Entrepreneur Roberto Blake asks his guest “Why is Vlogging So Popular?” in this video: “How to Become a YouTube Vlogger: featuring Sara Dietschy!” You may click the link for their answers to the question. Here is my answer.
Why is vlogging so popular?
First, let’s define what we mean by vlogging.
When I first heard the term in 2005 or 2006, a vlog simply meant any kind of video on your weblog, as opposed to offering only text or a single image on your blog. The content of the video was irrelevant to the definition of vlogging.
Today, the term vlogging –at least, as it is used on Youtube, the second largest search engine in the world- means a specific kind of video wherein the person takes the camera (and thus the audience) throughout the day. If he goes to a coffee shop, he films it. If he goes to a wedding, he films it. Then he ends the video at the end of the day. There are variations, but ultimately, a vlog now means a video diary of your day, especially when outside of the house.
Now, why is vlogging popular?
Vlogging is popular for at least two reasons:
- Vlogging extends and strengthens the KNOW, LIKE AND TRUST factor.
When you know a person from the internet and she gives you a taste of her life beyond just the one room in which she usually films [It is typical of Youtubers to film in one room.], you feel as if you are getting a better sense of her.
The vlogger might show you the rest of the house, the surrounding region, the friends and family in her life. You accumulate more incidental details which constitute the person that you watch regularly. It’s like the details of a character in a novel – you know the person a little better and what’s important to her. You then trust her further.
- Vlogging is vicarious travel
When vloggers film their region, or the cafes they like to visit, they are creating a travelogue. What might be mundane for them is an informative adventure for others.
The Disney vlogger who has an exclusive pass to access a ride before it opens created a useful video. He filmed the ride in the front seat from a 1st person perspective. A mother thanked him in the comments section since the video helped her frightened child to study the twists and turns of the ride like a luge driver before arriving at Disney. Having that access calmed him.
Here is an example from my own experience. One of the first videos of Casey Neistat that I watched was of his trip to Marfa, TX for a wedding. I did not know that Neistat is famous, but I did know Marfa – the basecamp for location shooting of the film Giant with Elizabeth Taylor and Rock Hudson. Neistat stays in the Rock Hudson Suite, which I did not know existed before watching his vacation video. He has added to my classic film knowledge and inspired me to travel there.
Why do you think vlogging is popular today?
Sincerely,
Deborah
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