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Chris Stokel-Walker
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YouTubers: How YouTube Shook Up TV and Created a New Generation of Stars Mass Market Paperback – July 16, 2021

by Chris Stokel-Walker (Author)
‘For anyone trying to understand the bonkers world of YouTube, this is essential reading.’ – ESQUIRE

‘Both absorbing and highly illuminating’ – THE BOOKSELLER

‘No one understands the intricacies of YouTube like Chris Stokel-Walker’ – THE ATLANTIC

Two billion people now watch YouTube, yet its stars are a mystery to the general public and media. What is the secret of their appeal? How do they cope with being in front of the lens? And who is behind their success?

More than 100 insiders laid bare the reality of their lives for this, the first in-depth independent book on YouTube. It charts the platform's rise from single home video to global boom – while getting the facts on brand deals, burnout and authenticity.

This is an ideal guide for anyone in universities, media or marketing who needs to understand YouTube professionally, and of course those who want to make it as a YouTuber.

By the author of TikTok Boom: China's Dynamite App and the Superpower Race for Social Media.

Table of Contents

PART I

POWER AND BEGINNINGS

1. Uploading: Casey Neistat and the power of YouTube

2. Jake Paul: cars, money, and a burning swimming pool

3. Me At the Zoo: Jawed Karim and the worst video of all time

4. Viral comedy: YouTube laughs all the way to the bank

5. Grace Helbig and the first stars of vlogging

6. From Russia to Latin America: YouTube goes global

PART II

ENGINE ROOM: HOW YOUTUBE WORKS

7. The Algorithm: YouTube’s secret formula

8. Policing YouTube: extremism and the Adpocalypse

9. Sponsored content: the tale of Dodie Clark and Heinz beans

PART III

CHARTING THE STARS

10. Know your YouTube: elite, macro-influencer and micro-influencer

11. Elite influencers: fighting their way to the top

12. Child stars: meet MattyB, who gets two million views a day

13. Macro-influencers: beauty, crime and DIY

14. Micro-influencers: speaking to a devoted audience

PART IV

BEHIND THE SCENES: SNAPSHOTS

15. Summer in the City: a gathering of the influencers

16. Collaboration: Sapphire builds a career

17. Management: Sarah Weichel, star agent

18. Training camp: with the 11-year-old YouTubers

19. YouTube school: with the adult entrepreneurs

PART V

CAUGHT IN THE MACHINE

20. Pranks for views: why Monalisa Perez shot her boyfriend

21. Authenticity: the fourth wall for YouTubers

22. Burnout: slaves to the algorithm

23. Fanatical fans: obsessive relationships

PART VI

THE BATTLE FOR CONTROL

24. YouTubers found a union

25. Patreon: seeking independent support

26. Merchandise: from books to pop sockets

PART VII

THE FUTURE: YOUTUBE v TV

27. Invasion of the Hollywood stars

28. Is YouTube killing traditional TV?

29. Online video war: YouTube v Facebook

PART VIII

CONCLUSION

30. A flawed winner

Glossary

Acknowledgements

Notes

Index
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  1. Reading age
    12 - 18 years
  2. Print length
    352 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Dimensions
    5 x 0.5 x 8 inches
  5. Publisher
    Canbury Press
  6. Publication date
    July 16, 2021
  7. ISBN-10
    191245422X
  8. ISBN-13
    978-1912454228
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Editorial Reviews

Review

No one understands the intricacies of YouTube like Chris Stokel-Walker. His reporting on the platform and its creators has been ground breaking and unparalleled.
The Atlantic

For anyone trying to understand the bonkers world of YouTube, this is essential reading . Full of entertaining dispatches from the front line of streaming, Stokel-Walker has written the preeminent guide to the new celebrity world - and what it means for the rest of us
Esquire

Brilliant, witty and extraordinary... This is a must-read book for anyone who wants to truly understand the future of media, as well as the internet itself.
MEL Magazine

If you want to understand the inner workings of your favourite YouTube influencers, or perhaps if you want to understand why your children are always talking about them, you should read this book. It is smart, sweeping, and significant.
Youtube--Simon Clark

I am one of the many people Stokel-Walker interviewed for this first independent look at the world's biggest video site.

The title charts YouTube's meteoric rise from a single home video, explores its ecosystem, and attempts to explain what lies behind the extraordinary success of vloggers such as KSI, PewDiePie, Zoella and Logan Paul.

It's both absorbing and highly illuminating.

The Bookseller

About the Author

Chris Stokel-Walker is a British journalist whose work regularly appears in WIRED, The Economist and Newsweek. He is known for breaking major news about YouTube and often reports on the site for television, radio and podcasts. For YouTubers he has travelled around the world, attending YouTube events and speaking to behind-the-camera producers and power- brokers, including key creators KSI, Hank and John Green, Emma Blackery, and many others.

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Chris Stokel-Walker

Chris Stokel-Walker

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Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Chris Stokel-Walker is a British journalist whose work regularly appears in WIRED, The Economist and Fast Company.

He is known for breaking major news about YouTube and TikTok and often reports on the site for television, radio and podcasts.

In TikTok Boom, he interviews scores of interviews from the biggest names in front of and behind the camera.

In The History of the Internet in Byte-Sized Chunks, he outlines the development of the world wide web and internet.

His latest book is How AI Ate the World.

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Top reviews from the United States

There are 0 reviews and 11 ratings from the United States

Top reviews from other countries

  • Nicola Torch
    5.0 out of 5 stars An in-depth look into the world of YouTube and its stars
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 3, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    I couldn't praise this book more. It delves into the YouTube world like no other - not only does it provide in-depth history and a thorough analysis of associated topics (such as merchandise and the viewer/creator relationship) but it also takes a fascinating look at several YouTube events and controversies over the years. The incredible amount of research really shines through and you can really tell just how passionate about the subject Chris Stokel-Walker is. I hope this book begins to educate people on just how powerful YouTube has become - I would definitely recommend a purchase and a read!
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  • Trina
    4.0 out of 5 stars Good book
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 18, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    Good clear information, easy understand, very helpful
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  • Leo Bear
    5.0 out of 5 stars The future is YouTube
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 7, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    The story of the 21st century will not be written, it will be vlogged. Fortunately for those unwilling to sit through a trillion hours of YouTube footage, Chris Stokel-Walker has actually gone to the bygone lengths of transcribing the site's formative years in his riveting debut book. So buy it, read it, and learn from it while there are still books to print. Because the future is YouTube.
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  • Josh Pescatore
    5.0 out of 5 stars An Insider's book about Youtube and Youtubers
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 20, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    In order to see where YouTube is headed, you must first know its history. Chris Stokel-Walker is one of the few writers that knows YouTube is more than a platform, its a community 9.5/10
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    Josh Pescatore
    5.0 out of 5 stars
    An Insider's book about Youtube and Youtubers

    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 20, 2019
    In order to see where YouTube is headed, you must first know its history. Chris Stokel-Walker is one of the few writers that knows YouTube is more than a platform, its a community 9.5/10
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