The megastars you’ve never heard of

If you’re over 24, chances are you’re unaware of Youtube’s biggest names. And yet an industry of drama and gossip has millions gripped – and makes serious money, explains Elena Cresci

It was the Internet fight to end all internet fights. Tati Westbrook vs James Charles; beauty Youtuber vs beauty Youtuber. Their spat was kick-started by a 44-minute video Tati posted in May after James supported a rival’s haircare supplement. In it, she disowned her former friend, accusing him of predatory behaviour towards straight men (accusations he denied) and of betraying her trust. James lost three million subscribers, despite a tearful apology video.

In short, it was a salacious saga – and with a barrage of tweets and reaction videos posted minute by minute, in certain corners of the internet it felt like the news story of the year. But if you even heard about it, there’s a good chance your first thought was… who on earth are these people?

Welcome to the world of the Youtube megastars: a new yet hugely bankable generation of internet celebrity. As the second most popular social media platform after Facebook – and perhaps the one most driven by personality – Youtube has become a breeding ground for influencers with huge followings.

La-based Tati, 37 – aka Glamlifeguru – has around 10 million subscribers for her relatable make-up tutorials. Many people credit her as paving the way for younger stars like James, 20, who lives in New York; she even mentored him when he started uploading his videos three years ago. Since then, he’s built an audience of 15 million subscribers, and brought Birmingham city centre to a standstill in January when 8,000 fans flocked to the Bullring to meet him.

Then there’s Pewdiepie, KSI, Jake Paul, Logan Paul… and if none of these names sound familiar, it may be because you were born before 1995. That’s what journalist Chris Stokel-walker found when he wrote his book Youtubers about these new stars

who, despite having access to audiences that traditional media channels would kill for, are far from household names. ‘Ask people under the age of 24, and they’ll know these names,’ he says. ‘But as soon as you get over the age of 24, the perception falls off a cliff.’

And yet, whatever field you can imagine, there’s probably a Youtube niche with its own stars dedicated to it, be that beauty, fashion, pranks or toys. Some upload ‘hauls’ of clothes or products they’ve bought – unpacking their shopping for an audience – while others live-stream themselves playing video games.

What they all have in common is that their followers see them as authentic. ‘It’s carefully curated authenticity,’ says Stokelwalker. ‘But what separates Youtubers from mainstream celebrities is that impression of accessibility.’ They achieve this by replying directly to comments below their videos and often talking directly to camera.

As a result, subscribers see themselves as friends, rather than as an audience. That ‘friendship’ generates a lot of money. Most Youtubers enjoy income from advertising, getting roughly 55% of revenue from ads placed on their videos (Youtube owner Google gets the rest). According to analytics website Social Blade, Tati makes up to £2,000 for any video with more than a million views. Meanwhile, last year’s highest-paid Youtuber was seven-year-old Ryan Kaji, whose following for his channel Ryan Toysreview – 19 million – helped him earn $22m (£20m), according to Forbes.

If you’re big enough, you can branch out into merchandise – James Charles has a clothing and make-up line where a 39-shade eye palette will set you back £39 – and other platforms. A 2018 Instagram rich list compiled by Hopper HQ claimed James could make around $9,000 from a single Instagram post, while Celebritynetworth. com estimates his at about $12m.

But with mega celebrity comes potential for mega drama: rows like the one between Tati and James happen all the time. Drama is built into the platform itself, with a cottage industry of ‘tea’ (slang for truth or gossip) accounts having sprung up around it.

The minute a Youtube argument erupts between stars with significant followings, other creators begin making reaction videos, trying to capitalise on the views such controversy generates. Tati’s original post calling out James stood at around 40 million views before it was taken down; meanwhile, a channel called Dramaalert has racked up about 12 million views over four videos chronicling the falling out, with headlines like ‘James Charles losing subs EXPLAINED’. Hosted by a Youtuber named DJ Keemstar, 37, it’s been dubbed ‘the TMZ of Youtube’, following the ins and outs of rows and interviewing the participants for the detail.

Dramaalert has built the blueprint for the way feuds are covered on the platform, but there are now countless other accounts such as Tea Spill, which follows the beauty Youtube community – from Kylie Jenner’s new skin products to, you guessed it, James v Tati (the subject of its most popular video to date, with 4.4 million views). The format varies – some channels, like Keemstar, have their creator talking into a camera; others, like Tea Spill, chronicle a story through written titles. Without a presenter, it’s not always easy to say who is behind a channel, but their creators tend to be young Youtube users, even teenagers, filling a gap left by traditional media. Socialblade puts Tea Spill’s monthly earnings as around £20,000.

Why does this all matter? Well, as Stokel-walker puts it, these Youtubers are the world’s ‘new celebrities’. ‘With two billion monthly active users (bearing in mind that half the world’s population doesn’t have internet access, and 1.5 billion people live in China, with no access to Youtube), these people are the stars of a platform that is the new media,’ he says.

And, slowly but surely, some are going mainstream. British beauty Youtuber Zoe Sugg, better known as Zoella, has a line of products in Superdrug. US Youtuber Lily Singh is hosting a late-night TV show later this year and, before his spat, James Charles attended the Met Gala. Still, many more Youtubers are happy with their online-only fame: redefining what celebrity means.

For now, James’s feud with Tati has waned: just the other week he returned to Youtube with a video that trended as the site’s most-watched. But it’s only a matter of time before the next Youtuber tea is spilt...

What separates Youtubers from mainstream stars is that impression of accessibility