YouTube has been one of the only social media platforms where people have felt accepted and loved from watching people, just like them, create videos for their audience to escape to when nothing else seems right in the world. It became a place for everyone to fit into something and a place for communities to come together. From the "Vlog Squad" creating a whole new community of people and relationships to YouTubers being able to come out due to the support and love from everyone around them, YouTube has created a light for people to be who they are and teach others to accept them for it.
But as the years have gone by and many of the veteran YouTubers have been passed up by new vloggers and "Paulers," YouTube has lost its meaning. YouTube has changed through the "adpocalypse" and the algorithm and many people care more about the numbers than the quality or the realness of the video they put out, but for one particular YouTuber, they challenge what this means.
Shane Dawson
has been on YouTube ever since 2008 and has been posting content like skits and parodies to serious vlogs and his new conspiracy videos ever since. He has been one of the top ranking YouTubers for a long time and it's no wonder why. His relatable content has grabbed the attention of people who didn't know how to cope with their insecurities and Shane has given them something to laugh at, even if it was at him.
In 2015, he came out as bisexual, and we saw more of who the real Shane was than ever before. He gave us the truth, the reality, of what his life was and how he wanted to live it. He showed us that we should be who we want to be and he taught us not to be afraid of it. Through him being honest with his viewers, the community grew even stronger and his fanbase was even more connected.
Since 2017, he has been posting real content like reconnecting with his dad to his recent unraveling about TanaCon and it's created an even bigger following with 14 million subscribers and a whole lot more to come in the future. He has become a voice for YouTube; giving us the truth about what it should be and what it was meant to be. He has become an outlet for other YouTubers to reconnect with their past selves to dwell into why they started a YouTube channel and how they can make it as real as possible for the viewers.
Not only has he been a voice for YouTube, but he has been a voice for the viewers. By showing us the reality of it and giving us quality fifty-minute videos that leave us crying on the floor, he has created a whole new community dedicated to bettering themselves and encouraging others to do the same. From watching his seven-day video dedication to Grav3yard Girl and to the recent TanaCon videos, we can tell that Shane Dawson truly cares for the people around him. His honesty travels through our screens and connects us to what he stands for.
Shane Dawson, thank you for everything you have done to the ones around you and your viewers, for you have touched every single one of our hearts.
