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In less than two decades since YouTube’s inception, the site has gone from being a place where users uploaded content with no expectation of fame or fortune to a media giant where users can potentially become multimillionaires. For example, in 2018 Ryan ToysReview (hosted by a 7-year-old boy) generated when the channel partnered up with two major toy companies. However, this level of success on the platform is not available to all, nor are the business practices at work free from criticism.
Zoella and KSI (set product options) have achieved similar levels of success thanks to effective strategies. Coincidentally, both launched YouTube channels in . Zoella’s vlogs primarily focus on fashion and styling, beauty products and shopping hauls. However, she has branched out to include videos about and her relationships with friends, family, and other successful vloggers including her brother, Joe Sugg, the creator of the YouTube channel .
On account of advertising and sponsorship, the average YouTube vlogger earns approximately for every view of the video. By this estimation, Zoella’s most popular videos can generate of pounds from views alone. Her first book, , was particularly popular, becoming a New York Times bestseller and bringing her huge amounts of income. Zoella provides viewers with a usable link to purchase her books online in the description box of each video. Furthermore, Zoella promotes a range of her own beauty products sponsored by and Homeware Range across her online platforms.
KSI (whose real name is JJ Olatunji) began making YouTube videos about FIFA, but has since his content into other cultural forms including music, comedy, and even – somewhat strangely – boxing. His widely publicised spat with controversial YouTuber Logan Paul has spawned an unusual phenomena of influencer fighting in recent years.
KSI and Zoella have amassed large and often very dedicated fanbases over their years of content creation. Therefore, companies that sponsor them and partner with them for brand deals gain credibility in the eyes of these loyal target audiences as a result. Clay Shirky and have been described as digital optimists; theorists who believe that the success of popular social media influencers like Olatunji and Sugg demonstrates the of media thanks to the Internet. , on the other hand, contends that media conglomerates are still finding ways of forming symbiotic relationships with producers of online content so companies like Google and YouTube can profit from their popularity. Lending credence to this stance is that both KSI and Zoella have been criticised for lending their names to product that have been either inferior quality or outright scams, such as Zoella’s branded which cost £50 and were widely derided for exploiting her young fanbase.