Jackasses making millions on YouTube for their "job", how do you feel about it?

Teenagers making millions just from recording themselves playing video games and trash talking other YouTubers, people just "reacting" to videos and shilling Nord VPN every single video making millions every year, it feels so strange to me. And then there's millions of YouTubers who wish they could become popular and wealthy, pumping out daily videos that no one watches. And there must be plenty of people hustling on YouTube who are coming away with an average income of like 60k a year or so.

Personally it grinds my gears, because I'm not attractive or charismatic enough for it to be me. But really it seems wild to me that there are teenagers out there making millions doing something that they would probably be happy to do for free anyway.

Maybe relevant, but many years ago I did upload a video to YouTube, a recording of an amateur skit at a local convention, which got about 250,000 views and was offered monetisation by YouTube. I accepted it because why not, but I didn't really get many more views after that so never made money. And I didn't have any more content to upload, it was just a random thing I recorded and uploaded, roughly edited with Windows Movie Maker. I guess I had zero motivation or desire to get into that kind of thing.

Comments

  • +6

    Yes No

    • +37

      Good for them. I've never understood people who deride other's success — they must be quite miserable.

      • +8

        Yep this.

        I watch some Twitch streamers

        People like the op seriously over estimate how many make decent money,

        Most are not teenagers but early/mid 20s.

        I'm personally amazed by their accomplishment at such a young age.

        It isn't just turning the camera on, there is a lot business you have to do behind the scenes.

        Not everyone can just hire a manger

        How do you keep people entertain, how many months, years can you keep this up

        How do you stay edgy, without being 'cancelled'

        • Oh so sick of Streamers in their pools for views.

          • @JonSteele: no one makes you watch them,

            I personally don't understand the gambling streams, they have huge views…

            But if that's what people want to watch… and you can supply that demand… meh

      • +2

        Good for them. I've never understood people who deride other's success — they must be quite miserable.

        This.

    • +3

      if you can side step university and formal quals, the stupid ye olde heirarchy of corporations and figure out a way to make money on your terms (well, and the platform of course) then power to you!

      Also, it's alot harder than it looks.

  • +69

    Life is not fair.

    • +5

      Life is not equal…. fair or unfair is up for interpretation…. It can be argued that a lot of peoples circumstances are their own doing, which means that the situation is not equal but it was fair.

      • +15

        People are not equal. Different people have different aptitudes. Some are brilliant at a multitude of things, some a few things and others struggle with the basics.

        We shouldn't tell children that they can be whatever they can dream of. That's a lie. We should tell them to do their best with their abilities.

        • +7

          In my opinion, it's simply better to tell kids that study requires a lot of work, that they will need to push themselves. Otherwise, we might create a system of complacent learning, where kids are no longer pushed or motivated to go beyond their perceived abilities.

    • +4

      I realised this many many years ago, then I accepted it and just got on with life.
      It's easier to be grateful for what you have when you think of how better OR WORSE your life could be.

  • +11

    FTFY

    OP wants to be a unattractive or uncharismatic (albeit older) Jackass making millions on YouTube.

    Voices of OzB: What do you want to do about it?

    OP: Complaint on OzB of cos…

    Voices of OzB: We are here to save millions, not make money.

    • +2

      Plus, you don't pay tax on money saved

      • +3

        A dollar saved is a dollar earned.

        We're all squillionaires!!

  • +48

    how do you feel about it?

    Don't really care to be honest. Good on em.

  • +48

    Personally it grinds my gears, because I'm not attractive or charismatic enough for it to be me.

    Step away from the internet then if it's an issue

  • +30

    how do you feel about it?

    I couldn't care less

    • -2

      but you could, cause you commented on it

      • -1

        Commenting doesn't mean they care, they're replying to OP which isn't the same thing

        • -1

          Peter, try to comment less.

          • @buckerooni: Have you heard not taking criticism from someone you wouldn't take advice from? Think I'll apply that here.

  • +36

    Why dont you do it then if that's all it takes to make millions? You can build charisma if its worth millions.

    • +43

      Your comment hits the nail so squarely on the head.

      I used to work for a company that had an arm managing these YouTube stars, among other related services. The amount of effort that goes into it all is pretty nuts; planning consistently engaging content, organising support crew, filming, editing, marketing, building revenue streams outside of the crumbs YouTube pays out etc. And they need to pump these out consistently, they can't afford to lose any momentum. Certainly not something I have any interest on doing.

      I think people forget that these kid-stars find fame the same way as most people do - they grind it out for aaaaages before finding something that sticks. They're just lucky they're still kids with all this free time to keep at a hobby for long enough to get good enough to make money from it.

      Also, guaranteed there is a much larger proportion of people on YouTube who go absolutely nowhere, so than the few dozen that are constantly showing up in your feed…

      • +3

        Also, the competition keeps getting more fierce every single day as hundreds or thousands of new creators get onto the bandwagon, possibly dividing their share of viewers every single days.

      • -6

        I think you're giving too much credit. Certainly some content creators working with big agencies on contracts would be hard at work. But the kids doing it aren't even of legal drinking age. They're not working with agencies, they're just tech-saavy and confident. Most of their content is exactly the same.

        As for "do it yourself if it's so easy" - the thing is, kids are so successful on YouTube because their market is other kids. Kids like to watch people their own age regardless of talent or quality. God knows they desperately lack friends and socialisation, so watching other kids makes them feel like they're connected.

        A 15 year old making Minecraft videos is going to get millions of views naturally. An adult making videos about financial tips - the standard is much higher. The other adults watching know what's good and what's not.

        • +2

          tell us about "ALL" these 15 year olds making millions… or is it just a handflu out of millions…

          • +1

            @Baghern: This I have to keep telling my son, who of course wants to be a YouTuber.

            Not that I'm stopping him. I've offered to help him with the video/lighting side. Never know, he might strike it rich and dad can retire!

            Kind of like lotto eh?

    • +1

      “I guess I had zero motivation or desire to get into that kind of thing” …but it grinds OP’s gears that others do. 😂

  • +16

    I tend to think it's a pretty good system in some ways. I would look at it as:

    Have an interest in something/be good at something, make some videos and if enough people think you're entertaining you get a following and make some money.

    vs

    Be born into the right family/go to school with the right people/visit enough hotels rooms late at night, some rich executive will put you in their new thing or give you a job.

    There's many exceptions to both of course but seems like a much more democratic process.

    • +7

      Yep, the ability to become famous (or even earn a living) just by making some fun/interesting videos at home and uploading them was impossible when I was a kid.

      20 years ago just being hilarious, creative, brilliant, talented, extremely hardworking, or wildly original usually got you nowhere.. unless you were also rich/connected/lucky enough to get on TV, radio, newspapers, etc.

      Now many of these people can get their work out there.

      It's a hundred times better, for everyone.

      • Creative and hard working people have been flourishing for centuries. It was not impossible for you - you just didn't know how to do it. Of course knowing the right people helps but part of working hard is to network, take pride in yourself, and build a list of contacts in your industry. Very few of us "know the right people" by birthright. It's a personal circumstance that you build over time.

        On paper, YouTube sounds like the simple platform you're making it out to be but in reality it's not that simple. You still need to know how to hack the online game, work the algorithms, and even as before know the right people to get yourself promoted. YouTube and other social platforms are quickly becoming paid spaces for major brands to buy into. It's getting harder and harder to see independent/freelance news these days, all you get is CNN, ABC etc. So it's no longer a simple as "put up a good video and watch the $$ roll in"

  • +4

    Not just teenagers on Youtube
    Teenagers on instagram
    Teenagers on TikTok
    Teenagers on …….

    (Oh, and some older peeps too)

    • +1

      I'll watch a fight between de Nero and the Orange Turd

  • +2

    Personally it grinds my gears, because I'm not attractive or charismatic enough for it to be me.

    Elephant man worked in a circus as a display. So not all hope is lost.

    You just need to find trash to talk about that people are interested in. Like get rich quick on crypto. People drawing lines on graphs and sound like it is real technical analysis and talking about all the smarts of the cypto (people said that about Terra / Luna) or Alex Mashinsky (Celsius CEO) AMAs that sucked so many people in. Just don't comment on regulated industries anything you need an licence for (APRA / ASIC) otherwise you'll end up in in jail.

    Best cypto podcast I heard is people who just discuss all the cryptos relative to Bitcoin and how it is historically the widest and it should narrow so it is under valued etc.

  • +28

    Although their content may be inane and uninteresting, effort is still effort. The ones making millions of dollars are more likely to be full time YouTubers and enterprises. Think Linus Media Group. Even for them, a large chunk of their revenue actually comes from selling merchandise, plus sponsorships and other non-YT related businesses like Floatplane.

    YouTubers need to continually upload content to keep the algorithm happy otherwise their videos don't get recommended to anyone. There's lots of content creators nowadays competing with each other and they're constantly one-upping each other to stay afloat.

    • +3

      Agree - Youtube seems like one of the worst ways to do it - Seems like way too much effort with videos and editing etc

      You gotta get that Instagram influencer money, All you do is take a photo - add a filter with the product in your hand and you get 10K

      Either that or get your junk out for Onlyfans

      • +1

        Speaking of OF, is anyone else amazed Meshel Karen is making any money on there?

      • It's pretty risky to bet on using just one platform too. If something happens to your channel, your whole revenue stream is gone.

    • +4

      Linus mentioned in one of his live streams he's on 160k take home, honestly I don't think he'd have many bonus's because of how much he re-invests (Except free tech). His wife would have decent take home too.

      But Considering he basically lives at his job, I bet he's not actually making terribly much on the hour/dollar scale.

    • There are also some excellent full-time YouTubers who are worth watching. I could cite many channels I follow, but here is one for you:
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGE_XWGKfW4
      He and his wife do experiments trying new things (often for months at a time), then they post the results. The videos are amusing, yet educational.

  • +9

    Jackasses making millions on YouTube for their "job", how do you feel about it?

    Well good for them. If they've built a channel from the ground up and not relied on mummy and daddy's money, good on them. They've got a job that they like doing and pays well, what's it to you?

  • +11

    It’s the free market mate

    Stupid or not, if you can make content that people would like to watch you can make those ‘millions’ too.

    But if you are trying to have a bigger conversation about the degeneracy that’s set into our society and the overall erosion of our morality and intellect, you are targeting the wrong crowd for that.

    • I'm not so sure - I would be interested in those conversations!

      • I get it mate, most people wouldn’t either.

        But ideally, we should.
        Best way to run a society ?
        When the society and culture polices each other rather than the establishment and their corporate cronies.

  • +3

    Perhaps this says more about you and your viewing habits than it does about YouTubers?

    TikTok on the other hand…

  • +3

    It's a bit like acting, very few can actually make the cut. It requires lots of hard work and luck to make it big
    But the results can be extremely rewarding.

    • Most actors and famous people have something missing inside so are driven to be famous.

      Or they already have the connections to make it.

      • Or they bend over for the Harvey Weinsteins of the world.

  • +6

    Why get upset by what works for other people?

    Don’t compare your life to other peoples.
    Life isn’t always fair, but you can make the most of any situation. It’s all perspective.

    Enjoy what you have and be content.

    • I would really like a youtube series where they take random people and make them get one million views

      • It exists, but not as a series. Don’t tell the OP though, he might get upset.

  • +6

    There's so many people who are filthy rich, I don't care about random people on the internet making money. Good on them for finding success I guess?

  • +2

    No different from the old (or even current) days of Broadcast TV as far as I'm concerned.

    • +4

      Shows like The Project may as well be a podcast.

  • +2

    You do what works for you. And let them do what works for them.

    Personally it grinds my gears, because I'm not attractive or charismatic enough for it to be me

    One day, just one day…. they might have something for all of us ugly people too! Wait… I'm pretty sure I've seen quite a few ugly people online that make it big, so why don't you give it a go?

  • +8

    Assuming they are doing everything ethically not exploiting anyone, good for them! Why wouldn't you want people to have as much success as they can?

  • +18

    I'm not attractive or charismatic enough

    I watch a lot of videos by this guy on Youtube called Techmoan, who does reviews & repairs of unusual retro analog technology items such as record players & cassette players.

    He gets hundreds of thousands of views for each video & he's definitely not "attractive" in the conventional sense (he's in his 50's & not a bodybuilder or anything), and I don't know if you can call him "charismatic". He's just a normal guy talking in a normal voice.

    The thing he does have, is a lot of passion for the things (retro tech) about which he's making videos, and that's what makes his videos interesting.

    So, the thing I'm trying to say is that it isn't necessary for someone to be "attractive" or "charismatic". You only need to be passionate about the subject of your videos, and that passion can attract a lot of viewers.

    • +3

      You made a good point there
      There’s thousands of uncharismatic YouTubers that produce well researched and honest content, making millions.

      As long as you work hard enough and have some integrity about you, there’s a sizeable audience out there for you too..

      • +2

        I’m not sure many of the “uncharismatic” YouTubers are making millions. The algorithm favours those pumping quick and easy to make daily videos. It is sad to see these being far more successful than the ones that put well researched and passionately made content released weekly or less often. But I guess that’s just the reality of it and being more profitable for Youtube

        • It's about how well you can monitize.

        • +1

          I’m not sure many of the “uncharismatic” YouTubers are making millions.

          Well there’s heaps
          Right off the cuff, the ones I could name

          Vikstar
          Shroud
          Mr Beast (Great guy yes but uncharismatic)
          Scarce
          Dangel o wallace
          Zerka
          Pewdipie(Very likeable but somewhat bland and boring)

          These are all like big time YouTubers too, with millions of subscribers at a minimum.
          And there’s soon many that I have checked out before and wondered to myself how come so many people are into this guy/gal.
          I could give you a much longer list if you want.

          Btw yes, you have got it spot on with your take on how the Yt algorithm actually works.

    • Techmoan is a good example. He's an old half blind guy, but through his smooth voice, well written scripts, interesting content and good story telling style manages to get millions of views.

      There are content creators that never show their face on camera. Silver/gold/coin collection channels are a good example. Doesn't matter what you look like, or your age.

      • +5

        There are content creators that never show their face on camera.

        Lockpickinglawyer

        Also he doesn't feel the need to extend the video to 9+mins to get ads in it

        • He also doesn't feel the need to pronounce the word "key" correctly, he keeps saying "kay".

          • @AustriaBargain: lol but content like that transcends the language and culture barriers anyways.
            People from all over the world, watch that stuff..

  • +9

    I was listening to a Beatles song the other day, "Paperback Writer":

    If you really like it, you can have the rights
    It could make a million for you overnight

    For the time it would have been a popular medium. And yes, people still read books, but it probably isn't the money-spinner it once was.

    YouTube stars are today's medium. If they're making money, great. But don't be fooled into thinking it doesn't take a lot of work, a lot of start-up capital, and endless attempts to be regarded as popular by whatever algorithm YouTube has decided for today.

    MrBeast is maybe one of the most desperate at gaming the algorithm to get clicks. If you want to know why half of YouTube is just "stars" making shocked Pikachu faces at other YouTube videos it is because it is explicitly mentioned by YouTube as a legitimate way of creating new content. So YouTubers do it. Not because we want to see these kinds of videos, but because YouTube encourages it.

    Anyway, don't be disheartened if you don't become a star. Most artistic industries are not there to promote individuals - even if it appears that an individual is doing it all on their own. Usually they're not - they have big production teams, sponsors, and capital behind them. Go back and review every Top 40 star over the last several decades… a lot of them were wealthy and had access to instruments and technology other talented musicians could only dream of obtaining.

    Then listen to Dire Straits song "The Gallery" for a macabre take on the artistic painting industry.

    • +1

      Haven't looked at the story of mrbeast in much depth, but I believe he was a content creator not making anything on YouTube for a good 7 years.

    • Also "Money for nothing".

    • +1

      MrBeast spends literally millions of dollars making his videos.

      Check out his interview on JRE, quite eye opening.

      • Wow, just watched the JRE interview for MrBeast I didn't realise the depth of that individual.

        The video kind of sums up the sentiment of the responses to this thread. You kind of need to find your passion and dedicate time to it, the concern for how others monetize themselves will fall away from you. OP take a look

  • +1

    It's still high risk. Only the top win. And even then you need to keep on doing tricks to keep your audience.

    There are tons of YouTube accounts with million subs that can't get in the million views now.

    Much easier to work a office job and get a paycheck for 40 years.

  • +7

    Stop making excuses for yourself OP lol. People aren't popular on youtube because they are pretty. Sure some people may be but not everyone. Don't be jealous, work hard at something instead

    • lol of course they are. Some channels are just an excuse to excite young audiences with softcore sexual themes. Kids who can't afford porn or OnlyFans eat that sort of content.

      Here's a good video explaining it and showing live examples (pretty disturbing tbh)

      https://youtu.be/4RVcAtMrsd8

      In fact I would say there are very few popular female YouTubers who aren't extremely good looking.

  • Apart from what others have said, calling other people Jackass will not get you any fans. You need fans to make it big. So, probably it starts even before you create content.

  • Since pWc, KPMG, Deloitte and that other mob are all playing passive aggressive with my 6 figure salary, I am starting a only fans. #subscribe. #comment. #like

  • +14

    I'm sure if you looked at the % of people making an actual income on that platform, it would be absolutely miniscule

    • +2

      How many people make more than 20k per year?

      Percentage of full-time workers: 95%

      Percentage of attractive youtubers: 0.001%

  • +2

    My view is “whatever”. Vacuous people have always been vacuous. They are just finding their “people” now days. It might affect their future employment prospects, who knows? I’m more concerned about the neoNazis.

    • +1

      It appears somebody prefers the NeoNazis.

      • -2

        Where are these ‘NeoNazis’ that everybody keeps harping on about ?
        People parrot that same drivel as what I hear from the media, it almost seems like there’s an epidemic of racist people out there.
        Working in the CBD, I saw the anti mandate protests myself.. included a mix of people of all races.
        Next day on the news - group of racist Nazis vandalising melbourne along with cropped frame of five white people holding a banner in their hands.
        And I thought no one will believe this crap but clearly I was wrong.

        Btw I am half African/half south Asian and it’s the woke types that have been the most condescending to me and almost everybody in my circle.

        It appears somebody prefers the NeoNazis.

        So they either agree and believe your mindless drivel or they must be some Nazi sympathisers.
        Great logic matey 👍🏻

        • +2

          You might not like to think they are out there but they are. As they learnt in Nazi Germany in the 30s ignoring them isn’t a good idea. I saw the anti mandate people myself. I was trapped in a tram whilst they rampaged. However, they weren’t the people I was talking about.

          Honestly I don’t give a rats about what race you are. However, these guys might. You might not want to get their attention when they are in a group and you are not in the city.

          • -1

            @try2bhelpful:

            Nazi Germany in the 30s ignoring them isn’t a good idea

            Firstly, that entire movement was birthed and propagated by one radical and deranged man’s misinterpretation of a book. There weren’t groups brewing up, collectively hating on Jews or something. Infact, until Hitler came about, the Christians and Jews were all getting along just fine.
            By the way, later on when it did become an actual problem. That information wasn’t hidden but actually suppressed from the Western population by the same powers that owns us today. (https://youtu.be/4oVpt_I9iQQ)
            Great watch, on how corporate America/England and the media actually backed Hitler in his madness.

            You know what’s the real problem ?
            The commies… there’s heaps of them and none of’em attended the history class. That’s what really scares me.

            Honestly I don’t give a rats about what race you are.

            Perfect answer and I never even thought or suggested that you did. Cheers.

            However, they weren’t the people I was talking about.

            Okay, then who though ?
            I genuinely want to know these groups that you so confidently keep referring to…
            Because I don’t ever see them or read about them unless it’s the lying media, needlessly slandering people.

            However, these guys might. You might not want to get their attention when they are in a group and you are not in the city.

            Mate, I am the guy that used to get on the 5:15 train in the morning to get to work and then come back home on the 24:15. Apart from a few stares and one serious confrontation by a crack head. I have had 0 problems from the white peoples in this country. Eventhough I hypocritically had negative connotations about them when I first got here.
            The only times i have been targeted and nearly robbed was from my own fellow black people. They are the groups that I would really avoid on a Monday night if I’m by myself.

            • +4

              @Gervais fanboy: Yeah, whatever mate. You might want to do a tad more research into what happened in Nazi Germany, including who was in the concentration camps. You might, also, want to do some research on how well Jews and Christians have got on throughout history. May I suggest you stop looking at random YouTube sites and look at respected websites for information. Sounds like you’ve gone down a few rabbit holes.

              Honestly, I hope you never run into these guys but you can make your own way in the world.

              Just backing out of the room and not making eye contact, at the moment. I’ll close the door on the way out.

              • -1

                @try2bhelpful:

                including who was in the concentration camps

                Hmm, you seem to be suggesting something based on nothing. Don’t know why you would even say that.
                lol I am not denying that the holocaust happened.

                Btw you keep asking me to read up on history.
                Using that same precedent and all your intellectual prowess. Why don’t you share with us the death count from Communism and how it has never worked and yet we have a serious chunk of our population rooting for it.
                The ‘virtuous’ person that you are, come on educate us on it..

                You might, also, want to do some research on how well Jews and Christians have got on throughout history

                That’s a strawman. You keep doing that.

                I never made a generalisation about the Jew-Christian relationship since the beginning of time but only referred to that specific pre-Hitler environment in Germany.
                Why do you keep manipulating what I say.

                May I suggest you stop looking at random YouTube sites;Sounds like you’ve gone down a few rabbit holes.

                Come on man, you didn’t even watch that damn thing. You have zero idea what it’s about.
                Granted, you are not obligated to watch it. Cool. It’s too long anyways.
                But atleast doesn’t make those judgements when you didn’t even watch what I had shared.
                You have such an elitist attitude in your comments.

                Honestly, I hope you never run into these guys but you can make your own way in the world

                Appreciate that…👍🏻

                Btw you still haven’t shared or explain those ‘neo Nazi’ groups that you were soo passionately talking about.
                I keep pressing you on this because I know you have nothing of real substance on that subject. And yet as a grown up, you unapologetically keep spreading this false hysteria.
                And in all your richness, get offended over someone disliking your comment and then you go on to make some preposterous insinuations.

                Just backing out of the room and not making eye contact, at the moment. I’ll close the door on the way out.

                Hahaha, lol.

                • +2

                  @Gervais fanboy: Youre literally linking a fake news youtube channel that has a fear mongering 5G video on it.

                  I was not surprised at all really, no credibility.

            • +4

              @Gervais fanboy:

              There weren’t groups brewing up, collectively hating on Jews or something

              This is not historically accurate in the least.

              • -1

                @singlemalt72: I was only referring to the conditions in Germany until Hitler came to power as the chancellor…

                It was only after, that the people were banned from attending Jewish businesses, cutting off any ties etc

                It was still the clergy class that openly protested against these measures, some of whom were sent to the camps too for their civil disobedience.

        • +2

          Where are these ‘NeoNazis’ that everybody keeps harping on about ?

          lol what

          • -1

            @Techie4066: lol come on

            ‘Try2BeHelpful’ keeps on talking about them as if they are a real problem in our society today. And yet wouldn’t present any formidable evidence of such.

            I have read his cronies say the same thing in previous threads…
            I thought it was about time, I spoke up.

            • @Gervais fanboy: Okay then…
              Neo-nazism definitely is a real and growing issue in the US. The evidence is all there online. Dig through 4chan if you need.

              • -1

                @Techie4066: Are you basing that on the meme counts that were hyping up Trump because of the leak that happened with Hillary ?

                Because other than trolls and dark memes, there’s nothing on there I just looked it up.

                Either I am missing something here or you have been watching too much CNN.

                • @Gervais fanboy: No. It's the culture within the groups that contributed to an insurrection, part of an attempted coup. It's giving rise to countless mass murders and shootings, and so on. I'm sure you can understand perpetrators' written motives.
                  It is also rotting the Republican party inside and out. The party of cruelty.
                  Have a great Friday evening.

  • +9

    It irks me more that my teenagers waste their time watching these morons doing mundane things…

    • My kids would often literally rather watch someone play a game (they own) than play it themselves.

      Or some chatty twit blathering about a terrible mobile game they are paid to promote, instead of an actual good movie or show on iView/Netflix/Disney+/etc

  • -4

    I think okay, boomer is an appropriate response to this post. :)

  • +5

    You’ll live a happier life if you become less jealous

  • +2

    I'm responsible for my own life, so I don't feel anything when I think of how successful others may or may not be, nor the means to their success (or non-success, as it may be). If it ever occurs to me that I'm not as successful as others in a particular aspect of life, then it's probably because I didn't try hard enough, or I didn't really care to begin with.

Login or Join to leave a comment