The Lavoies on Feminism

Here is the Reddit discussion: http://goo.gl/H9yDr

Video diaries: a need for confession, or a desire for stardom ?

One thing that stuck with us following yesterday’s lecture was the importance of confession, especially in our Northern American culture, where most of our values are based on christianity. As mentioned in class, our modern culture still acts in accordance to these values, though the Faith isn’t as present in our every day lives. Although Video diaries may in fact be the result of this desire to confess and to feel liberated from ourselves, we think stardom and recognition may also be something the YouTube community strives for. It is no secret YouTube has produced micro celebrities over the years: the Epic Meal time crew, Flufee, BeenerKeeKee19952 and MeaganandLiz to name a few. Our society is bombarded with the idea that fame results in power, wealth and happiness through reality TV, magazines, radio and of course, Internet. As posting a video on YouTube is accessible and easy for most people in North America, it’s also the most accessible and easiest route to celebrity. By creating a video of yourself, you take the chance of it going viral and being viewed by thousands of people all over the world. Let’s take the case of Boxxie: this young girl posted a video of herself a few years ago, dedicated to her friend from GaiaOnline. The /b board of the 4Chan community fell in love with her, and she became a celebrity online. Soon, she had a fan site, a Facebook fan page, and several Internet memes referring to her. As she gained popularity, she put on a persona which brought her even more good and bad attention. Three years after her first video, Boxxie posted a video of herself, her true self, explaining the differences between herself and her character. Her goal with this confession was to be honest with the Internet community, as her video brought her the desired stardom, but also brought much controversy and hatred. In this case, the confession came after her videos had gone viral, so it was the fame that brought the confession. Perhaps the desire to be authentic and to show oneself on YouTube is not for confessions, but rather to be well-liked and perceived as a famous, real person. It is possible that all individuals strive for fame, and once this relative fame is achieved, a confession may appear if the individual feels the need to be more well perceived.