Photo by AK Alilonu ’16 – Houghton Mayfield ’18 (left) and Chaz Stackpole ’18 (right) each have run their own youtube channels, posting content ranging from gameplay to skits.
By Henry Nallen ’18
THE ROUNDUP
YouTube, the world famous video sharing site, is a tool many people, including many Brophy students use to promote themselves and their interests and hobbies.
Though it has only been around for 10 years, YouTube has become a massive platform for entertainment, knowledge and technology. One of its most appealing qualities is it is available to everybody for free.
Unlike any established industry such as sports, news, or entertainment, YouTube doesn’t require a certain professional standing for fame. Anybody can post videos and become “internet famous” overnight.
Many popular Youtubers, for example Grace Helbig and Troye Sivan, have become prominent figures in the entertainment industry. They have since spawned a variety of things such as books, music, movies and even TV shows.
People of all different cultures, countries, and age groups all over the world use YouTube.
Anyone walking through Brophy’s campus is sure to see YouTube being used to watch videos, either for class or entertainment purposes.
Houghton Mayfield ’18 runs a successful YouTube channel named “Mr. Terraria.”
He uploads a variety of videos related to the popular videogame “Terraria.”
When asked why he uses YouTube, he responded, “just for fun; as a hobby”.
It is not always fun though.
“Anything any Youtuber is going to have to deal with is getting a lot of hate from people. There are always going to be comments and people just hating on you,” Mayfield said.
Another Youtuber, Chaz Stackpole ’18, used to post a variety of videos, including vlog-type videos, skits and short action films. He was also very successful and had about 2,500 subscribers.
However, about a year ago he changed his videos from public to private.
“A lot of my friends would find my videos and repeat them back to me in a making-fun of kind of way,” Stackpole said.
Many kids who post videos of themselves online at such a young age do face consequences.
Though Mayfield said he does not find there to be much scrutiny on his channel, Stackpole did.
One reason for this could be that Mayfield does not show himself or his voice in his videos, and is, therefore, less subject to ridicule whereas Stackpole was usually in front of the camera.
Negativity can be much harder for younger Youtubers to handle, if they are not ready.
“I think, in general, it is not the best idea because you don’t exactly know what you’re getting yourself into,” Stackpole said when asked about younger teens posting videos of themselves.
