September 2018 commentary on current Internet culture for Parent24, South Africa’s biggest parenting website.
In the left corner, KSI. 25 years old. British. 19 million YouTube subscribers.
In the right corner, Logan Paul. 23 years old. American. 18 million subscribers.
Three Sundays ago, more than 800 000 fans paid to live stream these two showmen from opposite ends of the pond pummel each other in the KSI vs. Logan Paul boxing match. If you have no idea who or what I’m talking about then … good on you. Billed as the ‘biggest internet event in history’, it’s a step-up in the power of YouTube which now transcends online ad revenue-only with real-life arenas, ticket sales, money, merch and mainstream media reportage. The young stars at the centre can hardly believe their luck. This showdown, the climax of 7 months of build-up sustained by diss tracks, debates and manufactured “YouTube drama”, bought a generation whose parents have told them they’re good at everything together under one roof.
The protagonists, void of talent in the traditional sense, had for months hurled abuse through their online channels and the podcasts of self-styled commentators. KSI, with his jarring cackle, is the belligerent bully in this alternative media universe. Logan, the blonde American whose CV includes disrespecting a corpse, terrorising the Japanese and telling Santa Claus to F-off, unashamedly struts his stuff.
Each of these individuals reach about double the number of subscribers than Multichoice. Their legions of fans (average age around 12 years old), high on machismo and sugar, are easily influenced by the influencers. They’ve developed a narrative akin to 1990s WWE wrestling – the difference is that this is staged by uber-privileged, real-life personas with a worryingly believable lack of morals …
https://www.parent24.com/Teen_13-18/Development/opinion-talentless-youtube-influencers-vs-the-world-20180912