One year ago, Shane Dawson uploaded his first YouTube video that was unlike anything he had uploaded before. This video was about confronting his first love. Before this video, Dawson was known for his "Testing Weird Girl Products" videos or "Tasting *insert restaurant here* Foods." Dawson had never expressed he did not like where his channel was going until he created the "new" Shane Dawson. This new Shane Dawson was more open and serious, but still funny. Before this, Shane's subscribers had not seen this side of Shane since his early days on YouTube.
Shane's change of videos has been a huge success for him, in fact, he currently has 17.8 million subscribers and counting. Why? Well, Shane is one of the only people who got serious on YouTube at the time. Most YouTubers upload videos like "My Morning Routine in the Winter", or "What I Eat in a Day", and viewers got tired of these "perfect" day in lives. Though these types of videos are entertaining at times, viewers want to see these people that they look up to be real with them, and they were not until Shane Dawson changed the game.
Shane Dawson is someone who I have watched for a very long time because he made me laugh, but when he changed up his style of video, I was not sure how to feel about it. But, I gave it a try, and I was completely surprised at the first video in his new series. To be able to see a whole different side of the person who I have loved for a long time, was so eye-opening. Though his channel has a different type of feel now, Shane is still the same Shane. He still makes pig jokes, but that is not what his videos are about anymore.
Shane did not get much attention from the public eye until he uploaded the docuseries entitled, "The Secret World of Jeffree Star," and holy cow did it do well. Shane took Jeffree Star, a YouTuber who most people disliked, and made people love him. Shane is helping other YouTubers become more open as he has. Now, people understand why Jeffree Star is the way he is, and Jeffree Star is more open to his viewers as well.
Shane's new docu-series is revolving around "The Mind of Jake Paul." Jake Paul is also another YouTuber that people really do not like. Jake Paul is known for doing insane things. This was and is a huge risk for Shane because of how the public views Jake Paul.
Because of Shane Dawson, YouTubers have shown completely different sides of themselves that their viewers have never seen before. For example, Niki DeMartino has started her own series titled "The Truth," where she interviews different YouTubers about things they are or have been struggling with talking about.
Thank you, Shane, for not only showing us viewers the real you but allowing other YouTubers to express their real selves.