Fame Exists

Rohan of The Fillet Skillet recently remarked [in a draft submission he unintentionally published]:

YouTube fame is such an illusion.

I put to you, dear readers, that YouTube fame is not an illusion; that fame is present on YouTube and in other areas on the internet. I present to you that the reason people do not believe in YouTube fame is because of a fundamental misunderstanding of what fame is and means. We’ve come to associate the notion with glamour, paparazzi, scandal, and model-esque good looks. It need not mean any of these things.

From Dictionary.com:

fame
–noun

1. widespread reputation, esp. of a favorable character; renown; public eminence: to seek fame as an opera singer.
2. common estimation or opinion generally held of a person or thing; reputation.

I can already hear protests. “Define ‘widespread,’” you will say. How long is a piece of string? We could set an arbitrary number at this point. We could say that 2000 subscribers or 20,000 subscribers was significant enough to be considered widespread.

How Long Is Your String: A Sample Of YouTube’s Most Subscribed

It is all relative anyway; or as Nalts put it, “It’s a bottomless pit.” For as many subscribers as you might have, you can always have more.

Culturally we have an expectation that ‘famous’ people are whisked away from us mere mortals, hidden behind bodyguards and public relations representatives. This medium changes the way people interact with each other. There are new opportunities to connect with people, irrespective of their profile. You can comment on blog posts and videos and they are usually read. Sometimes they’re responded to. You can offer counter views on topics on your own blog and use trackbacks to notify the author. Frequently this offers an opportunity for engagement you might not encounter in day-to-day life.

Many businesses and individuals utilise technology like Google Alerts and search facilities to find out who is talking about them, and what they are saying. I received an email from Sol Lipman, founder of 12seconds.tv – a service I signed up to but hadn’t used. I remarked on the email in Twitter and was surprised to find within minutes Sol had personally replied to the tweet.

My point is simply if you’re known for something – anything – you are famous. The number in and of itself isn’t important. Indeed for the movie and television actors it is remarkably difficult to even quantify. Is it the sales for their last movie, the ratings for their last television episode appearance, sales of a magazine their picture appears on the cover of? (How do YOU attempt to quantify your worth, your creativity, your output?) Instead of reaching for modesty the next time somebody takes an interest in you and your work, just express gratitude; say thank you.

Of all the things I’ve done in my 26 years, none of them have been as well-received as my involvement at YouTube. I currently have 515 Subscribers. [I choose to capitalise the word Subscribers in this instance to denote how much I appreciate them!] The number might seem quite humble to the likes of RoboFillet (1,212 subscribers) and HalfScottishGuy (2,031 subscribers). It might also seem quite generous to the likes of Brojoghost (90 subscribers) and Azukar8 (13 subscribers). But it has allowed me to extend beyond my geographical reality, and share and connect with a much broader audience than other outlets have allowed me to do thus far. To me, that is wonderful.

Tagged as: Fame, Nalts, RoboFillet, Sol Lipman, YouTube