These past several years of social media has been a whirlwind. Its a new age and Generation Z has taken over the internet landscape. More over, the social media platforms have not been the same since. No other social media sites have had a bigger launch than Instagram and YouTube.
YouTube Growth
Hundreds, even thousands of people have created an account with either Instagram or YouTube. Hoping to grow their status as an influencer through their skills or crazy fun lives. I will talk about some influencers in both social media platforms but I will start with YouTube.
One of the most famous YouTubers right now is David Dobrik. His fast growth in the YouTube community has helped him gain over 17 million subscribers on an average of 10 million views per video.
David is not shy when it comes to making entertaining content for his viewers. On his main channel he uploads videos with a 4:20 time stamp possibly as a nod to a celebratory day of smoking marijuana. He and his friends do crazy stunts and find ways to be funny throughout the video that will leave you in a good mood.
Now, David is a superstar in the YouTube realm and has people in Hollywood as fans also. He also featured in Angry Birds 2 with a small speaking role as a security guard. I think its safe to say that Mr. Dobrik is doing just fine with his success and is still seen as a squeaky clean role model for kids when he brought home a Kids Choice Award for Male Social Star.
YouTube has tons of people for different content. Going from cooking to jumping off balcony’s. It displays a wide variety of people doing very different activities as entertainment. I think reality TV has shown that people love looking at other peoples lives so Google took that and made it into something that people can not only enjoy but also be entertained free of charge.
The Instagram Rise
Instagram has been a monumental rise since its launch in 2010. At first it was a place like Facebook where people could find others that they know and contact with them. Seeing how each other is doing in life. Then it turned into a phenomena that included celebrities and those from YouTube creating a new way for their fans to see what they are up to and having the feeling of being able to talk to them at any time.
Like YouTube, Instagram has increased in numbers and has grown into its own empire with Mark Zuckerberg buying majority of the company a few years ago. Now we have women showing off their body more than ever. Recording artists speaking their mind and sharing exclusives. And sports stars showing the family side of them. I think its safe to say that IG can make you a star.
I’m sure you’re well aware of the woman above this line. She needs no introduction as she has taken the world by storm (no pun intended). Kylie Jenner has taken social media by the horns and has captivated the Instagram world. With a measly 175 million followers, Jenner has netted millions upon millions of likes and follows.
This image has helped her grow her cosmetics company to be valued over a billion dollars. Many IG influencers have gained momentum from their start on this platform and as your fame rises so does the bank account. This type of thing is life changing to some people and even companies. Finding new ways to market their brand. Not to mention people go on Instagram every other second of the day. Its almost as if there isn’t a time when someone is not on their phone looking for the latest post.
I believe the difference in the fame of YouTube and Instagram comes from who you are versus who you can be. On one side, IG allows people who are already kind of known to gain substantial growth and YouTube on the other hand has the power to turn someone who is not known yet into a mega star. Like David Dobrik from the last section.
This leads me to believe that YouTube has a greater impact than Instagram. But this could vary on the status of someone. I see Instagram as more of a celebrity driven YouTube without the full screen. You can get a whole experience and do more by watching YT and make profit after hitting a certain threshold. Thus making YouTube king, for now.
