I have been using 2006 but I only really started using it with gusto in the last 2 years. I originally had a channel in middle school that I posted videos that basically just combined different songs/pictures for a variety of shows. It had a mild success(a couple thousand subscribers which in 2008 was not too bad) but has since been deleted because YouTube used to be much much more strict about copyright. For most of high school I used YouTube mainly to find music/TV clips that I cared about. The spring of my senior year though(Spring 2011) I started caring much more about the people creating content, a deviation from traditional media which is still something I care a lot about today. So, in honor of Vidcon which is taking place in Anaheim this coming Thursday, I thought I would share with you how YouTube came to be such a substantial part of my online life.
The Vlogbrothers were my gateway YouTubers. I think I had heard of the concept of them from various different friends but it was only in my senior spring that I had enough free time to finally go through Brotherhood 2.0. For those who don't already know, John and Hank Green go their start on YouTube by eliminating their textual communications and making video blogs everyday for a year. It only took me about 2-3 days to watch all of B2.0 and another day and a half to catch up on the rest of their videos. They were entertaining and educational. There was also the novelty of feeling like you're getting to know the content creators rather than just seeing the final product which was compelling. And thus, a baby Nerdfighter and YouTube addict was born. I've since also started watching HanksChannel and HankGames which are just more channels in which the Green Brothers do stuff.
Aside from the Vlogbrothers, my current subscriptions fall into several different categories and while this is obviously is not an extensive list they are as follows:
The LA YouTubers: This is actually a fairly diverse and large group but it includes: ZeFrank, TheFineBros, Swoozie, Daily Grace, Hannah Hart, Jenna Marbles, Davey Wavey(I think he actually lives in Rhode Island but it seems like he spends a TON of time on the West Coast). The reason this list is so huge is because most American YouTubers live in Cali because it is the country's media capital. Jenna Marbles is technically the one I discovered first of the above list because I remember her "How to Trick People into thinking You're good Looking" video being featured on a fashion blog that I follow. Her videos are just generally entertaining and she's capable of talking about more serious issues (like Thoughts on Being Yourself) while not sounding really corny and preachy. TheFineBros were the YouTubers I discovered next due to their Kids React to the Harry Potter trailer and I've followed them fairly steadily since. Then was Swoozie after I saw his "Confessions of a Former Disney Employee" video. Davey Wavey came next once I found out he was the one in the "Day in Our Life" movie that came out to his grandmother on camera. He does TONS of entertaining videos about LGBT issues and fitness which are just fun to watch. ZeFrank was the next on the list to be "discovered"; his series TheShow was the inspiration for Brotherhood 2.0 back in the day but I wasn't watching him back then. Ze's had some interesting videos but I enjoy some of his more thoughtful vlogs and he's been an inspiration for previous posts. DailyGrace and Hannah Hart are recent discoveries, after I saw their videos on the Vlogbrother's channel during John's paternity leave this summer. Grace makes videos every weekday which is great because it fulfills my need to have new content everyday I'll admit, it took me a little while to get adjusted to her style but I think her videos are entertaining on the whole. Hannah Hart had been making "My Drunk Kitchen" which I hadn't realized until recently that I had seen an episode featuring Jenna Marbles a while back. I've started watching some of her vlogs and she is fairly positive in general which is just nice to watch, especially if you've had a bad day.
The New York Youtubers: The Gregory Brothers, The Key of Awesome. Unintentionally both of these channels do music based comedy. The first Gregory Brothers video I watched was an Autotune the News I believe though my favorite still has to be the one where the toddler learns to ride a bike. I haven't seen too much recently from Schmoyoho but the Key of Awesome pops up every couple of months as they parody a top 40 hit. These videos are always timely and scarily accurate which is something I really appreciate. I think the first video I saw from them was the Katy Perry Cali Girls Parody.
The British YouTubers: Charlie McDonnell, Nerimon, Emma Blackery, JacksGap, Caspar Lee(I know he's from South Africa but he lives in London now so he still counts). Charlie and Alex were my original pair of Brits because I discovered their channels approximately when I started watching the VlogBrothers seriously. Both vloggers' videos covered a fairly wide range of subjects but they've slowed down a bit since I first began watching. Luckily for me, I discovered Emma Blackery and JacksGap this past winter! Emma is from Essex and the first video I saw of hers was this one. I'm not entirely sure what drew me to her but I find her to be pretty compelling-kind of like a British Jenna Marbles yet still unique. JacksGap is a channel run by the charming twins Jack and Finn Harries. In addition to being ridiculously good looking, they also travel to a lot of places and since I'm currently not at a point in my life where I can do that, it's nice to see other people getting that opportunity and then living vicariously through them. The last British YouTuber that I want to mention is Caspar Lee-a friend of the Harries twins. I recommend him with caution, he has a very vibrant personality however he is somewhat of an acquired taste. Watch with caution-at times I feel like he's way too over the top but nevertheless entertaining. Occasionally I watch other Brits as well, like Dan Howell and Oli White. 
Educational Channels: VSauce, CrashCourse and Sci Show(and occasionally Khan Academy). If you didn't know already I'm a huge nerd who likes procrastinating productively! VSauce is one of my all time favorite channels by which I achieve this because I feel like I'm genuinely learning new things every video, whether the videos are about taxidermy, deleted files, or nostalgia. CrashCourse and SciShow come in at a close second only because there is some overlap with either AP/College introductory material that I've already covered or sometimes I've already heard an extensive piece about something from NPR. Still, CrashCourse and SciShow are run by John and Hank so they are still pretty entertaining. I discovered Khan Academy a long time ago during the summer of 2010 because I had no idea what parametrics are and I continued to use the channel to help with some physics work. KA is a lot drier than the other channels but definitely very well researched and presented. I think this channel is the closest I've seen on YouTube to the style/format of lectures that I receive at Wellesley.
News Channels: As mentioned in a previous post, I've started taking an interest in getting my news from YouTube rather than mostly from NPR. The Channel I've turned to is TheYoungTurks which I had actually started watching back in 2008 but stopped because life just got cray. I had always felt intimidated because I felt like I never had a solid enough background to understand things, like the conflicts in the middle east, so it was much easier just to ignore the news. TYT's videos for the channel definitely can stand by themselves which is something I love and it makes me feel like now I'm at least like a semi-informed citizen which is always good. I also follow the BBC and PBSNewsHour but the former is mainly so I can keep an eye out for Sherlock updates.
The Asians: KevJumba, Nigahiga, WongFu, ClaraC, Michelle Phan, and Chriselle Lim. I haven't been following these channels as closely in the last few months but the content they used to put out was a little bit more contrived than your average vlog. There were a few series that KevJumba, NigaHiga and WongFu put out as well as some fake music videos and situational videos. ClaraC was an artist I discovered last summer and I occasionally see a new song from her. Michelle and Chriselle were make-up and fashion channels that I followed more closely in high school(when I cared more about things like that). They still create quality content but 1) I don't wear as much makeup as I used to and 2) Pinterest is my new fashion inspiration board(sorry, Chriselle!).
The Talk Shows: Conan O'Brien, Craig Ferguson, Ellen DeGeneres. This is the last category of channels I want to discuss here-these channels are mainly comedy and celebrity driven which is refreshing because it's a change of pace from some of the other channels. Of these three hosts, the one I came across first was Ellen-she's funny and upbeat and has really entertaining segments. Also, I was exposed to her name a lot earlier so I just naturally gravitated towards her first. I started watching Conan and Craig because of their interviews with Game of Thrones actors this summer but after watching their monologues, I realized that they were also comedic geniuses in their own right. +1 to Conan because he's had a long career in comedy and was a former SNL writer and +1 to Craig because he interviewed John about his novel The Fault in Our Stars.
Again, the above list is by no means an extensive list of everything I've encountered on YouTube, there are still other people with whom I check in occasionally or channels that don't fit into these categories. YouTube has also been the platform for a couple webseries that I really enjoyed including the Lizzie Bennet Diaries and I think its a sign of the changing times that most of the media that I enjoy(especially at school) comes through YouTube now. It's fairly important to me that I can watch Phineas and Ferb at Wellesley and YouTube makes that possible among many other things. It allows me to know about people that I would otherwise never meet on my own. This was a long post but I hope you enjoyed it; I've tried to link as many things as possible but let me know if I've missed something you really want to see. Best wishes! (:P)
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