YouTube celebrities gain recognition by appearing in videos on the website, some unintentionally. Companies exploit YouTube’s viral marketing potential, creating celebrities like lonelygirl15 and Nornna. Animal celebrities like “The Dramatic Hamster” also gain popularity. Some YouTube celebrities use the platform to promote their media careers and acquire corporate sponsors.
A YouTube celebrity is a person, and in some cases an animal, who has gained widespread recognition on the Internet and beyond by appearing in a video featured on YouTube.com. Not all YouTube celebrities achieved their status voluntarily. Particularly during the early stages of viral videos, some YouTube celebrities were unaware that they were being filmed on video or that that video had subsequently been uploaded to the internet. In these cases, where the origin of YouTube stardom was difficult to trace, they were often given a nickname that described their video, such as “Star Wars Kid”, “Angry German Kid” or “The Bus Uncle”.
After YouTube was purchased in 2006 by Google, it saw a surge in popularity as a website for Internet video. Since then, many companies have sought to exploit the viral marketing potential inherent in YouTube video. In turn, this movement has also given rise to YouTube celebrities such as lonelygirl15, who was featured in a series of diary-style videos as Teen Vlogger (video blogger), Bree, but was later revealed to be an actress professional, Jessica Lee Rose, who had acted out a number of scripts pitched by the Creative Arts Agency (CAA).
Another example of a popular YouTube celebrity is 26-year-old Wisconsin resident and “Queen of YouTube,” Nornna. Nornna has developed a cult following on YouTube by posting a series of over 26 home videos of herself and her cat, Patches. The videos show the YouTube celebrity performing mundane, everyday tasks, like combing her hair or silently eating a corn dog.
One of the most popular examples of an animal celebrity turned YouTube is “The Dramatic Hamster”. A short clip from a Japanese TV show, the video features a prairie dog dramatically turning towards the camera, giving a suspenseful stare. “Dramatic Hamster” was later parodied in a Mash-Up video by the band Weezer for their song Pork and Beans.
YouTube celebrities who have used Internet video to independently promote their media careers include Tay Zonday, Obama Girl and Andy Milonakis. These and other YouTube celebrities have gained exposure in television, newspapers and, in some cases, acquired corporate sponsors who pay for product placement in videos featuring them.
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