YouTuber

A YouTuber is an individual who produces videos for the video-sharing website YouTube. The name "YouTuber" refers to an individual whose main or only platforms are YouTube channel(s), personalized subpages of the YouTube video sharing platform.

Etymology
The term YouTuber is an English-language term, originating in 2006.

History
The first YouTuber was Jawed Karim, who created his YouTube channel, jawed, on April 23, 2005 PDT (April 24, 2005 UTC).

Usage
The term YouTuber became an official term in 2016, when it was coined by the Oxford English Dictionary.

Influence
Influential YouTubers are frequently described as microcelebrities. Since YouTube is widely conceived as a bottom-up social media video platform, microcelebrities do not appear to be involved with the established and commercial system of celebrity culture but rather appear self-governed and independent. This appearance, in turn, leads to YouTubers being seen as more relatable and authentic, also fostered by the direct connection between artist and viewer using the medium of YouTube.

These microcelebrities often communicate with their viewers which gives a more friendly outlook. YouTubers create content on a wide range of variety including vlogs, instructive, how to, informative videos, and more.[citation needed]

In University of Southern California, more than 13-18 year-olds in the United States on whether 10 YouTube celebrities or 10 traditional celebrities were more influential, YouTube personalities took the first five spots of the ranking, with Smosh ranking as most influential. It repeated in 2015 and found six YouTubers on the first ranks, with KSI ranked as most influential.

Several prominent YouTubers and their influence were subjects for scientific studies, such as Zoella and PewDiePie. Because of this level of influence, Robert Hovden argued for the creation of a new index similar to the g-index and h-index to evaluate a person's output and impact on YouTube.

Commercial success
YouTubers can earn revenue from Google AdSense. Additionally, they can supplement their income through affiliate links, merchandising, and 3rd party memberships using platforms such as Patreon. Popular channels have garnered corporate sponsors, who pay to be included in the videos. In 2018, Walmart, Nordstrom, and others sought YouTube stars as influencers.

In 2015, NME stated that "vlogging has become big business." In 2015, Forbes reported that Felix Kjellberg, known on YouTube as PewDiePie, had earned $12 million in 2014, more than some popular actors such as Cameron Diaz or Gwyneth Paltrow. Additionally, YouTube stars have crossed over to other media platforms including late-night television such as Canadian YouTuber Lilly Singh, who hosts the talk show A Little Late with Lilly Singh on NBC.