What I've Been Watching #1: YouTube Edition
On the JacksGap documentary and a few YouTube recommendations
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One of my earlier pop culture loves is YouTube, particularly in its 2011-2015 era.
I remember most of it so fondly because it came just after One Direction’s X-Factor Video Diaries (Take me back!). I could not be more online than I was then.
I watched Zoella, Tyler Oakley, Bethany Mota, JacksGap, Grace Helbig, O2L, Jenna Marbles, and any other name that probably popped into your mind.
I watched every video with every silly challenge; I impatiently waited for “collabs” between the biggest names on YouTube’s trending page; I watched VidCon and the Disney World trips it spurred happen through countless “vlogs;” I got overly invested in relationships that did or wouldn’t happen. The Fault in Our Stars book (2012) and movie (2014) coincided with my watching of the VlogBrothers videos between John Green and Hank Green. I got so many book recommendations from BookTubers — BookTok and Bookstagram’s predecessor — like Christine Riccio (PolandBananasBooks). There was always something new to watch, and I was more than happy to watch hours and hours of YouTube content.
I have vivid memories of getting to my high school home room early to catch up on videos I missed from the previous night. I wanted to buy all the books they wrote. I’d bet that I still have a copy of Lilly Singh’s How to Be a Bawse somewhere.
I could sit here for hours and probably come up with a million more instances of when I gravitated to YouTube as much as I did TV and movies. While The Vampire Diaries, Glee, and Pretty Little Liars had new episodes airing every week, the YouTubers I watched had new videos coming out weekly, too. It was great!
Of course, it evolved, like most things do. Some people left the platform for their mental health, as a result of upsetting information becoming more publicly known about them, or to pursue other opportunities. Some are still on it, but post a lot less frequently than they did a decade or more ago. Most of the YouTubers I watched have shifted their content to better align with where they are now in life. Some (Troye Sivan!) have become absolute sensations. It’s a mixed bag!
Even though I visit the social media platform a lot less than I did in 2012, I still find myself checking my subscriptions pretty regularly.
That’s why I genuinely jumped out of my seat when I saw Jack Harries teasing a short film about his YouTube channel, JacksGap, that started as a documentation of his gap year before university and eventually included his twin brother, Finn.
I found What Happened to JacksGap? to be an illuminating watch as someone who loved that original YouTube channel so much that it extended into following Jack, Finn, and Alice Aedy's environmental efforts through Earth Rise Studios and more. It made me deeply nostalgic for that era of YouTube while providing a critical context to what Jack experienced behind the videos that I impatiently awaited to appear in my Subscriptions. Mostly, it made me buzz with excitement about what’s to come for Jack Harries on YouTube this year.
I really can’t suggest checking out What Happened to JacksGap? enough.
(I also suggest reading Gina Wurtz’s post about it for Movie Mondays with Gina.)
It got me thinking about all those YouTubers, some of whom I mentioned, that I grew up alongside, whose videos I revisit or still watch with relative consistency. So, I thought I’d leave you with some recommendations.
♡ Long-time favorites ♡
♡ Very good vlogs ♡
♡ BookTube 2.0 and pop culture chats ♡
I could make an entirely different post about my favorite YouTube segments, podcasts I prefer to watch rather than solely listen to, and internet shows.
But that’s for another day!
What are you watching on YouTube right now? Let’s chat!
Until next time,
💌 Shelby