The Infamous Storytime YouTubers
Stories are a part of human nature. When I think back on my childhood, I can remember listening to stories at bedtime, stories about when I was a baby, stories about my parents’ childhoods, and so much more. The majority of people love to be entertained by a compelling story. However, it wasn’t until I was in a junior in high school that I discovered a genre of YouTube videos called “storytimes”. I never imagined that people would take to video platforms to share their personal stories with the whole world. Who is the audience of the story? Why would random people care to listen?
With vastly increasing platforms of social media it is more important than ever to dive into what makes these videos so popular. In this “storytime” genre of YouTube, only the best stories would go viral. One day, I was scrolling endlessly through a black hole of YouTube videos, wasting far more time than necessary. Eventually, I landed upon something that I did not expect – a seemingly put together young blonde girl with a video that was titled “I WAS ARRESTED FOR DRUG POSSESSION FELONIES: STORYTIME” (posted by Tana Mongeau). Of course, I became intrigued, so I clicked on the video. Tana had over a million subscribers at the time. Why? Her stories did not seem to be relatable or leisurely at all – so what created all of the hype?
As I sat in front of my computer screen I watched in awe at the contents of her story. Tana ignored her parents’ rules, snuck out of her house, went on a weekend long trip with a bunch of strangers, and eventually, got pulled over as a minor with drugs and alcohol in the vehicle. Twenty-six minutes of my life had vanished right before my eyes. Of course, it crossed my mind that this could all be fake. However, I didn’t care. I was entertained for over twenty-six minutes and that truly was all I could ask for out of the video. There started another blackhole of YouTube videos. However, this time it was solely storytimes that I would be drawn to watch. I pondered on the question: why do people love stories so much?
History of Stories
Stories originally started out as visual representations of information. For example, hieroglyphics and cave drawings have been dated back to origins over 30,000 years ago. Mendoza claims that “Since we are visual individuals, drawings have always been an effective way to tell others stories about survival and life” (Mendoza 1). The next form of storytelling to emerge was verbal storytelling. In America, traditionally, this dates back to the Native Americans. The difficulty with this type of story-telling is that it can be “sometimes skewed” (Mendoza 1). Verbal storytelling is still popular today and is encountered most frequently in groups of people socializing.
Evolution of Stories Online
History proves that human beings are drawn to tell stories. Whether told for enjoyment or helpful skills, they somehow have always managed to be a part of daily human life. This new information led me to think that perhaps viewers enjoy the physical aspect of watching a storytime. Maybe it seems more normal than reading a book to certain viewers. As a viewer is watching an influencer tell a story about their life, they are likely vegging out in the comfort of their own home. Conceivably, it feels like a social event and viewers feel as if they are simply hanging out with a friend.
Since humans are visual individuals it only made sense that with the rise of the internet and home videography someone would merge these with storytelling. While YouTube originally was founded in the early 2000’s and featured short skits of people trying to be funny, the platform has vastly changed. What was once a fun place for people to upload home videos has risen into a business of its own. Influencers use the platform as a way to showcase their talents. These talents range from acting and singing to makeup videos and workout advice. Essentially, anything goes as long as it pulls viewers in.
With growing fan bases and better content, YouTube established monetization. This meant that creators could allow advertisements to play in their videos. Each time someone viewed the advertisement the creator would get a small profit from the company. Business Insider states that in December 2007 YouTube started its “Partner Program to allow everyday people to get paid for their viral content, and turn their hobbies into money-making businesses. Not even a year later, the most successful users were earning six-figure incomes” (Leskin 1). Many of these popular “storytime” videos are monetized. The idea that creators could make so much money off of viral content made me question the sincerity of those telling the stories. It seems easy to fabricate a crazy story just for the views.
Clickbait
Many YouTubers pride themselves on maintaining an honest rapport with their fans. However, I quickly realized while watching more of these videos that the “storytimes” are often not even remotely about what the title of the video is. This is referred to as clickbait and pulls people in to click on their video but they may not stay to watch the whole thing. The things that seem to get the most views can typically be associated with partying, sex, and illegal activities.
In our current society social media is almost always present. A lot of these platforms are used only to showcase the highlights of everyone’s lives. In a lot of these cases, people tend to post partying videos. For a lot of young viewers this seems to be a way for them to understand that lifestyle. Only the craziest storytimes blow up and with the party culture that is enforced in young adults presently it seems obvious that many of the most popular videos would revolve around such activities. As I further researched this topic, I realized that people enjoy stories that are different than their daily lives.
A Modern Day Escape
The article the Sociology of Storytelling questions “What accounts for the contemporary fascination with stories?” “Bamberg pins it to a desire to capture the local and textured character of experience” (Polletta et al. 110). Essentially, people like to hear about things that they have not personally experienced. Many of these viewers explain that these videos are a way for them to escape the craziness of their day. Mindlessly zoning out to one of these videos is something that I could personally relate to when I thought back to the very first one I came across. Did I know that it was likely fabricated? Yes. Did I care? No. I was still entertained at an experience so far from my own. The difference of Tana’s life to mine was so drastic that my curiosity was peaked. I think that this is the case for a lot of people. They just want to hear about experiences that differ from their own lives. I personally was not rebellious growing up. I never did anything crazy without my parents knowing. That being said, following someone who was so wild was intriguing and entertaining nonetheless.
Frequently, people are surrounded by others similar to themselves. For example, I grew up in a middle-class suburban town. The majority of my friends/family friends were all like me. We all lived comfortably, listened to our parents, made good grades, and were very active. Therefore, I had nobody in my life who could tell me such crazy stories. I realized that this must be the appeal for viewers of storytime videos. It is human nature to question what other experiences than our own are like. I found myself doing this as I watched storytimes of people doing crazy drugs, risky meet ups with strangers, and underage drinking while recording it for the whole internet to see.
When looking at the statistics of Tana’s videos her viewers tend to be under the age of twenty-five, Caucasian, and female (noxinfluencer). I believe that many of them likely lived a life similar to my own. After all, the grass always seems greener on the other side and this is an easy way for people to see how others live.
My Takeaway
In my opinion these types of youtubers have skyrocketed to fame. While many other genres of YouTube videos tend to die down, these videos have been around for over five years and only seem to be gaining more traction. Some of the main creators even have their own reality shows now.
After further analyzing this topic I understand why these videos are and continue to stay so popular. Storytelling has always been a form of entertainment for human beings. Throughout history people have lived vicariously through stories told by others. This intertwined with people learning visually makes me believe that storytime videos are an easy escape for the general public. Not only are these videos entertaining but they also don’t cost anything. There is no monthly subscription service or one-time fee.
All in all, people love to be entertained. A strong speaker or storyteller will always gain the attention of an audience. It is important to note that we are all just human beings at the end of the day. We love to be entertained, we love escaping our daily lives, and most importantly, we love interaction with others. The next time that you are scrolling through YouTube I invite you to watch a storytime video. While watching, remember that so much more goes into these videos than is seen on the surface and it is something that we can all relate to. After all, stories are probably one of the only things that we all have in common.
Works Cited
Leskin, Paige. “YouTube Is 15 Years Old. Here’s the Incredible Story of the Website’s Early Days, and How It Rose to Become the World’s Most Popular Place to Watch Video.” Business Insider, 31 Jan. 2020, www.businessinsider.com/history-of-youtube-in-photos-2015-10.
Mendoza, Melissa. “The Evolution of Storytelling.” Reporter, 1 May 2015, reporter.rit.edu/tech/evolution-storytelling.
Polletta, Francesca, et al. “The Sociology of Storytelling.” The Annual Review of Sociology, vol. 37, 20 Apr. 2011, pp. 109–131., doi:10.1146/annurev-soc-081309-150106.
“Tana Mongeau YouTube Channel Analytics and Report.” NoxInfluencer, www.noxinfluencer.com/youtube/channel/UClWD8su9Sk6GzZDwy9zs3_w.