CELEBRITIES????

My head is spinning as I type this. I don't know if it's what I heard while I was just driving, or that frozen strawberry margarita with so much tequila, I couldn't taste the strawberry.

There was a radio story on YouTube CELEBRITIES.

As usual, I want to be honest with you. I'm what's called a Late Adopter. Years and years ago, someone told me I should try blogging, as it was perfect for what I did. Never mind that I can't remember what I was doing when I got the recommendation. I poo-pooed it, as I am wont to do.

Ok, I was an early cell phone adopter. And computers. But that's it. This stupid blog's title makes reference to the manner in which vacuum tubes work, fer chrissakes. You know... ancient technology that came about long before any of us was born.

So I discover things almost by accident, several years after they show up. Usually when the excitement around it has faded and people are getting out of it en masse. So I started blogging. Did reasonably well with an audience. Thrilled that I had an audience. It wasn't about money or 'fame'.

Back to YouTube.
I discovered YouTube at the same time everyone else did... I just didn't use it unless I had a specific need. We used to play this game called Stump YouTube, where I'd name a musician, then try to find his videos on YouTube. After a while, I lost the game a lot and stopped playing it, as it was no longer fun.

Then people started becoming YouTube Famous.
This was completely outrageous to me and most everyone with whom I associate. It could be said that I'm a leader, not a follower. The kind of leader who marches on, even when there are clearly no followers marching behind him. It seemed beyond wrong, for reasons I couldn't entirely fathom, stupidity aside. I don't do fads, which was one of the things that contributed. It seemed cheap and idiotic was the other... the most prominent. I never learned sociology but internet fame felt cheap and probably indicative of a larger societal problem. Perhaps fiddling while Rome burned.

Yeah, that Rome....
where was I?

Oh, YouTube.
So people became YouTube famous. They got paid whatever amount per whatever amount of hits. These people were making MONEY. Damn cool for them.. I used to make a pittance blogging.  The subject of the story on the radio was the incredible pressure to produce, which they compared to actresses, actors, musicians, and other fields.

This 20 year old was YouTube Famous, attaining a lifelong dream.
Huh?
Oh yeah, there are people significantly younger than me.
This lady had income from YouTube, endorsements, and her own line of stuff with her logo on it.
I think I'm going to be sick.
She talked about the pressure to create a 'great video' every week or two so people would come back.
You've got to be fucking kidding me.

Stopping my trademark outrage for a moment, I do not begrudge her the money or 'fame'. She works hard and produces something a lot of people want to see. According to the story, it takes a lot of time to make a 2 minute video, largely in production.


You've got to be fucking kidding me.
I sit at this keyboard, and the keyboard before it, banging out original material, some based on my life, some rants, lots of sarcasm, and some technical information. I do it very frequently and edit it together, trying to weed the less interesting stuff out and produce a new installment every few days. Do I feel pressure? A tiny amount, but that's my own fault for putting it on myself. I do this because I like to. The fact people read it is the cherry on top. I am completely full of shit also. I spend a lot of time wondering why more people don't come by. People who aren't always related to me tell me the blog is funny and interesting. I come up with more original stuff whenever I visit Twitter, which is every other night or so. Every now and then I mention the blog, plus it's in my bio. Same with GAB, a free-speech oriented social network. Apparently I can't drag people in with an internet-based hook.

Well, good for the YouTube Famous. They obviously put out a product that the market wants, at least until the next new shiny thing comes along. Why shouldn't they ride that train? I'm partially jealous.  Being an obscenely creative person (more accurately, creatively obscene), I could probably do Funny Stuff on video, but considering my Late Adopter method, I won't start doing it for another few years.