The pandemic has been a time of reminiscing – with nothing currently going on, we’ve naturally turned to the past for nostalgia. Most recently, a trend has taken to Twitter where people post photos of bygone eras, capturing old TV shows or Tumblr aesthetics that no longer exist. Among them has been the 2013/15 era of YouTube, which sadly may never be recreated.
The second wave of YouTube, back when the Photobooth and Krave challenges were still doing the rounds, saw creators such as Zoella, Marcus Butler and Jacksgap form the ‘Brit Crew’, and Tyler Oakley and Joey Graceffa representing the States. Waxing your mate’s leg in the living room was the height of entertainment, and Hank Green was still the VidCon guy rather than the TikTok guy. Even Troye Sivan, bedroom musician turned global pop star, was posting regularly. Collaborations were frequent, a million subscribers was a huge deal, and the idea of doing YouTube full time was still pretty novel.
In 2021, the community has dispersed. Some creators are still on YouTube, though posting more mature content as they and their audiences have grown. Others have become authors, activists or musicians, swapping out quirky usernames for real ones as their careers progress. Most recently, Zoe Sugg and Alfie Deyes have announced that they’re having their first child together! It’s almost like reaching the finale season of a TV show and watching all your favourite characters graduate high school and enter the real world.
“As the platform grew, the intimate community vibe that YouTube originally had was waning; by the time the 2013 cohort showed up, that growth was exponential.”
The ‘old’ YouTube isn’t coming back, sadly, because of the way the platform has changed. The very first creators to succeed on the site came in 2007 after adverts were first introduced to generate revenue on videos. A year later, pre-roll ads and sponsored videos were also brought in. The platform was already evolving from producing videos purely for the fun of it, to making real money for its creators and investors. As the platform grew, the intimate community vibe that YouTube originally had was waning; by the time the 2013 cohort showed up, that growth was exponential.
In 2012, YouTube had already invested $100 million into producing their own professional content. It signalled an intention to move away from homemade videos towards imitations of other streaming services, although the initiative’s failure two years later demonstrated that the move was not popular with viewers. Instead, it was the more relatable, at-home footage that found success. YouTube tried again in 2015, launching the subscription service YouTube Red. It has now become YouTube Premium, charging £11.99 a month for ad-free, downloadable videos.
As well as trying for a more polished appearance in line with other streaming platforms, YouTube’s algorithm has also undergone significant change. In 2016, unknown algorithm changes saw viewing figures drop dramatically for a number of creators, to the point that PewDiePie famously threatened to delete his account.
“Clickbait titles and shocking content drive high viewing figures on such videos, meaning more money can be made off of their adverts, all while fuelling misinformation among audiences.”
In the following years, the algorithm has come under more fire for allowing videos, including anti-Semitic comments made by PewDiePie and insensitive content from Logan Paul, to garner huge numbers of views. Further, in 2018, Harvard researchers found that YouTube’s process of recommending videos to people contributed to ‘a far-right filter bubble’ of conspiracy theories. Clickbait titles and shocking content drive high viewing figures on such videos, meaning more money can be made off of their adverts, all while fuelling misinformation among audiences.
The shift from original, content-driven videos to persistently shocking or grand-scale ones has changed the face of YouTube, as creators spend more trying appeasing the algorithm. Equally, the rise of the ‘influencer’ has had an impact on the platform. The concept of influencing is as old as society but has undeniably blown up in recent years. While the old YouTubers were involved in brand deals, it never came across as the initial motivation for the channel.
“The platform has become closely tied to commercial influencer culture, and I can’t help but feel that some authenticity has been lost.”
In 2014, Louise Pentland (then Sprinkleofglitter) uploaded a video titled YouTube Culture, where she expressed concern about the idolisation of YouTubers and the pedestal she didn’t want to be placed on. Watching it now it feels prophetic: YouTubers are classed with celebrities now, rather than normal people chatting to a camera in their bedrooms. The platform has become closely tied to commercial influencer culture, and I can’t help but feel that some authenticity has been lost.
As the world gets more and more overwhelming, the more I miss the simpler days of ‘back to school makeup’ videos, and watching the Harries twins drive rickshaws across India. It was an era of the internet that shaped a lot of people’s adolescent years, and an important moment in the evolution of YouTube.
Caitlin Chatterton
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