It’s been so long since I’ve done a simple post just talking about some random topic that pop-up in my head. And today is time to talk about the YouTubers phenomenon. I’m not going to dive into any drama that might be on at the moment or give you reasons why/why not you should follow YouTubers. My point here is a little different. Instead of focusing on the internet “celebrities”, I want to focus on me and you – the viewers – and how being a viewer impacts our lives.

I follow a fair share of people on the platform that I watch on a daily basis. Most of the times it depends on my mood. If I want to laugh my ass off, probably I’m going to watch some Fortnite or GTA V funny moments. If I want to get my reading mood up and running, a few TBR or wrap-up videos should do the trick. Or if I want inspirations for my next project, any DIY or craft video should give me some ideas. For relaxing moments and to unwind from a long day, daily vlogs, Sims 4 LPs (Let’s Play – a series of multiple episodes telling a story using The Sims), lifestyle videos, or even dance choreographies can help distract my mind for a few minutes.

The type of channels I just mentioned are just a few of the ones I follow. My most recent follow was actually a jigsaw puzzle related channel. The videos are only about jigsaw puzzles, and yet I still find a moment in my day to enjoy a time lapse. I’m literally just watching someone else do a jigsaw puzzle instead of doing it myself. But its calming and enjoyable. And this is one of the best things about the platform, you have something for everyone. There are prank channels, family channels, unboxing channels, tech channels, drama channels, cooking channels, travelling channels, and many many more that I probably never heard about. You just have to choose what you like to watch. It really is amazing the amount of entertainment and the diversity we can get with just one click.

For me, YouTube acts like a second Tv. I watch the videos the same way I would watch a TV series or a movie, I do it because it’s entertaining. Most of the time, I like to let the videos playing in the background, while I’m doing other things that don’t need as much concentration as writing this post does. And when it comes to daily vlogging, I think is so interesting to see other people’s way of living. Discover how we have so many little differences that for starters we didn’t even know they exist. For example, do you store your fruit in a fruit basket on the table or do you save it in the fridge? Although this doesn’t mean that there is a correct way of doing it, it’s just different ways to archive the same goal.

It’s also true that while watching others people’s life online, it’s easy to get a bit jealous, mostly because some videos are about expensive lifestyles – they need to get those views, right! I’m not going to lie and say that I never felt it, on some bad day I am more vulnerable to does kind of negative thoughts than on others. But most of the times, it gives me a productive bust to get my ass out of bed and start working, especially if the video itself is focused on doing something productive and not just going out and about in town.

I’ve been following Alfie Deyes (aka Pointless Blog) and his girlfriend, Zoe Sugg (aka Zoella) for almost 3 years now. In that time, I would religiously watch every single daily vlog that (mostly Alfie) would put up. Usually, his videos aren’t too long, about 15 minutes, so before going to bed or while eating dinner is very easy to squeeze in a video. But lately, I’ve witnessed that I no longer have that impulse to watch his new videos as soon as possible. I actually leave it unseen for weeks even, and it got me thinking of what could this mean?

What does it mean when you suddenly don’t want to watch YouTube videos?

To put it straight, it means you have better things to do with your own life, and that you are in fact enjoying it instead of sitting back and see other people making the most of their own life.

Over the years, I’ve come to the realisation that when people like to comment on other people’s lives that’s because they don’t have anything to do with their own life. If you are busy working or taking care of your family, the last thing you want to do is spend energy talking about your neighbour doing this or that. And you might be even like a bit of gossip here and there, but when you are enjoying your own life, you just spot caring. And with daily vlogging or Youtube videos in general, it happens the same thing. While we are busy with our lives we stop caring about the lives of others. Although, we have to be busy and enjoying what we are doing. Every day I came back from Uni with work to do, YouTube was my decompress, that little moment to relax where I didn’t have to think about work. But if you do enjoy your work, then you won’t need to watch the videos since you want to be focused on what you are doing. This is also valid for hobbies, social gathering and basically, anything that you enjoy doing. For example, during the summer vacations, I barely watch any YouTube, because I use my time to be with my friends, go to the beach or the pool, enjoy my family company, spend an afternoon playing with my dog, baking, or even travelling.

This doesn’t mean we should all stop supporting YouTubers because it’s actually better not to watch the videos, you can always binge watch it while cleaning your house, cooking dinner, or just enjoying a chilled Sunday afternoon with nothing to do. No one says that we have to watch a video as soon as it’s live. The YouTubers post their videos at the time they think is best for them, but each one of us knows what is the best time to watch it. For some people, is before going to bed, for others is in the morning, or maybe you take a half an hour train which gives you plenty of time to catch up.

At the end of the day, each of us does what they like the most, either if that is going for a walk, playing video games, craft, hang out with friends or even watch hours and hours of YouTube videos. Keep in mind, it’s also important to sept away from the social media world for a bit from time to time, and enjoy what is around us. After all, your life might not be as glamorous as that YouTuber you follow but I’m sure there is something that you have that they don’t. Maybe a college degree, a pet, or even a good relationship with your family. So their lives aren’t better than yours, they are just different. And we can all enjoy as much as we want the lives they want to portrait as long as we don’t forget to live our own.