Swarms of Randos Ended My Youtube Career
I started making ranting phone videos about ten years ago and the worst thing I ever did was listen to my audience. The comment feature on Youtube meant people could get into my head whether they were trying to or not and it didn't help me to grow as a person one little bit. Imagine hundreds of randos giving you advice and you have an idea of the confusion in the centre of my head at the time.
It wasn't just advice, it was abuse and weirdly too intimate questions about my mental health. It was one nasty comment from someone who clearly knew me from real life and was angry at me, who then disappeared with me none the wiser, but slightly more paranoid.
The very first time I flipped open my new phone and saw that there was a camera I had the idea that I took to the internet and shared. Ranting videos, built one sentence at a time so they had a power and a ridiculousness that could not be denied. I knew what I was doing pretty much instantly. But as soon as I started the comments rolled in and fucked up my whole shit big time. Since when does an artist open up their process to a (non-paying) public? That's what I was doing and I found myself constantly reacting. In no time I was bogged down in dramas.
Eventually I burned out/made the move to open mic comedy and it all sort of dribbled away. But I still wanted to make videos because I am very good at it and was vaguely aware internet shit storms aren't my fault. One day the car video idea hits me and I knew I was set.
Nearly 50 car videos later I don't read the Youtube comments. I saw some of those comments quite accidentally the other day and yep, it's still weird and to be avoided at any cost. Also, I'm down from 3000 views to 30. So some audience rebuilding to do. But no reading their comments. Ever. Fucking. Again.
It wasn't just advice, it was abuse and weirdly too intimate questions about my mental health. It was one nasty comment from someone who clearly knew me from real life and was angry at me, who then disappeared with me none the wiser, but slightly more paranoid.
The very first time I flipped open my new phone and saw that there was a camera I had the idea that I took to the internet and shared. Ranting videos, built one sentence at a time so they had a power and a ridiculousness that could not be denied. I knew what I was doing pretty much instantly. But as soon as I started the comments rolled in and fucked up my whole shit big time. Since when does an artist open up their process to a (non-paying) public? That's what I was doing and I found myself constantly reacting. In no time I was bogged down in dramas.
Eventually I burned out/made the move to open mic comedy and it all sort of dribbled away. But I still wanted to make videos because I am very good at it and was vaguely aware internet shit storms aren't my fault. One day the car video idea hits me and I knew I was set.
Nearly 50 car videos later I don't read the Youtube comments. I saw some of those comments quite accidentally the other day and yep, it's still weird and to be avoided at any cost. Also, I'm down from 3000 views to 30. So some audience rebuilding to do. But no reading their comments. Ever. Fucking. Again.
The irony of commenting here, but the videos are always fricking great, and also, I miss Melbourne, so I'm looking out the window as you drive.
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