Does It Pay to Play Fake?

In the past I’ve written about how into celebrities I’ve been over the years. These days that term has broadened to include online personalities, namely niche bloggers and YouTubers. With the advent of social media and smart phones, people around the world feel more connected than ever. In my opinion, it’s been a gift and a curse.

A few weeks ago one of my favorite YouTube gamers, Ethan (CrankGameplays), posted a video “An Honest Talk about YouTube.” In it, he references content creators and their demeanor on camera versus off and their personal lives versus what they put out there.

The thing he said that stood out to me most was creators sell a version of themselves they think their consumers want to buy. What you see when you watch one of their videos isn’t the full truth of who they are; it’s carefully crafted so their brand stays intact. They gotta pay bills, right?

This part I can get on board with. As an adult, it’s important to earn a livable wage and some younger people don’t understand that because they haven’t lived it. To some, it’s not worth selling your soul to make sure you can keep the lights on.

But this post is gonna be a rebuttal because I’m not into the idea of creators being manufactured. As I said, I’ve followed celebrities my whole life. My dad (rest his soul) never liked that I put more stock into points Alicia Keys made during interviews than my own parents in our living room. I, however, don’t think life always works like that―it seems odd to connect with people just because you think you should. Natural connections can come from anywhere.

I think this is a big reason people barely get into creators: they carefully construct and put out an image of themselves that they want you to see so you’ll continue to support them. Therefore, in the eyes of the public celebrities aren’t “real.”

But they still want you to believe they are because it’s lucrative, which brings me to my next point. Ethan made his video because he watched another creator’s video called “Manufactured Authenticity.” Lindsay Ellis emphasized that it’s impossible to form a personal connection with a “faceless sea of people who are, in effect, your customers.”

I don’t wanna be a cash cow for a creator, I want to watch human beings. When they said authenticity is important to the viewer and therefore sells, I won’t argue. But if even what they show us isn’t accurate then I’m not really getting that. Ethan mentioned that not constantly loving your job is seen as ungrateful, but not by those who see you as a person.

I found myself wondering who these people are: the people who demand creators be grateful 100 percent of the time, people who feel entitled to their attention, who think they know exactly who their creator is and therefore can analyze everything they do. Because most of what I see is the opposite.

Ethan said that if he’s pissy or bored, no one wants to watch that. But if that’s his honest mood at the time, I don’t mind. If he’s bored and just wants to play a chill game without commentating, I’d be cool then too! The creator should share what they choose to, not just what they think we want to see. Not only does choice make one more human, but then they’re not treating us like an ATM.

Because I’d argue that if you treat your supporters like that, they’ll treat you like a product. The less they see you as human, the more they’ll demand from you. The less they see you as human, the more they’ll think they can interfere with your personal life. If you behave like a robot that’s always happy, entertaining, excited, and available, that’s how your supporters will operate around you. So when the product becomes defective (when you’re upset or want to take a break), they complain and want a refund.

Seán (my favorite creator who some may know by now) happens to recognize me and knows my first name. I still don’t think he’s my best friend; we don’t know each other like that. He doesn’t have to tell us everything, but I feel like I can trust what he does. That’s more than enough.

To me it’s more important that what I do see is real. I don’t need to know everything; we don’t own the creators we watch. But honesty is something I value in everyone, including who I watch online. You’re not the Android Sent by CyberLyfe, you’re a human moved by your own spirit. Move as freely as you please.