Justine Ezarik, the YouTube personality better known as iJustine, has taken the internet
by storm.
She's been around for more than a decade, first popping up on YouTube in 2006 where
she has accumulated millions of subscribers and fans.
The beloved vlogger has since branched out with a bustling Instagram account and a memoir
fittingly titled I, Justine.
As one of the first celebs to build a reputation for herself on the internet, iJustine is kind
of a big deal.
She reveals a lot about herself on social media, but that doesn't mean she doesn't have
a few secrets up her sleeve.
Some people spend decades trying to figure
out what they want to do with their lives.
Justine, on the other hand, was prepping herself for her future career before she was even
a teenager.
Her childhood idol was Steve Jobs.
"The way that he thought differently and pushed people to be, you know, their best version
of themselves, I think has stuck with me ever since I was very young."
And it's clear he had quite a big influence on her life.
"I made my first website when I was in sixth grade, and ever since then, I've just been
super passionate about technology and design."
Even as she got older, she continued to stay ahead of the game.
"For example, I was like the 103rd person to join Instagram, I was super early on Twitter.
So I just like to find these things, and if I think it's gonna be cool, I try to cultivate
an audience there."
Whether you've been following iJustine on
YouTube from the beginning, or are just now delving into her videos, you've probably noticed
that they cover a lot of topics.
Justine herself says that she can't really put a label on what kind of influencer she
is - and she's totally okay with that.
She covers everything from gaming to cooking; if she likes it, chances are she's going to
be talking about it.
She did hit a point where she was doing upwards of 50 videos a week, which she told Forbes
drove her "crazy," so she had to cut back a little bit, honing in on her favorite things.
She revealed: "I kind of stopped and asked myself [...] 'What
do I like doing now?
I like video games, I like tech, I like travel, I like my dog, I like food.
I'm like, 'That's what I'm going to focus on.'"
Running your own business isn't the easiest
thing in the world, but it turns out that iJustine is a seasoned pro when it comes to
being self-employed.
She explained to Forbes: "I feel like I've been a businessperson long
before I started doing [YouTube] because I was a graphic designer.
I was freelance, so I had my own sort of business."
She also explained how she originally used YouTube to help promote her graphic design
business: "I was also doing it too to show people that
I did know how to edit, because I was doing freelance graphic design and video production,
so it was also to be like 'Hey, look, I know how to edit, hire me to edit whatever it is
that you need edited.'"
As you might expect from a YouTube guru, iJustine
is all about technology.
She loves her phone, but only as long as it's for anything but phone calls.
She told PopSugar: "I love texting and DM'ing on Twitter [but]
I will pretty much avoid talking on the phone at all costs."
Justine is so addicted to technology that she claims she doesn't really have any non-tech
related hobbies outside of going for walks.
Living life in the spotlight can attract a
lot of unwanted attention.
According to iJustine, many YouTube stars are reluctant to talk about the harassment
they face as public figures, but it's an incredibly common problem.
Even worse is that the authorities don't do much to crack down on online harassment.
She told the New York Times: "I have so much documentation of someone who
was harassing me for years, and I took it to the cops, and they actually laughed at
me.
They were like, 'He didn't say that he was going to kill you, he just wanted to kill
you.'"
In addition to threats, some people are just mean behind the anonymity of a computer screen
and iJustine has dealt with her fair share of that as well.
"It does affect you at different times in your life too, cuz sometimes you're having
like a really crappy week and somebody says something and you're just like, 'I can't take
it anymore, why are you being so mean?'"
On the other hand, many YouTube stars are
loners, according to Justine, who herself spends many hours a day devoted to her work,
and a lot of it is done in total isolation.
Even one of her favorite hobbies - playing video games - is typically done in solitude,
in front of a screen.
While a lot of this isolation is self-imposed, and even necessary for her to do her job,
Justine isn't always happy with it.
The lack of real-life human interaction can be quite lonely.
She told the New York Times: "The biggest obstacle is staying inspired
and motivated to keep doing it."
With so many years of experience, it's safe
to say that iJustine has racked up a lot of knowledge.
She has a career doing what she loves to do, and frequently doles out advice to aspiring
YouTubers.
"For a lot of people who are doing something maybe different right now, you might not know
what you're building towards, but it's something.
So if you love it, don't quit."
As for what she would tell her younger self, she told Sweety High:
"A lot of people I've met have influenced what I'm doing now.
I'd say always keep those people and experiences close to you, because they'll pop up back
in the future.
Life is very full circle.
I'd also say have fun and be kind to everyone.
Don't be afraid to try new things."