulated my concerns with being an artist in the social media era
Fantastic video. I was someone who achieved 15 Minutes of Fame focusing on videos with Width. Tops 10s, mass appeal, etc - which of course didn't last. And so, a few years ago I went back to the drawing board and came to the same conclusion you did - to focus on videos with depth. Things I actually really wanted to make, rather than content to please the algorithm. So to any prospective 12-year-olds with the dream of being a UA-camr, save yourself the trouble I went through and take it from me - this guy is absolutely speaking the truth.
Hey thanks for making this! I come from a very different creative community, that pretty much acts in a similar manner. Many artist where I'm from tend to stick to fan art for exposure, follow trends and memes and create content to outreach their vision. Though, oddly enough, the biggest artists in our community don't really do that. They simply just create pieces of art that are 100% self-indulgent; this even includes commissioned works (because their only choosing clients whose themes and fantasies align with what speaks best to their muse). My work always silently get's tucked back only because I behave like these artist and don't pander to anything that might be 'trendable.' Not because I think that's 'bad' or whatever, but because my muse just doesn't speak to any of those things. I could make tons of fan art, tons of memes, just to be seen more frequently, just so i can quickly get up in the ladder. Although, I just don't want to. Some people's hearts are in these trends. Being align with pop-culture is what shines some muses true and benefits them greatly. I can clearly see when an artist's passion is interacting with pop-culture and I'm super happy for them. Hell, some people in our community PREFER their interpretation of a character everyone loves. My passion however, isn't in pop-culture, it isn't in trends, so I'm just not going to make art that does any of that. You're not going to get a full glass of orange juice from a small orange, and if you keep picking all of the fruits off the tree, it's gonna be left barren. It might not be the smartest thing when trying to make a career out of it, but it makes the artistic process much more fun. I much prefer content that is self-indulgent, long awaited and cared for immensely. Though there are others who don't prefer that, not saying it's wrong, but just saying if you're an artist you need to figure out what rings truest to your vision.
As I've gotten older, I feel like I appreciate the creators that prioritize length much more than those that are still producing content in the usual sense. There's much more rich and thoughtful work to enjoy and discuss.
This was a great breakdown bro!
This actually makes a ton of sense. Reminds me of a few content creators out there. People who post maybe once every two months or so, people who don't really have a niche. When I had tiktok, my friends thought I bought my followers because I had 67k, but most videos only got maybe 200~ plus algorithmic views. Those 200 were there every time, consistently. the majority of my followers were from the odd viral video, but I knew who the real ones were.
This was so well conveyed and thought out! Absolutely loving your videos dude
Mannn, while I'm waiting on the rest of the video to load (our internet connection is only a notch above dial-up, LOL) I wanted to go ahead and comment how much this resonates. Also, EXCELLENT work - research, delivery, editing, etc.!
Whoa. Two of my universes just collided.
The solution is going to be taking the power out of the hands of the algorithm at the local level. It's going to be the ability to pull people's attention away from their screens and into the real world that is happening around them.
Displaying real art in public places. Acts of rebellion with large murals and paint walls (and no, I'm not talking about politically correct propaganda that people pass as "art", but REAL art that comes from a human soul rather than a robot of the State) where people paint their wildest fantasies, dreams and *true, personal expression.*
To beat this is going to take a mass, voluntary unplugging.
Ten years ago I was really concerned about smart phone and social media addiction, but few people seemed to agree -- everyone around me was just jumping in with no restraint. I underestimated society -- concern about this phenomenon is now widespread. I think that in the next 10-20 years, society will develop a noticeable class divide over their relationship to attention-sucking technology, and many people, especially more educated people, will seek to "unplug." This will become more pronounced with the rise of a new generation yet to be born, whose parents specifically decided to distance their new family from constant internet media usage. I feel pretty strongly about this prediction, but I don't know what it will look like -- would it be more of a shift to less-addictive internet technology? Or would it be something more radical like what you're describing? I am less afraid of what's to come than I used to be -- after all, if I don't like a trend, I can ignore it and live my life.
@@mslvc2011 I would really love a future with less addictive media platforms. Because the internet is already sooo integrated into everyone’s lives, I can’t see large amounts of people going without it, but maybe it’ll be more like people getting off of media platforms.
Someone should finally teach the grafiti people that scribbles on the wall ain't pretty, and they should do actual art on the walls (some do but it's a minority).
This is an excellent comment, but it could do without the detour to complain about "politically correct" stuff. It sounds like you want real art, "real" being art that only aligns with your beliefs and worldview. I haven't seen an example of the "robot of the state" murals you've described.
@@cryandruboneout7133 Oh no it couldn't.
A cross in a jar of urine isn't art. A woman covering herself in her own blood and laying naked on a sidewalk/floor is not art.
There are plenty of examples of these displays of vulgarity and shame that are dismissed as "art." Art is a technical skill, combined with an iterative thought process. These things I've mentioned are mere shock value and attention-seeking.
People lately have been whining about "gatekeeping" art. You know what? If it preserves the purity and integrity of the human creative process, and throws out vulgar shock value meant to cause strife, *I say make it so.*
I like this, I'm currently someone who's still deciding whether to make UA-cam a future job or go to college to get into concept art for video games(I'm still in highschool). But this makes me realize that it's not all about the publicity and more about sticking truthful to your work and fans who truly care.
First off, don't bet anything on becoming a big, self-sufficient youtuber; having UA-cam as a job is an unlikely opportunity that can appear after an undeterminable about of time and effort into your channel. Favoring truth and honesty to yourself also doesn't go hand and hand with channel growth
Secondly, don't commit yourself to a field simply because you enjoy it; it's understandable that you want to have a job you enjoy, but you might grow tired of art after drawing for an extensively long period of time with no real time to heal from any burnouts you'll inevitably face. Drawing as a hobby where you get to choose when you start, when you stop, what you draw (and possibly where you are, depending on your setup) and drawing as a job where none of the aforementioned is something you control is a massive shift in environment that you can't fully evaluate when it comes to your enjoyment.
After those problems, you have to consider that artistic based jobs often don't pay too well and aren't as hirable, you're pushing aside tons of money and options that could greatly improve your life on the chance that you won't grow out of your geekiness, that despite the massive shift in environment; you'll still enjoy making art on a professional level, even if just that much more than other work
Encouraging people to do great things despite risk has allowed some people to reach places they thought they never could, but it makes some people numb to the danger; and when things don't work out as they hoped, they often aren't ready
I don't think the gravity of all these issues have fully affected you; do heavy research on other people's experiences and then decide if this is really something you are ready for
Amazing production, amazing message & amazing display of your thesis. All around Bonza content ;)
Those that entertain and educate, fuse those 2 things together,
are truly the Future.
Just like Oversimplified does: let's all learn while having fun.
Thats why i recommend-around, even when no one asks, Hbomberguy, Sci Man Dan,
Tier Zoo, Sci Show, Joe Scott and so many others.
thumbs-up just for calling it bonza content, mate!