Many Youtubers treat their favorite video-sharing platform as a video diary.
Viewers get the feeling — or sometimes the illusion — of peering into the star's private
world.
Many YouTubers even communicate with their fans through comments or other videos.
But the person you're watching in your browser isn't always the same person in real life.
Many, if not most, are playing characters on screen and passing that footage off as
reality.
So ask yourself this: Is your favorite YouTuber acting?
Keep reading to find out.
"The best part about being alive is when someone subscribes to my YouTube channel."
The not-so-lonely lonelygirl15
"Hi guys.
So this is my first video blog."
Back in 2006, YouTube visitors were captivated by what appeared to be a genuine vlog about
the daily life of a 16-year-old girl named Bree.
Uploading video diary entries under the name lonelygirl15, Bree's early videos were quirky
and cute, and the YouTube community responded in a big way.
By late 2006, lonelygirl15 had the most subscribers on the site, but what began as a daily confessional
quickly morphed into a much more complex narrative involving some sort of mysterious cult.
"I don't know what to do, I can't go through with the ceremony."
The truth was: lonelygirl15 had been a performance from the start.
And Bree herself?
Well …
"She is actually Jessica Rose, a 19-year-old fledgling actress from New Zealand."
"...What?"
The script was written by Miles Beckett and Mesh Flinders, and the characters in the videos,
including Bree, were actors.
According to the team, the plan was to lay the story's groundwork and build up a buzz
on YouTube before making the story into a film, but YouTube showed more promise than
the creators anticipated.
Lonelygirl15 grew into the first full web series on the site and the first series to
feature monetized product placement.
It's plausible that lonelygirl15 was also the first YouTuber to completely dupe her
audience into believing an act.
The human behind Kizuna Ai
"Hello everyone.
My name is Kizuna Ai.
Thank you for watching!"
Virtual YouTuber Kizuna Ai has become an internet sensation in a short period of time.
Claiming to be the first of her kind, Kizuna Ai presents herself as an entity of artificial
intelligence — or AI — allegedly answering questions, dancing, and playing games without
assistance from human intelligence.
"Uhh, I don't think so!"
While the thought of an AI-driven virtual YouTuber is exciting, Kizuna Ai is controlled
by a real human acting behind the scenes.
It appears likely that the character was created using the Miku Miku Dance program and a Kinect-style
motion capture system.
As of the making of this video, however, the identity of the voice and mo-cap actor behind
the animation is still a mystery.
That hasn't stopped the public from buying into the idea of Kizuna Ai.
In 2018, she was even named an ambassador for the New York Branch of the Japan National
Tourism Organization.
That's right, Kizuna Ai can now be found promoting the "Come to Japan" campaign run by the JNTO.
Just don't get too attached to her though.
A.I. or not, there's something unnerving about the virtual character.
"It's almost like you're actually alive."
"Yes, almost.
HA HA HA HA HA."
The shocking truth behind ElectroBOOM
"Some people say I'm an idiot."
"But others say I'm a genius."
Though he may not have known it at the time, ElectroBOOM, aka Mehdi Sadaghdar, set a tone
that nearly every one his videos would follow when he uploaded his first project to YouTube.
It begins with a serious explanation and demonstration of electrostatic discharge.
Then the magic happens.
See it for yourself:
"Ack!
BLEEP!"
"Always be careful with your tools."
What sets Sadaghdar apart from others like him is how quickly and unexpectedly his dry
delivery shifts into chaos.
While he certainly isn't complaining about his overnight YouTube stardom, Sadaghdar suggests
that his humorous side is not something that necessarily comes naturally to him.
For him, the self-proclaimed "introvert" with a master's degree in electrical engineering,
the goal was simply to teach and inform others about his craft.
After a basic website approach failed to attract a sufficient audience, Sadaghdar resorted
to his now-famous brand of clumsy, slapstick humor.
Though you may get a kick out his online persona, don't expect the same when he's off duty.
"BLEEP, I'm done, man."
Schilling with TmarTn
"What's going on, guys?
TmarTn here — and I hope you guys are having a fantastic Monday."
Trevor "TmarTn" Martin got his start on YouTube by posting Call of Duty gameplay videos.
After growing his fan base and subscribers into the millions, he eventually moved into
the more lucrative world of Counter Strike: Global Offensive.
Counter Strike offers gamers the chance to obtain rare and often expensive game items
called "skins."
These skins can be acquired through gameplay, purchased, or traded on the open market.
That's where Martin's troubles began.
"Hopefully, your day is going better than mine is."
Martin began frequenting a website called CSGO Lotto and posting videos of his experiences
on the site.
On CSGO Lotto, users can effectively gamble for the rarest and most expensive skins available
in the game.
In the videos Martin's posted of CSGO Lotto, he seemed exceptionally lucky, and not only
was he showcasing the benefits of the lotto site, but he was also openly promoting it.
The problem here is that Martin's luck may not have been luck at all.
"Like, how could you live with yourself?"
Martin and his friends were exposed as the majority owners of CSGO Lotto in the summer
of 2016.
Despite escaping any serious fines or punishments, Martin was forced by the FTC to disclose all
endorsements and connections.
YouTube's first psychotic family
"SHUT UUUUUUP!"
Between 2012 and 2016, the "Psycho Series" from the McJuggerNuggets YouTube channel was
one of the site's most popular web series.
What started as a single video about an unhinged father destroying his son's Xbox grew into
a massive story about a destructive and often violent family.
Totaling hundreds of episodes and amassing more than 1.2 billion views, the series was
known worldwide.
Aside from the obvious entertainment factor, perhaps the biggest draw was the convincing
nature of the family's hijinx.
"Could you just please tone it down a little bit?"
Though many fans may claim to have been in the know, it wasn't until creator Jesse Ridgeway
finally revealed that the whole series was an act that the speculation truly ended.
"To tell that story, and you think it's real, you feel a very real connection to the character.
And it's unlike anything in film or television."
After the reveal, many fans were sour about the deception, but Ridgeway feels no remorse.
Variety reports that Ridgeway said, in a statement, "I never lied.
I was playing a character.
I was not myself.
It was acting.
It was not a lie.
I never lied.
Never once.
… I don't think there was anything wrong with it.
I am done with the series.
The videos were fake.
It's finished."
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