New studies have shown that young people in the US – especially teens and millennials – are more likely to look up to YouTube stars over Hollywood celebrities as influential role models. Youth who find YouTubers authentic and accessible are also increasingly turning to online videos over traditional television shows because it makes them feel good about themselves.
YouTube stars are relatable, engaging and extraordinary
A July 2014 survey by Variety revealed that the five most influential celebrity figures among American teens (13 to 18 year olds) are YouTube stars ranking ahead of mainstream Hollywood celebrities like Jennifer Lawrence and Seth Rogen.
The top ranked celebrity was Smosh – an online comedy duo consisting of of Ian Andrew Hecox and Anthony Padilla. Smosh’s YouTube channel boasts over 20 million subscribers at the time of writing this article.
Another online comedy duo, the Fine Bros. consisting of Benny and Rafi Fine placed second. The Fine Bros. channel, which consists of the popular React series where kids, teens and elders dish out personal opinions on everything from retro toys to Nicki Minaj’s Anaconda video, has nearly 12 million subscribers.
Swedish video game broadcaster, Felix Arvid Ulf Kjellberg – also known as PewDiePie – rounded out the top three. In case you are not aware, a video game broadcaster is essentially someone who posts videos of them playing video games along with personal commentary. PewDiePie is the most subscribed YouTube channel of all time with more than 35 million subscribers.
The rise of YouTube stars can be squarely put down to their authenticity and openness in interacting with their fan base. A deeper dive in the survey revealed that YouTube stars scored significantly higher than mainstream celebrities in being perceived as engaging and relatable. Teens also admire and look up to YouTube stars who score higher on being perceived as ‘extraordinary’. In comparison, teens seem to find mainstream stars safe and predictable as the survey showed that they scored higher when it came to being perceived as smart and reliable.
YouTube fame is an achievable goal for most teens and millennials
Youth see YouTube stars as someone who is closer to their reality compared to Hollywood celebrities. For them, becoming a YouTube star is an achievable goal compared to becoming a TV or movie star. According to a March 2015 study by Defy Media, more than half of 13-24 year olds say they can be a YouTube star. When asked if they could be a TV or movie star, the figure fell to 40%.
However this does not mean young people think less of YouTube stars. In fact, 32% of 13 to 17 year olds are more likely to look up to a YouTube personality over a traditional celebrity. 13 year olds in particular are more interested in YouTube stars as 59% say they follow a YouTube star across social media platforms compared to only 32% who follow a TV or movie star. The gap is smaller but still significant among 14 to 17 year olds who are also more likely to follow a YouTube star (53%) on social media than a TV or movie star (44%).
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The enthusiasm for YouTubers is less among the Millennial generation i.e. 18 to 24 year olds. While 51% say they would follow a YouTube star on social media, 54% say they would follow a traditional celebrity online. With less enthusiasm comes less hero worship. Only 26% of 18 to 24 year olds say they see YouTube stars as a role model. However, these young Millennials are more likely to see YouTube stars as peers. 52% of 18-24 year olds said they feel closer to their favorite YouTubers than to Hollywood celebrities.
Strong preference for YouTubers over traditional celebrities also translates to preference for digital media over traditional scheduled TV shows. 67% of young people between the ages of 13 and 24 say they find digital media easy to relate to and 62% say it makes them feel good about themselves. In comparison, only 41% of youth can relate to content on TV and 40% say it makes them feel good about themselves.
Convenience and control drive digital video, but television is still more social
13 to 24 year olds view fewer hours of traditional scheduled TV content than video from digital sources. Online video, viewed on social media or video sites like YouTube, is watched by 96% of youth at an average of 11.3 hours a week. In comparison 81% of teens and millennials watch Traditional TV, by for an average of 8.3 hours a week.
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Besides online video on YouTube and other social media sites, subscription based services like Netflix, Hulu+ and Amazon also account for a big part of youth weekly video consumption. 71% of teens and millennials say they watch video via subscription based services for an average of 10.8 hours a week – 2 hours more than time spent watching video on television sets.
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One of the key reasons young people watch more online video than traditional TV is because the former gives them control over what they watch and when they watch it. 81% of 13 to 24 year olds say they can watch digital content anytime they want compared to only 28% who say the same for television shows. Additionally, 69% say that digital has what they want to watch compared to 56% who say television offers content they want to watch.
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Traditional television still leads when it comes to creating offline social occasions. 61% of teens and millennials say that they watch television with other people compared to only 47% who watch digital video socially. However, youth are more likely to talk about digital video on social media with their friends. 58% of youth say they engage in online conversations around digital video content compared to 47% who do the same wit television shows.
References
1. Survey: YouTube Stars More Popular Than Mainstream Celebs Among U.S. Teens
2. Study: Digital content makes teens feel good about themselves
3. Acumen Report: Constant Content
The survey, conducted for Variety by celebrity brand strategist Jeetendr Sehdev, asked 1,500 respondents a battery of questions assessing how 20 well-known personalities stacked up in terms of approachability, authenticity and other criteria considered aspects of their overall influence. Half the 20 were drawn from the English-language personalities with the most subscribers and video views on YouTube, the other half were represented by the celebrities with the highest Q scores among U.S. teens aged 13-17, as of March. A score was then assigned to each YouTube and mainstream star based on how they fared in respondents’ answers to the questions, and the resulting number was translated to a 100-point scale. The top five — and six of the top 10 — were YouTube stars. Q scores were determined to be the most reliable indicator for the survey’s selection of mainstream stars, whose popularity can be fleeting among teenage demographics. In addition, many prominent celebrities well known to younger consumers may not necessarily be the most popular among them because their prominence is driven more by notoriety, as opposed to true appeal.
Defy Media partnered with Hunter Qualitative Research and child psychologists at KnoWhy Research to conduct a 2-week online forum with 18 “buddy pairs” (36 total) ages 13–24 who were diverse in terms of ethnicity, race, income, and parent’s educational attainment. All lived in the Atlanta, Los Angeles, or Minneapolis metropolitan areas. Participants gave access to their social media feeds for observation of content received and shared. Nine of the buddy pairs participated in 90-minute interviews. The interviews were followed by an online survey of 1,350 youth ages 13-24, representative by age, gender, Hispanic origin and race.