What happens when a YouTuber deviates from the classic mold of the videos that made him famous? More broadly, with the advent of TikTok, have we entered the era of mono-influencers? This is the subject of our column in France Culture’s Brave New World.
The story takes place at Christmas. While some are unwrapping their gifts under the tree, Cyprien is moping. The day before, he released a short film that is close to his heart, Fujisanshot a few months earlier, in English and Japanese.
But all does not go as planned: his film is a “flop”, by his own admission. Seen from afar, we could say that 400,000 views in less than a day, that’s not so bad. But when you are the second biggest French YouTuber, followed by 14 million people, you are used to better.
On December 24 in the morning, he wakes up and tweets: “This is the filming in which I have invested the most, it is the WORST launch of a video on my channel. Hard blow. And to launch a great debate in the form of a question: “Fiction has no place on YouTube? »
Result: an avalanche of comments, mocking Internet users and benevolent fans who are breaking their buns… and then, the observation of another popular youtuber, Inoxtag: ” Whether ! Fiction has its place. It works maybe less than other more mainstream videos, but you have to do it for yourself, because it’s an artistic work. You can be loved with beautiful images and good scenarios.»
Getting loved or getting views, is this the new paradox of the YouTuber profession?
Is the future of YouTubers on YouTube?
If I had the miracle recipe, I would certainly not be here, but on one of YouTube France! Let’s go back to the Cyprian example. He became known for humorous videos, shot in his living room: he built his “mold”. When he posts a new video and his subscribers receive a notification, they expect it to conform, more or less, to that mold. And when people quickly click on a new video, YouTube’s algorithm loves it. It creates the famous chain reaction called “virality”.
This gear is not unique to YouTube. You have to understand that the algorithms are, basically, relatively stupid. If you go to Amazon and buy a microwave, come back a few days later and Amazon will offer you…more microwaves! And it’s the same on Spotify, Instagram, TikTok…
Here, TikTok, by the way, it’s there platform where creators are locked into a mold. Here you will see a house painter who only does that rambling videos. There, a breeder does not publish that videos of his ostrich Emmanuel. In short, the platform has created a new kind of influencers: mono-influencerswhich produce the same content every day.
Deviating from the trajectory then becomes synonymous with invisibility. We better understand the anxieties of Cyprien, and of an entire profession, which is constantly being destabilized.
Listen again to Brave New World on France Culture
The whole show YouTube: will the platform become has-been? can be listened to again at this link or below. The program welcomes Vincent Manilève (author of Youtube, behind the screens (Lemieux editor, 2018)), Léa Camilleri (videographer) and Bastien Louessard (lecturer in Information and Communication Sciences at Sorbonne Paris Nord University).
Subscribe to Numerama on Google News so you don’t miss any info!
